Al-Ghazali's philosophical and theological contributions

al-Ghazali

Born in 1058 AD, al-Ghazali is regarded one of the most accomplished mystical thinkers of all time. Indeed, his contributions are immense as far as the study of mysticism, philosophy, theology and jurisprudence is concerned. In this text, I briefly discuss al-Ghazali's life, influence and conceptions. Further, I also mention some of his most popular works.

Al-Ghazali: A Concise Discussion

Considered one of the most influential Muslims in history, al-Ghazali's life was largely eventful. For the role he played as far as the advancement and preservation of Islam is concerned, al-Ghazali was bestowed with the title -- Proof of Islam. Apart from Proof of Islam, al-Ghazali according to Jackson was also referred to as "the great renewer" (86). To highlight al-Ghazali's universal influence, Jackson also observes that al-Ghazali's "life and writings have been subject to more study in the Western world that probably any other Muslim, with the exception of…..Prophet Muhammad" (86). Al-Ghazali's early adulthood education was undertaken at Tus (his hometown) under Al-Radhakani. Apart from Tus, al-Ghazali's quest for knowledge also saw him undertake some of his studies at Nishapur and Gurgan. According to Jackson, al-Ghazali left for Baghdad sometimes in 1085 and soon after joined Nizam al-Mulk's camp (87). While here, he earned the admiration of other scholars. Soon, he took charge of Nizamiyyah College following his appointment as head of the institution by Nizam al-Mulk in 1091 CE. He lectured at the college until 1095 CE. It was during this period that al-Ghazali took great interest in philosophy and soon, he authored a number of texts. The first of his writings was The Aims of the Philosophers. In the opinion of Glick, John and Wallis, this text is "a summary of the logic, natural philosophy, and metaphysics of the Islamic Hellenistic philosophers….." (195). Soon after, he authored another text titled The Incoherence of the Philosophers which came to be regarded as a critique of philosophy in general. This text in the opinion of Griffel is well-known for criticizing causality (147). Al-Ghazali also authored numerous other texts and according to Jackson, he "was a prolific writer, with over four hundred titles to his name" (88).

It is important to note that al-Ghazali's career at Baghdad abruptly came to an end in what has come to be popularly regarded as al-Ghazali's 'Spiritual Crisis.' He however sought to 'clarify' the reasons informing or bringing about his exit from the college in Deliverance from Error. This book in the opinion of Jackson can be compared to Confessions by St. Augustine (89). In his quest to gain indubitable knowledge, al-Ghazali sought to follow the Sufi path. He observed that any undertaking whose final goal was not for Allah's sake was to be regarded an obstacle. Indeed, one of the reasons he gave for quitting teaching had to do with his realization that his motivation for the same was not for Allah's sake.