Al-Ghazali and the Ismailis: A Debate on Reason and Authority in Medieval Islam

by Farouk Mitha

Overview

Al-Ghazali is arguably one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Islam, and his writings have received greater scholarly attention in the West than those of any other Muslim scholar. This study explores an important dimension of his thought that has not yet been fully examined, namely, his polemical engagement with the Ismailis of the Fatimid and early Alamut periods.

Published in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781860648199
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/22/2001
Series:	Ismaili Heritage
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.33(d)

About the Author

Farouk Mitha is associated with the Faculty of Education, University of Victoria, Canada.

Table of Contents

Ecology of the Kitab al-Mustaziri : Historical Time and Place
• Al Ghazali and the Saljuqs
• Al-Ghazali and the Abbasid Caliphate
• Al-Ghazali and the Ismailis
• Anatomy of the Kitab al-Mustaziri : Content and Style
• Al-Ghazali's Muqaddima : A Justification
• Defining a Method
• The Adab al-Firaq Legacy: A Taxonomy of Exclusion
• The Place of Kalam : Reason and its Limits
• The Demands of the Fiqh : Limits and Norms
• The Body Politic in Medieval Islam: Justification and Narcissism
• Towards a Rereading of the Kitab al-Mustaziri
• Orthodoxy: A Problem of Interpretation
• Reason: Subjectivity Versus Objectivity
• Authority: Spiritual Versus Temporal

Editorial Reviews

"Mitha'a work is thorough, clear and up-to-date in its references to and understanding of contemporary scholarship."— Andrew Rippijn, Studies in Religion Journal

From the Publisher