person1058–1111

Al-Ghazali

Disciplines:

Summary

Persian Muslim theologian and philosopher — author of The Incoherence of the Philosophers and The Revival of the Religious Sciences — who attacked Aristotelian philosophy as incompatible with Islam and who integrated Sufism into orthodox Sunni theology — one of the most influential Muslim thinkers.

Core Contribution

Creates the orthodox Islamic critique of Aristotelian philosophy — Al-Ghazali's Incoherence of the Philosophers argued that the philosophers' (Avicenna, Farabi) metaphysics was rationally incoherent and religiously dangerous; this critique (partly refuted by Averroes) and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (integrating Sufi spirituality into Sunni practice) shaped orthodox Islam's relationship to philosophy for centuries.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Suffered a complete breakdown in 1095 — he could not speak, eat was difficult, and he eventually lost the capacity to lecture at the peak of his fame; he left the most prestigious academic position in the Islamic world and wandered as a Sufi for 11 years before returning to write; the spiritual crisis and recovery produced his most important work

Notable Works & Achievements

The Incoherence of the Philosophers

The Revival of the Religious Sciences

Deliverance from Error

Historical Influences

Avicenna Sufi tradition Asharite theology

Intellectual Lineage

Tus, Khorasan Nishapur Baghdad Spiritual crisis Tus

Contemporaries & Peers

Avicenna Averroes Omar Khayyam

Minds Influenced

Sunni Islam Averroes

Intellectual Posterity

Incoherence of the Philosophers Revival of the Religious Sciences Al-Ghazali as Islamic theology

Discussing

Al-Ghazali

Ask anything about Al-Ghazali — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.

person1058–1111

Al-Ghazali

Disciplines:

Summary

Core Contribution

Key Spikes & Highlights

Suffered a complete breakdown in 1095 — he could not speak, eat was difficult, and he eventually lost the capacity to lecture at the peak of his fame; he left the most prestigious academic position in the Islamic world and wandered as a Sufi for 11 years before returning to write; the spiritual crisis and recovery produced his most important work

Notable Works & Achievements

The Incoherence of the Philosophers

The Revival of the Religious Sciences

Deliverance from Error

Historical Influences

Avicenna Sufi tradition Asharite theology

Intellectual Lineage

Tus, Khorasan Nishapur Baghdad Spiritual crisis Tus

Contemporaries & Peers

Avicenna Averroes Omar Khayyam

Minds Influenced

Sunni Islam Averroes

Intellectual Posterity

Incoherence of the Philosophers Revival of the Religious Sciences Al-Ghazali as Islamic theology

Discussing

Al-Ghazali

Ask anything about Al-Ghazali — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.