SoR - Significant Person - Al

Al-Ghazali
(1058 – 1111)
Slide 1
Al-Ghazali
Contents
Al-Ghazali’s:
• Life
• Impact on Philosophy (Falasifa)
• Impact on Theology (Kalam)
• Impact on Sufism (Tasawwuf)
Summary
Practice HSC Question
Slide 2
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
Early Years
• Al-Ghazali was born in Tus, which
lies within the Khorasan Province
of Persia (modern day Iran).
• He started to learn Islam at a
young age.
• He formed a solid foundation in
Arabic, Persian, the Qur’an,
Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh),
Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir) and
Prophetic tradition (hadith).
Slide 3
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
Years of Study
• Around the age of 15, Al-Ghazali moved to Jurjan (on
the Caspian sea) to further study fiqh.
• Along the way he was robbed of his books, prompting
him to commit all knowledge to memory.
• As well as studying the external sciences of Islam, AlGhazali had early exposure to the sciences of the
heart, namely Sufism (tasawwuf).
• He later moved to Nishapur, where he studied fiqh,
scholastic theology (kalam), and philosophy.
• Al-Ghazali was in his mid-twenties at the time.
Slide 4
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
Years of Acclaim
• Towards the end of his studies, al-Ghazali had
developed a reputation as a promising scholar.
• He travelled again to meet the Seljuq minister Nizam
al-Mulk, and remained with him for six years, during
which he served as a court jurist.
• He took part in political and learned disputes and
wrote books until he was appointed as a professor to
the Nizamiyya College in Baghdad, the most
celebrated and important centre of science and
teaching in the Islamic East at that time.
• He worked there for 4 years.
Slide 5
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
Period of Crisis
• In 1095, at the age of 38, al-Ghazali suddenly
underwent a six-month-long spiritual crisis; internal
conflict between rational intelligence and the spirit,
between this world and the hereafter.
• His crisis had two dimensions, where he questions:
– the efficacy of the tools of knowledge and
– his own intentions.
• This crisis brought on a physical illness which prevented
him from speaking or teaching, finally causing him to
abandon his professorship and renounce wealth, fame
and influence.
Slide 6
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
• He left his family
sufficient provisions
and left to perform
hajj (pilgrimage),
spending the next
ten years in travel.
• He kept his identity
hidden, made a
living copying
books and at one
point even worked
as a janitor.
Slide 7
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,
where al-Ghazali spent many years
during his period of seclusion.
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Life
The Harouniyeh Mosque in Tus,
Iran – considered by some to be
the location of al-Ghazali’s
grave.
Slide 8
• He also began writing the
acclaimed Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din
(Revival of the Islamic Sciences),
a collection of 40 books studied
extensively until today.
• His return to Nishapur in 1105, at
the age of 47, was celebrated,
and he was urged to take up his
old position.
• He was described as a mujaddid
(prophesised reviver of true
Islam) and as hujjat al-Islam (the
proof of Islam).
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali’s Contribution & Impact
Historical Context
• Al-Ghazali lived during the Golden Age of Islam, a time
in which both knowledge and progress flourished
throughout the Islamic world.
• Despite this, the Islamic world faced three
controversies:
– Tension between revelation and reason;
– Tension between philosophy and religion;
– Tension between the outer and the inner dimensions of
Islam.
Slide 9
Al-Ghazali
Theology (Kalam)
• Before al-Ghazali’s time there were great debates and
divergences within Sunni Islam.
– The Mu’tazilite school was of particular concern at the
time and Al-Ghazali was a proponent of the Ash’arite
school.
– Al-Ghazali was able to conclusively refute Mu’tazilite
arguments using Ash’arite views.
– Al-Ghazali also debated tenets of Shi’a Islam,
strengthening Sunni Islam.
Slide 10
Al-Ghazali
Theology (Kalam)
• He helped shape the criteria of determining orthodox
faith and argued against sectarianism and
excommunication (takfir).
• Through this criteria al-Ghazali helped contribute to the
pluralistic nature of Sunni Islam.
• His contributions in strengthening Sunnism and refuting
Shi’ism may have had an even larger impact had it
not been for the Mongol invasion.
Slide 11
Al-Ghazali
Philosophy (Falasifa)
• Ibn al Subki said: “He came at a time when people
stood in dire need of replies against the philosophers
than the darkest night stands in need of the light of the
moon and stars.”
• Al-Ghazali’s was first drawn to classical Greek
philosophy for their contributions in the field of logic.
• He firmly believed that “Truth is not contaminated by
being juxtaposed to errors, nor does it become false
when included in books which contain errors on other
matters.”
• He compiled one of the most definitive handbooks of
philosophy in The Aims of the Philosopher.
Slide 12
Al-Ghazali
Philosophy (Falasifa)
• He then refuted their assertions that contradicted
Islamic theology in The Incoherence of the
Philosophers by demonstrating that their conclusions
did not adhere to their own rules of logic and reason.
• Al-Ghazali’s book titled The Incoherence of the
Philosophers marks a major turn in Islamic philosophy
and defended the fundamental role that reason plays
in Islamic theology.
• Some have argued that al-Ghazali killed the progress
of science as a result of his attacks on philosophy.
• This is not quite accurate, as Islam’s progress in science
continued and even increased after his time.
Slide 13
Al-Ghazali
Sufism (Tasawwuf)
• Al-Ghazali spent a number of years in seclusion,
wandering between Damascus, Jerusalem and
Mecca.
• In the end, he came to prefer Sufism (Tasawwuf) and
inspiration as a means to knowledge about God.
• It was during this period that he began work on his
most important book The Revival of the Religious
Sciences (Ihya’).
– 40 volumes
– 1500 pages
– Deals with devotional practice, social customs, the
causes of spiritual decline and the means of salvation.
Slide 14
Al-Ghazali
Sufism (Tasawwuf)
• Al-Ghazali sought and succeeded in
creating a synergy of scholarly
knowledge and evidence to support
Islamic teachings.
• He however gained a greater indepth understanding of Islam and
inspiration through Sufism.
Slide 15
Al-Ghazali
Sufism (Tasawwuf)
• Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that seeks to rid
oneself of the ego, self-reliance and self-centeredness
in order to seek God's pleasure.
• As a result of his support, Sufism gained momentum in
mainstream Islam. Sufism for al-Ghazali bridged the
gap between the current transient world and the
world of the hereafter.
• Al-Ghazali reconciled fiqh and tasawwuf at a time
when Sufism was being rejected as being un-Islamic.
Slide 16
Al-Ghazali
Sufism (Tasawwuf)
• Al-Ghazali's Ihya’ is one of the
most widely read books in Islam.
• It has become one of the most
influential books of all time.
• It was translated into Latin and
Hebrew and influenced many of
the scholarly texts that are still used
today in Christianity and Judaism.
Page from the manuscript of Ihya'
'ulum al-din (Revival of the
sciences of religion)
Slide 17
Al-Ghazali
Summary
• Defended Sunni Islam against deviant theology and
sectarianism.
– the struggle between revelation and reason
• Refuted the Greek philosophy that was in
contradiction with Islam by demonstrating the
irrationality of their arguments.
– the struggle between philosophy and religion
• Reconciled Islamic legality and Islamic spirituality,
giving Sufism a formal description and mainstream
acceptance.
– the struggle between the outer and inner dimensions of Islam
• Today his works still form major parts of curriculums in
Islamic studies around the world.
Slide 18
Al-Ghazali
Sample HSC Question
Slide 19
Al-Ghazali
(a) Summarise the contribution…
• Al-Ghazali was one of the greatest and most original
thinkers in Islam.
• He was a prominent individual in society, being a
teacher and a prolific writer with immense intellectual
position.
• He influenced Islamic thought and defined its practice
for over nine centuries.
• He is often referred to as the ‘Proof of Islam’, indicating
the high regard for him and his ongoing influence.
Slide 20
Al-Ghazali
(b) Summarise the impact…
• He defended and clarified classical positions of Sunni
creed, fatally weakened Shi’a doctrine and increased
the tolerance in Sunnism.
• He refuted the Greek philosophy that was challenging
Islamic creed, defending the significance of logic and
reason in Islam.
• He reconciled fiqh and tasawwuf and through his
patronage developed its credibility and acceptance
within mainstream Islam.
• Today his works still form major parts of curriculums in
Islamic studies around the world.
Slide 21
Al-Ghazali
(c) All aspects of life are worship for a Muslim…
• From an Islamic perspective, worship is to undertake all
actions with the intention to please God.
• Islam was a way of life for al-Ghazali as he delved into
theology, spirituality, jurisprudence, philosophy, logic
and many other aspects of Islamic studies.
• After mastering the available knowledge at the time,
he realised the importance of internalising and
experiencing it on an individual level, leaving behind
books that encouraged others to take that journey.
Slide 22
Al-Ghazali
(c) All aspects of life are worship for a Muslim…
• His famed Ihya’ combined mysticism with practical
everyday actions by emphasising their underlying
psychology as well as their ramifications on life in this
world and the hereafter.
• Listing the topics he wrote about exemplifies his
opinion that every act can be done as an act of
worship:
–
–
–
–
–
Inner Dimensions of Worship
On the Manners Related to Eating
On the Etiquette of Marriage
On the Etiquette of Travel
Remembrance of Death and Afterlife
Slide 23
Al-Ghazali
Summary
• The purpose that al-Ghazali makes clear through his
later books is that it is not about reading his works but
rather taking what he's written and living its meanings.
• He believed living a life of presence went hand-inhand with living a life conscious of God.
• His life is an example of repentance and spiritual
awakening, which he wished for all to experience. This
is why he was - and still is - called the ‘Proof of Islam’.
Slide 24
Al-Ghazali
Copyright
ISRA Australia claims copyright ownership of all information
on this presentation, unless expressly stated otherwise. No
information on this presentation may be used for
commercial or other purposes unless ISRA Australia gives its
prior written consent to the intended use.
© Islamic Sciences and Research Academy Australia 2016
Slide 25
Al-Ghazali