Philosophy: Biographies

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. World Encyclopedia Further reading

al- Ghazali

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

al- Ghazali , 1058–1111, Islamic theologian, philosopher, and mystic. He was born at Tus in Khorasan, of Persian origin. He is considered the greatest theologian in Islam. Al-Ghazali was appointed professor at Baghdad in 1091, but following a spiritual crisis in 1095 he abandoned his career to become a mystic (see Sufism ). After ten years of wandering he settled down to teach in accordance with his new mystical insights, which he formulated very closely to orthodox Islam. Al-Ghazali was the author of several important works; his Destruction of the Philosophers, written just prior to his spiritual crisis, opposes the philosophical method of approaching metaphysics when it contradicts orthodox theology. That position had a great influence on the future of speculative thought in Islam. Al-Ghazali's chief work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, outlines a complete and orthodox system of the mystical attainment of unity with God. Al-Ghazali is most important for his attempt to reconcile mysticism with orthodox Islam. He was well known in medieval Europe by his Latin name, Algazel.

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Ghazali, al-

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Ghazali, al- (1058–1111) Muslim scholar and mystic. He wrote on law, philosophy, theology and mysticism. His greatest work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, made Sufism an acceptable part of orthodox Islam.

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"Ghazali, al-." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Ghazali, al-." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ghazalial.html

"Ghazali, al-." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ghazalial.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Al-Ghazali's Philosophical Theology.(Book review) Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 1/1/2010
	Al-Ghazali, The Niche of Lights: A Parallel English-Arabic Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 10/1/2002
	Al-Ghazali, The Niche of Lights: A Parallel English-Arabic Text.(Book Review) Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 10/1/2002