Ghazali

Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali, commonly known as al-Ghazali, (1058–1111) was a Persian theologian (kalam), jurist (fiqh), and Sufi mystic whose writings profoundly shaped Sunni Islamic thought. He is often regarded as one of the most influential Muslim scholars of the medieval period and earned the honorific Hujjat al-Islam, or “Proof of Islam.”

Born in Tus in the Khorasan region, al-Ghazali studied extensively in Nishapur and Baghdad, where he taught at the Nizamiyya, one of the leading centers of learning of the time. After a period of personal and intellectual crisis, he withdrew from public life and spent his final years in Ghazna (present-day Afghanistan), where he continued to write and teach until his death in 1111. His career bridged theology, philosophy, law, and spirituality, and he sought to harmonize rigorous doctrinal orthodoxy with the inner life of faith.

Al-Ghazali’s works cover a wide range of topics. His Ihya’ Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences) is a comprehensive manual on Islamic spirituality, ethics, and practice. Tahafut al-Falasifa (Incoherence of the Philosophers) challenged the rationalist philosophy of Avicenna and others, while Al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (Deliverance from Error) presents a personal account of his epistemological journey. He contributed to the development of Ash’ari theology and helped integrate Sufi practices within mainstream Sunni Islam.

His influence extended across theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and mysticism, shaping Muslim thought for centuries and continuing to be studied in Islamic scholarship and Sufi circles.