How did he even know if what he knew was worth knowing or relaying. He began to question what he knew, the reliability of it, the reliability of everything. Sufism attracted him at one point but it had a stigma which he was worried would tarnish his respect and image (which obviously he had to caustiously avoid) But his over-stimulated and undersatisfied mind is not quiet and over some years you begin to see a personal crises develop. He wrote many books and over time earned himself a grand status in his position of knowledgeable principal of a leading Baghdad college in his late 30s. Later he wrote a book called The Inconsistencies of the Philosophers' challenging the reliability of their theories. He gained a detailed understanding of them before challenging their theories. He initially wrote a book called 'Aims of the philosophers' in which he detailed the message of these philosophers and their ideas.

He said.well No, this can't be right because it's simply not compatible with Islamic teachings and ideology. At a time when Greek philosophy by Aristotle and Plato was accepted (without questions) by Muslims or (at most) interpreted/filtered to suit Muslim ideology, Al ghazali reached a status of understanding where he called this 'acceptance of ideas without questioning' out. Al ghazali had a talent for being able to absorb information and he was hungry for it. Only then do you have the justified foundation to challenge it.

it's important not to challenge a theory before you understand it in its entirety. He went into depth and made a point that before questioning something it's important to know exactly what it is trying to convey i.e. Ultimately he tried to find a 'truth'.THE truth by addressing the reliability of what we know. He was an obviously highly intelligent child that grew into a young man thirsty for knowledge and learning, and later into a troubled man that was plagued with doubts and uncertainties resulting from his unsatisfied quests in finding the answers he desperately sought. Took me a few days as I have two small (distractions) children.Īl ghazali was a genius. The book is a 'concise' piece of work short enough to finish in an afternoon so-to-speak. Personally I hadn't heard of Al ghazali and was quite intrigued by my brother's description. He was an obviously highly intelligent child that grew into a young man thirsty for k I was given this book by my brother who had just finished the book and wouldn't stop raving about Al ghazali. Took me a few days as I have two small (distractions) children. I was given this book by my brother who had just finished the book and wouldn't stop raving about Al ghazali. With illustrations, photographs, and maps, the rich and diverse world that produced al-Ghazali is vividly brought alive.Įdoardo Albert is a London-based writer of Italian and Sri Lankan extraction.more It also reveals why, after years of success, he left behind his prestigious teaching position and became a penniless traveler trying to experience the peace of a contented inner life. It also reveals why, after years of success, he left behind his prestigious teaching position and became a penniless traveler trying t In this short biography you will discover how Imam al-Ghazali rose from his humble background as a fatherless young boy to become the preeminent Muslim scholar of the eleventh century and a towering figure in the history of Islamic thought. In this short biography you will discover how Imam al-Ghazali rose from his humble background as a fatherless young boy to become the preeminent Muslim scholar of the eleventh century and a towering figure in the history of Islamic thought.

Imam gazali goge bak daraldiginda