al-Ghazali facts for kids

Al-Ghazali (born around 1058 – died December 19, 1111) was a very smart and important Muslim scholar from Persia. His full name was Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Tusi al-Ghazali. In Europe during the Middle Ages, people knew him as Algazelus or Algazel.

He was a true "polymath," meaning he was an expert in many different fields. He was known as a top legal expert, a thinker about law, a judge, a philosopher, a theologian (someone who studies religion), a logician (someone who studies reasoning), and a mystic (someone who seeks a deeper spiritual connection). He lived during the Islamic Golden Age, a time when science and culture in the Muslim world were thriving.

Many people believed Al-Ghazali was the "mujaddid" of his century. A mujaddid is a person who, according to Islamic tradition, appears every 100 years to help renew and strengthen the faith of the Muslim community (the ummah). His writings were so respected that he earned the special title "Proof of Islam" (Ḥujjat al-Islām).

Al-Ghazali felt that the spiritual teachings of Islam had been forgotten over time. This led him to write his most famous work, Ihya' 'ulum ad-din, which means "The Revival of the Religious Sciences". Another important book he wrote was Tahafut al-Falasifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers"). This book was a big deal in the history of philosophy because it questioned the ideas of Aristotle, a famous ancient Greek thinker.

Life Story of Al-Ghazali

Al-Ghazali was born around 1058 in a town called Tus, which was then part of the Seljuk Empire. He was a Muslim scholar, a legal expert, and a spiritual thinker of Persian background. He was born when the Seljuks were becoming very powerful in the region.

When he was young, Al-Ghazali began studying fiqh (Islamic law) with local teachers. Later, he studied with a very famous jurist and theologian named al-Juwayni in Nishapur. After his teacher passed away in 1085, Al-Ghazali joined the court of Nizam al-Mulk. Nizam al-Mulk was a powerful leader of the Seljuk Empire.

In 1091, Nizam al-Mulk gave Al-Ghazali a very important job: a professor at the Nizamiyya madrasa (a type of school) in Baghdad. This was one of the most respected teaching positions at the time.

However, in 1095, Al-Ghazali went through a big personal crisis. He decided to leave his teaching job in Baghdad. He said he was going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He gave away his money and chose to live a simpler, more spiritual life. After spending time in Damascus and Jerusalem, and visiting Medina and Mecca, he returned to Tus. He spent several years living in uzla (seclusion), meaning he didn't teach at state schools. But he still wrote books, met with people, and taught in his own private school and Sufi lodge.

Later, in 1106, he was asked to return to teaching at the Nizamiyya in Nishapur, and he did, though he was a bit worried about it. He eventually returned to Tus and passed away on December 19, 1111. He had several daughters but no sons.

His School of Thought

Al-Ghazali played a big part in making Sufism (a mystical branch of Islam) more accepted within mainstream Islam. He was a scholar of Sunni Islam. He followed the Shafi`i school for Islamic law and the Ashʿari school for theology. He was given special titles like Zayn al-Din (meaning "Beauty of the Religion") and Ḥujjat al-Islām ("Proof of Islam").

He is seen as a key figure in the Asharite school of early Muslim philosophy. He was also very important for arguing against the Mutazilites, another group of thinkers. However, his ideas sometimes differed a little from the main Asharite teachings.

Al-Ghazali's Writings

Mausoleum of al-Ghazali in Tus, near the tomb of the poet Ferdowsi. The mausoleum was found in the 1990s after being lost for many centuries.

Al-Ghazali wrote about 70 books. He also wrote a special legal opinion (a fatwa) against some kings in Spain (al-Andalus). He said they were not good rulers and should be removed. This fatwa was used by Yusuf ibn Tashfin to take over al-Andalus.

The Incoherence of the Philosophers

His book The Incoherence of the Philosophers, written in the 11th century, changed how people thought about knowledge in Islam. In this book, Al-Ghazali explored the idea that all events happen because God directly wills them to. For example, when cotton burns in fire, it's not just a natural law, but God's will making it happen every time.

Later, another philosopher named Ibn Rushd wrote a book called The Incoherence of the Incoherence to argue against Al-Ghazali's ideas. However, Al-Ghazali's views had already made a big impact on Islamic thought.

This book also strongly disagreed with the ideas of Aristotle and Plato. It targeted a group of Islamic philosophers called falasifa, who were inspired by ancient Greek thinkers.

Some people have debated the impact of this book. Some scholars say that science in the Islamic world didn't decline after Al-Ghazali, pointing to continued progress in areas like astronomy. Others argue that scientific thought was indeed slowed down, but they blame a different person, Nizam al-Mulk, more than Al-Ghazali.

His Autobiography

Last page of al-Ghazali's autobiography in a manuscript from Istanbul, dated 1115–1116 AD.

Al-Ghazali wrote his autobiography, Deliverance From Error (al-munqidh min al-ḍalāl), near the end of his life. It's a very important book. In it, he explains how he overcame doubts about what he knew. He studied different ways of thinking, like theology and philosophy. He found that while some parts were good, he ultimately found the most truth and peace through following Sufism (mystical practices).

A famous writer named William James thought this autobiography was very important. He said it helped people understand religions other than Christianity, because there weren't many personal religious stories written down from that time.

The Revival of Religious Sciences

Another major work by Al-Ghazali is Ihya' Ulum al-Din. This book covers almost all areas of Islamic knowledge, including Islamic law (fiqh), theology (kalam), and Sufism.

It has four main parts: "Acts of Worship," "Norms of Daily Life," "The Ways to Perdition" (things that lead to ruin), and "The Ways to Salvation" (things that lead to success). The Ihya became one of the most read Islamic books after the Qur'an and the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). It successfully brought together traditional Sunni theology and Sufi mysticism, offering a complete guide for Muslim life. Scholars like Nawawi praised it highly, saying that if all other Islamic books were lost, the Ihya would be enough to replace them.

The Alchemy of Happiness

The Alchemy of Happiness is a shorter version of The Revival of the Religious Sciences. Al-Ghazali wrote it after his spiritual crisis, to share his strong belief that connecting with God is key to true happiness.

The book has four sections. The first, "Knowledge of Self," says that worldly pleasures only satisfy us for a short time. To find true happiness, people must focus on God and practice self-control. The second part, "Knowledge of God," explains that events in life are meant to guide us to God, and God is always powerful. The third section, "Knowledge of the World," teaches that this world is a place to learn to love God and prepare for the afterlife. The final section, "Knowledge of the Future World," talks about different types of spirits and the path to spiritual understanding. This book shows the big change Al-Ghazali went through in his spiritual journey.

Disciplining the Soul

One important part of Al-Ghazali's Revival of the Religious Sciences is "Disciplining the Soul." This section talks about the inner struggles Muslims face. Al-Ghazali's main idea is that people should find balance in all parts of their soul. These chapters were the 22nd and 23rd in his Revival. It's interesting that Al-Ghazali used ideas from both Greek and Islamic philosophy here, even though he often criticized Greek philosophy in his other famous work, The Incoherence of the Philosophers.

The Eternity of the World

In The Eternity of the World, Al-Ghazali argued against the Greek idea that the world has always existed. The Greek (Aristotelian) view was that motion always comes from another motion, meaning time stretches infinitely into the past and future. This would mean God didn't create the universe at a specific point.

Al-Ghazali had two main arguments against this. First, he said that if the world was created with clear limits, then there's no need for time before God created it. Second, he argued that since humans can only imagine time before creation, and imagination is not always real, then any time before the world was created is also not real. He believed humans were not meant to understand it.

Distinguishing Islam from Unbelief

In The Decisive Criterion for Distinguishing Islam from Clandestine Unbelief, Al-Ghazali explained his view on what it means to be a true Muslim. He took a more open stance than many others of his time. He said that as long as someone believes in the Prophet Muhammad and God, there are many ways to practice Islam. He believed that different traditions practiced with good intentions should not be seen as wrong by other Muslims.

While he said that sincere Muslims are not guilty of turning away from their faith, he did suggest that there is one standard of Islam that is more correct. He believed that only the Prophet himself could call a faithfully practicing Muslim an unbeliever. His work was a response to the religious conflicts that were common between different Islamic groups at that time.

Works in Persian

Al-Ghazali wrote most of his books in Arabic. However, he also wrote a few in Persian. His most important Persian book is Kimiya-yi sa'adat (The Alchemy of Happiness). This is Al-Ghazali's own Persian version of his Arabic work, Ihya' 'ulum al-din, but it's shorter. It's considered a great work of 11th-century Persian literature. It has been translated into many languages, including English.

Another real work by Al-Ghazali is the first part of Nasihat al-muluk (Counsel for Kings). He wrote this for the Seljuk ruler of Khurasan, Ahmad b. Malik-shah Sanjar, after meeting him in 1109. This text is an official letter with advice for the ruler.

Faza'il al-anam min rasa'il Hujjat al-Islam is a collection of letters Al-Ghazali wrote in Persian to kings, ministers, and friends after he returned to Khorasan. One long letter answers questions about some of his ideas. The first letter is his excuse to Sultan Sanjar for teaching in Nizamiyya of Nishapur. He also gave an impressive speech in Sultan Sanjar's court in 1106, offering important advice. The Sultan was so impressed that he asked Al-Ghazali to write down his speech to share with other scholars.

Zad-e Akhirat (Provision for the Hereafter) is another important Persian book by Al-Ghazali, though it's less known. Much of it is a Persian translation of his Arabic book, Bidayat al-Hidaya (Beginning of Guidance). It also contains similar ideas to Kimiya-yi Sa'adat. He probably wrote this book in his last years.

Hamāqāt-i ahl-i ibahat or Radd-i ebāhīyya (Condemnation of Antinomians) is his fatwa (legal opinion) in Persian, using verses from the Quran and Hadith.

Many other Persian texts, especially those giving advice to rulers, have been wrongly linked to Al-Ghazali. These are often fake or collections of his ideas put together by others. A famous example is Ay farzand (O Child!), which was definitely written by someone else a generation or two after Al-Ghazali died. It uses parts of his real letters and letters from his younger brother. This book was later translated into Arabic as Ayyuha al-walad and became very popular.

Al-Ghazali's Impact

Al-Ghazali wrote over 70 books on science, Islamic reasoning, and Sufism. His book The Incoherence of Philosophers was a major turning point in how people thought about knowledge in Islam. He believed that all events happen because God directly wills them, not just because of natural causes.

Another very famous work is Ihya' Ulum al-Din ("The Revival of Religious Sciences"). This book covers all areas of Islamic knowledge, including law, philosophy, and Sufism. It was very well received. He then wrote a shorter version in Persian called Kimiya-yi sa'adat ("The Alchemy of Happiness"). Although Al-Ghazali said he wrote over 70 books, more than 400 books have been linked to his name.

Al-Ghazali also played a big role in spreading Sufism and Sharia (Islamic law). He was the first to combine Sufi ideas with Sharia laws and to formally describe Sufism in his writings. His works also made Sunni Islam stronger compared to other schools of thought.

Al-Ghazali had a significant impact on later Muslim thinkers and even on Christian philosophers in the Middle Ages. Some scholars believe his works were among the first to be studied by European scholars. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), a famous Christian writer, studied Arabic works and admitted he learned from them.

The time after Al-Ghazali is sometimes called the "Golden Age of Arabic philosophy." This was partly because Al-Ghazali successfully brought logic into the Islamic school (Madrasah) curriculum.

He also helped Sufism become widely accepted, even while he criticized philosophy. At the same time, by using philosophical ideas to argue against philosophers, he actually helped spread those ideas more widely.

His influence on Sufi thought and Islam in the 11th century is still discussed today. His many writings show he was one of the most important Islamic thinkers of his time. Three of his works – Ihya' Ulum ad-Din, Tahafut al-Falasifa, and al-Muniqidh min a-alal – are still widely read by Islamic scholars. After Al-Ghazali's death, there was a period with fewer Islamic philosophers, which added to his importance in modern times.

His main religious idea was that God is at the center of all human life and directly involved in everything that happens in the world. Al-Ghazali's influence wasn't just in Islam. His works were also read by Christian and Jewish scholars. Famous Western thinkers like David Hume, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas were influenced by him. Moses Ben Maimon, a Jewish theologian, was very interested in Al-Ghazali's works. One of Al-Ghazali's notable achievements was his writing and reform of education, which shaped Islamic education from the 12th to the 19th centuries. Islamic mathematicians and astronomers, like At-Tusi, also relied heavily on his works.

Al-Ghazali also focused on early childhood development. He worked to create a program to help young children develop their minds and character. He believed that family, schools, and social interactions were key to learning language, good behavior, and morals. He also thought physical activities like games were important to make school attractive and help young minds grow. He stressed the importance of understanding and sharing cultures in classrooms to create harmony, which would then spread outside the classroom.

He believed teachers had a great responsibility. His ideas on early education focused on Islamic laws, God, and memorizing the Qur'an to become good at reading and writing. Al-Ghazali emphasized that there should be mutual respect between teacher and student. The teacher should guide the student like a father figure, and the student should respect the teacher. He also stressed that teachers should pay attention to how quickly each student learns, to help them succeed.

From his writings, Al-Ghazali was truly a mystic. He saw himself as more religious and mystical than philosophical. However, many scholars today see him as a leading figure in Islamic philosophy and thought. He described his approach as a search for true knowledge, a deeper understanding of philosophy and science, and a better understanding of mysticism and how we think.

In today's world, Al-Ghazali is known not only for his contributions to Sufism, Islam, philosophy, or education, but his ideas also influence Islamic business practices. Some authors even suggest that Al-Ghazali is the greatest Muslim since the Prophet Muhammad. Traditional Islamists are influenced by his writings because he wrote about and included Sharia Law. They say, "His mastery of philosophical logic and reasoning earned him the title of philosopher without losing his status as a religious scholar." Al-Ghazali's ideas about using intellect combined with rational and spiritual thought are still a key part of Muslim society today, including in business.

Number of Works

Al-Ghazali himself said he wrote "more than 70" works in a letter to Sultan Sanjar late in his life. About "five dozen" of these can be clearly identified as his. However, hundreds of other works have been linked to him, but many are doubtful or fake, sometimes just duplicates with different titles.

The practice of wrongly linking works to Al-Ghazali grew in the 13th century, especially after many books by Ibn Arabi became widely known.

Scholars like William Montgomery Watt and Maurice Bouyges have published lists of works attributed to Al-Ghazali.

Economic Ideas

Al-Ghazali's ideas about money and business were strongly shaped by his Islamic beliefs. He thought that economic activity was very important. He believed it was necessary for society to do well and for people to find spiritual completeness. He felt that being active in the economy was a required part of Sharia law.

He set three goals for economic activity, which he believed were religious duties and good for individuals:

• Being able to support oneself.
• Providing for one's children and family.
• Helping those who need financial support.

He argued that people should not just live on the bare minimum for their own family, because he thought this would harm the economy. However, he understood that some people might choose this simple lifestyle for their personal spiritual journey. On the other hand, he advised against buying too many expensive things. He suggested that any extra money earned should be given to help the poor.

Al-Ghazali believed that society didn't need to force everyone to have the same income. Instead, he thought people should be motivated by "the spirit of Islamic brotherhood" to share their wealth willingly. But he knew this doesn't always happen. He thought wealth could be used in two ways:

• For good: Like taking care of oneself and family, helping others, and doing things that benefit the Islamic community.
• For misuse: Spending money selfishly on fancy or unnecessary items.

Regarding trade, Al-Ghazali talked about how important it was to exchange goods between cities and across borders. This allows more necessary goods to be available to more people. He recognized that trade was essential and good for the economy. However, he didn't support people making "excessive" profits from their sales.

See Also

In Spanish: Al-Ghazali para niños

• Mujaddid
• Nasîhatnâme