Ghazali: The Revival of Islam

by Eric Ormsby

Overview

This fascinating work profiles Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), the foremost Islamic scholar and mystic of the medieval period. Attracting the patronage of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk early in his career, he was appointed head of the Nizamiyyah College at Baghdad, and attracted audiences from across the Islamic world, who sought his teachings on Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence. Eventually renouncing his position due to a spiritual crisis, he went into self-imposed exile, during which he wrote the Sufi masterpiece, "Revival of the Sciences of Religion". Concise and lucid, this is a perfect introduction to the great man's life and work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780742052
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	12/01/2012
Series:	Makers of the Muslim World
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	775,500
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Eric Ormsby is Chief Librarian at the Library of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. He was formerly Professor and Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Names and terms

Chronology

INTRODUCTION

The Seljuqs

The “Schools” of Law

The Notion of Kalam

The Mu‘tazili Factor

Ash‘ari and the Three Brothers

Philosophy (Falsafa)

The Isma‘ilis

Sufism



1 THE RISE TO RENOWN

A Child of Khorasan

The Stages of his Career

Early Studies: Sufi Masters and Theologians

Juwayni

The Patronage of the Powerful

Ghazali at Court

The Temptations of Prestige



2 DEVOTION TO THE LAW

Ghazali’s Contributions to Law

The Example of Analogy (qiyas)

The Indolence of the Learned

Shafi‘i: the Beloved Model

Fidelity to the Law



3 THE DOUBLE-EDGED DISCIPLINE: GHAZALI AND THEOLOGY

Theology vs Philosophy

Against a “Religion of Donkeys”

Ghazali the Theologian

The Dogmatic Manual al-Iqtisad fi’l-i‘tiqad

Ghazali’s Mode of Argument in “The Just Balance”

The Shadow of Ibn Sina

A Human Accent

Ghazali on Divine Names

The Absence of Insight as Insight

A Manual for Meditation

Ghazali’s Attitude towards Kalam



4 THE POISON OF PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ANTIDOTE

Did Ghazali Destroy Philosophy in Islam?

The Seductiveness of System

The Exposition of Philosophy: the Maqasid al-Falasifa

The Attack: Tahafut al-Falasifa



5 CRISIS AND RECOVERY

The Breakdown of 1095

Sickness and Health

Al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (“The Deliverer from Error”)

Scepticism and Ghazali: His Early Crisis

The Significance of Dream

The Four Ways

The Decisive Break and the Departure from Baghdad

Baghdad, the “Nest of Darkness”

The Role of Ahmad Ghazali



6 THE REVIVAL OF ISLAM

The Character of the Ihya’

The Architecture of the Ihya’



CONCLUSION: KNOWLEDGE IN ACTION

The Return to Teaching

Death and Posthumous Career

Bibliography

Index