Incredible Life Story of Imam Al Ghazali! - How Did He Become to "The Proof Of Islam"?
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Imagine a Muslim Scholar! Who challenged the ideas of philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato? Who led philosophy in new directions? Whose views are still studied in the top universities across Europe? A great man, who has marked an era in history... Hujjat al-Islam, Abu Ḥamid Muḥammad al-Ghazali. What would you think if I were to tell you that a bandit who robbed him caused this great scholar to acquire such vast knowledge? What made al-Ghazali such a valuable person? Let's look at the situation in the Muslim world during his time. The Muslim world was in a dire condition at the time.
The adherents of Batiniyya, who had greatly harmed the Muslims, joined all their forces and kept attacking the Abbasid Caliphate, the last stronghold of Islam. But there was something they didn't consider. All Turkic tribes started converting to Islam and the Seljuk Empire was able to destroy the intentions of Batiniyya. This time, the adherents of Batiniyya started to spread their beliefs from within the society by misleading people. The Muslim faith was under attack from Batiniyya and philosophical ideas and heresies. There was great material and spiritual struggle against the adversaries of Islam.
During this period, the Muslim world needed a saviour, a genius who could disprove the ideas that challenged the true Islamic faith. This is where our story begins. Al-Ghazali was born in a city called Tus in Iran. He went to the city of Gorgan for an education. After five years of intensive education, He took to the road with his friends to return to his place of birth. However, they were intercepted by bandits on their way and he lost everything he had, including the notes that he had taken over five years. Worried that he would lose the source of his knowledge, he followed the bandits.
He told the leader that his notes contained all the knowledge he acquired over five years and asked them to give him back his notes at the very least. The leader of the bandits unknowingly told al-Ghazali the following sentence, which was maybe the turning point in his life: “You claim that you know, but you lack knowledge when I take your notes from you. Instead of learning it by heart, you leave it in the notes†. He then returned his notes. No one would expect such words from a bandit. However, looking not at the one who said these words, but at the One who made him say these words, al-Ghazali took them as a warning by Allah. Within three years, he had memorised all of his notes.
He was no longer dependent on the textbooks and the study notes. He was now aspiring to learn even more. So, he travelled to Nishapur. He then studied under Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, the most famous scholar of Ilm al-Kalam at the time. With a rigorous education, he studied Shafi'i jurisprudence, aqidah, logic, and wisdom and philosophy and he gained strong knowledge in all of these fields. He was progressing in the way of becoming a Muslim hero. His teacher paid tribute to him by saying: "al-Ghazali is a deep ocean†.
Upon writing a book on Islamic jurisprudence called al-Manhul, his teacher praised al-Ghazali by saying: "you buried me alive, couldn't you have waited until I died?†Al-Ghazali possessed outstanding intelligence and memory. Nizam al-Mulk, a great statesman, noticed al-Ghazali’s knowledge and intelligence. He thought that al-Ghazali was the ideal person to defend Sunni Islam and disprove the ideology of the Batiniyya movement, which seriously threatened the Muslim world. Since the adherents of Batiniyya were not defeated by military force, it was necessary to disprove their philosophy to dissolve them.
In those times, the adherents of Batiniyya, together with their leader, Hassan-i Sabbah, were turning the Muslim world into a bloodbath. They were deceiving uneducated Muslims and using them as assassins. As they were assassinating their high-ranking enemies with their own methods, the Muslim rulers were desperately watching the statesmen around them get killed by the assassins. For this reason, it was time to dissolve the Batiniyya movement, and this could only be accomplished by disproving their philosophy. Nizam al-Mulk invited al-Ghazali to Baghdad for this purpose. Baghdad was one of the most populated cities in the world at the time. It was also one of the leading scientific cities.
Here, Al-Ghazali was appointed as the headteacher at al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad, which is considered one of the earliest higher education institutions in the world. He was appointed as the university president in today's terms. Al-Ghazali was teaching about 300 students here. He also learnt Greek, conducted studies on philosophy, and began analysing the ideological base of Batiniyya. During his long-lasting studies he noticed that there were imperfections in the ideas of philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. He also noticed that there were philosophers who were using Greek philosophy to corrupt the Islamic faith.
Witnessing how people were trying to distort the true nature of Islam, he came forward to conserve it. He also realised that the adherents of Batiniyya, reinforcing their ideas with philosophy and logic, were causing people to have doubts about their faith. If you ask "how could al-Ghazali handle all this by himself?" this is actually what makes him Imam al-Ghazali. Imam al-Ghazali certainly had a plan after all these detailed studies and analyses. He wrote a book called Maqasid al-Falasifa (Aims of the Philosophers) which explained the purpose of philosophy in detail and he also praised it. This way, he is better known and also liked by philosophers.
Acknowledging that nobody else would be able to point out such detailed and accurate information about philosophy, al-Ghazali was viewed as a competent philosopher. Right at this point, he did something nobody would expect him to do. He wrote his book called Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers). He disproved certain schools of philosophy and many of the philosophers’ views using reasonable and logical evidence found in this book.
By saying that the philosophers’ judgements were not based on examination and science, but on presumption, and that therefore they didn't have a consensus, he criticised the philosophers of the time for presenting their views as the absolute truth. Since al-Ghazali used a philosophical method to challenge the philosophers, He is known as the one who struck philosophy with philosophy itself. In fact, his purpose was to show that in certain matters related to religion and metaphysics, Religion has the right to claim the truth and not philosophy.
Tahafut al-Falasifa, which opened a new chapter in the discussion of the relationship between religion and philosophy, is considered to be among the masterpieces of world philosophy. It also helped to preserve the culture of philosophical discussion within the community of scholars and intellectuals. While Imam al-Ghazali was working on such serious matters, Hassan-i Sabbah, the leader of the Batiniyya movement at the time, declared himself to be infallible, sinless, and someone who could not be questioned for his actions. So, he declared himself to be an innocent Imam.
The arguments of Batiniyya, such as the source of the true knowledge as the innocent Imam and the acquisition of that knowledge depending on his will, are disproved by Imam al-Ghazali in his book called Fada'ih al-Batiniyya (The Infamies of Batiniyya). So, he clarified the Islamic doctrine by eliminating the superstitions and heresies that emerged with the influence of certain groups outside of Sunni Islam as well as Greek philosophy. After all this, the Muslims had to come together.
For this reason, with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, Imam al-Ghazali wrote his book "Iḥya' Ulum al-Deen" (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), which served as a reconstruction project for the Muslim nation. This book contains important information and details about Islam and it was extremely needed at the time. Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Kazeruni said of Imam al-Ghazali’s book that: “even if all the sciences disappeared, they could all be derived from Ihya" and praised al-Ghazali and his book. In the face of all these physical and spiritual threats to distort Islam, al-Ghazali successfully turned the Islamic faith into its essence within his lifetime of 53 years.
The success al-Ghazali achieved, with his books written to defend the Islamic faith, has earned him an interesting title. He has been called "Hujjat al-Islam", meaning "proof of Islam" and has been accepted as "Mujaddid of the Century". In his autobiographical book called "al-Munqidh min al-dalal" (From Heresy To Guidance), al-Ghazali talks about himself and his life as follows: “from my youth up until now when I am over 50, I never shied away from diving deep into these vast oceans. I dived into the furious seas not like a coward, but like a brave man. I wrestled with every single matter I encountered. I abruptly accepted every challenge.
I was studying the beliefs and ideas of every sect and I was trying to discover the details of every religious order. As a result of this, since the joyful times of my childhood, I was free of imitation and was not bound with beliefs that were inherited from the elders..." We now understand the reason why he was a great scholar, right? When the enemies of Islam joined their forces to wipe out the principles of the Quran, he came forward without fear, even when he was alone, and gave us a lesson on bravery.
In 1111 CE, the year he passed away, after a life that lasted half-a-century, during the time of Fajr at the end of a night he spent reading the Quran, after ablution and prayer, Imam al-Ghazali sat and asked for a shroud. He kissed the shroud and rubbed it on his face and then said: "O My Lord, My King! Your order is a blessing to me." He then entered his room. As he hadn’t left the room for a while, they entered his room and saw that He was wearing the shroud, facing towards the Qibla and there was a poem written by him next to his head: "Tell my crying friends who saw me dead. Tell my pained brothers and sisters in Islam.
Do not assume I am really dead, By God, keep away from saying it is a death. I am a sparrow and this body is my cage, I flew away from the cage and the body remained. I was like a dead man among you this morning, I lived for a while and then wore a shroud. Do not assume the death is permanent, Know that it is life and it is highly desired. Do not assume death is violence and pain, It is only moving from one house to another. Take what you need and be prepared for the road, If you are smart, do not get busy with anything else! Pray for me to be blessed, so you are blessed, We went away, knowing that you are next. "Peace be upon you" are my last words to you! May Allah save you.
What else is there to say?
The adherents of Batiniyya, who had greatly harmed the Muslims, joined all their forces and kept attacking the Abbasid Caliphate, the last stronghold of Islam. But there was something they didn't consider. All Turkic tribes started converting to Islam and the Seljuk Empire was able to destroy the intentions of Batiniyya. This time, the adherents of Batiniyya started to spread their beliefs from within the society by misleading people. The Muslim faith was under attack from Batiniyya and philosophical ideas and heresies. There was great material and spiritual struggle against the adversaries of Islam.
During this period, the Muslim world needed a saviour, a genius who could disprove the ideas that challenged the true Islamic faith. This is where our story begins. Al-Ghazali was born in a city called Tus in Iran. He went to the city of Gorgan for an education. After five years of intensive education, He took to the road with his friends to return to his place of birth. However, they were intercepted by bandits on their way and he lost everything he had, including the notes that he had taken over five years. Worried that he would lose the source of his knowledge, he followed the bandits.
He told the leader that his notes contained all the knowledge he acquired over five years and asked them to give him back his notes at the very least. The leader of the bandits unknowingly told al-Ghazali the following sentence, which was maybe the turning point in his life: “You claim that you know, but you lack knowledge when I take your notes from you. Instead of learning it by heart, you leave it in the notes†. He then returned his notes. No one would expect such words from a bandit. However, looking not at the one who said these words, but at the One who made him say these words, al-Ghazali took them as a warning by Allah. Within three years, he had memorised all of his notes.
He was no longer dependent on the textbooks and the study notes. He was now aspiring to learn even more. So, he travelled to Nishapur. He then studied under Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, the most famous scholar of Ilm al-Kalam at the time. With a rigorous education, he studied Shafi'i jurisprudence, aqidah, logic, and wisdom and philosophy and he gained strong knowledge in all of these fields. He was progressing in the way of becoming a Muslim hero. His teacher paid tribute to him by saying: "al-Ghazali is a deep ocean†.
Upon writing a book on Islamic jurisprudence called al-Manhul, his teacher praised al-Ghazali by saying: "you buried me alive, couldn't you have waited until I died?†Al-Ghazali possessed outstanding intelligence and memory. Nizam al-Mulk, a great statesman, noticed al-Ghazali’s knowledge and intelligence. He thought that al-Ghazali was the ideal person to defend Sunni Islam and disprove the ideology of the Batiniyya movement, which seriously threatened the Muslim world. Since the adherents of Batiniyya were not defeated by military force, it was necessary to disprove their philosophy to dissolve them.
In those times, the adherents of Batiniyya, together with their leader, Hassan-i Sabbah, were turning the Muslim world into a bloodbath. They were deceiving uneducated Muslims and using them as assassins. As they were assassinating their high-ranking enemies with their own methods, the Muslim rulers were desperately watching the statesmen around them get killed by the assassins. For this reason, it was time to dissolve the Batiniyya movement, and this could only be accomplished by disproving their philosophy. Nizam al-Mulk invited al-Ghazali to Baghdad for this purpose. Baghdad was one of the most populated cities in the world at the time. It was also one of the leading scientific cities.
Here, Al-Ghazali was appointed as the headteacher at al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad, which is considered one of the earliest higher education institutions in the world. He was appointed as the university president in today's terms. Al-Ghazali was teaching about 300 students here. He also learnt Greek, conducted studies on philosophy, and began analysing the ideological base of Batiniyya. During his long-lasting studies he noticed that there were imperfections in the ideas of philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. He also noticed that there were philosophers who were using Greek philosophy to corrupt the Islamic faith.
Witnessing how people were trying to distort the true nature of Islam, he came forward to conserve it. He also realised that the adherents of Batiniyya, reinforcing their ideas with philosophy and logic, were causing people to have doubts about their faith. If you ask "how could al-Ghazali handle all this by himself?" this is actually what makes him Imam al-Ghazali. Imam al-Ghazali certainly had a plan after all these detailed studies and analyses. He wrote a book called Maqasid al-Falasifa (Aims of the Philosophers) which explained the purpose of philosophy in detail and he also praised it. This way, he is better known and also liked by philosophers.
Acknowledging that nobody else would be able to point out such detailed and accurate information about philosophy, al-Ghazali was viewed as a competent philosopher. Right at this point, he did something nobody would expect him to do. He wrote his book called Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers). He disproved certain schools of philosophy and many of the philosophers’ views using reasonable and logical evidence found in this book.
By saying that the philosophers’ judgements were not based on examination and science, but on presumption, and that therefore they didn't have a consensus, he criticised the philosophers of the time for presenting their views as the absolute truth. Since al-Ghazali used a philosophical method to challenge the philosophers, He is known as the one who struck philosophy with philosophy itself. In fact, his purpose was to show that in certain matters related to religion and metaphysics, Religion has the right to claim the truth and not philosophy.
Tahafut al-Falasifa, which opened a new chapter in the discussion of the relationship between religion and philosophy, is considered to be among the masterpieces of world philosophy. It also helped to preserve the culture of philosophical discussion within the community of scholars and intellectuals. While Imam al-Ghazali was working on such serious matters, Hassan-i Sabbah, the leader of the Batiniyya movement at the time, declared himself to be infallible, sinless, and someone who could not be questioned for his actions. So, he declared himself to be an innocent Imam.
The arguments of Batiniyya, such as the source of the true knowledge as the innocent Imam and the acquisition of that knowledge depending on his will, are disproved by Imam al-Ghazali in his book called Fada'ih al-Batiniyya (The Infamies of Batiniyya). So, he clarified the Islamic doctrine by eliminating the superstitions and heresies that emerged with the influence of certain groups outside of Sunni Islam as well as Greek philosophy. After all this, the Muslims had to come together.
For this reason, with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, Imam al-Ghazali wrote his book "Iḥya' Ulum al-Deen" (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), which served as a reconstruction project for the Muslim nation. This book contains important information and details about Islam and it was extremely needed at the time. Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Kazeruni said of Imam al-Ghazali’s book that: “even if all the sciences disappeared, they could all be derived from Ihya" and praised al-Ghazali and his book. In the face of all these physical and spiritual threats to distort Islam, al-Ghazali successfully turned the Islamic faith into its essence within his lifetime of 53 years.
The success al-Ghazali achieved, with his books written to defend the Islamic faith, has earned him an interesting title. He has been called "Hujjat al-Islam", meaning "proof of Islam" and has been accepted as "Mujaddid of the Century". In his autobiographical book called "al-Munqidh min al-dalal" (From Heresy To Guidance), al-Ghazali talks about himself and his life as follows: “from my youth up until now when I am over 50, I never shied away from diving deep into these vast oceans. I dived into the furious seas not like a coward, but like a brave man. I wrestled with every single matter I encountered. I abruptly accepted every challenge.
I was studying the beliefs and ideas of every sect and I was trying to discover the details of every religious order. As a result of this, since the joyful times of my childhood, I was free of imitation and was not bound with beliefs that were inherited from the elders..." We now understand the reason why he was a great scholar, right? When the enemies of Islam joined their forces to wipe out the principles of the Quran, he came forward without fear, even when he was alone, and gave us a lesson on bravery.
In 1111 CE, the year he passed away, after a life that lasted half-a-century, during the time of Fajr at the end of a night he spent reading the Quran, after ablution and prayer, Imam al-Ghazali sat and asked for a shroud. He kissed the shroud and rubbed it on his face and then said: "O My Lord, My King! Your order is a blessing to me." He then entered his room. As he hadn’t left the room for a while, they entered his room and saw that He was wearing the shroud, facing towards the Qibla and there was a poem written by him next to his head: "Tell my crying friends who saw me dead. Tell my pained brothers and sisters in Islam.
Do not assume I am really dead, By God, keep away from saying it is a death. I am a sparrow and this body is my cage, I flew away from the cage and the body remained. I was like a dead man among you this morning, I lived for a while and then wore a shroud. Do not assume the death is permanent, Know that it is life and it is highly desired. Do not assume death is violence and pain, It is only moving from one house to another. Take what you need and be prepared for the road, If you are smart, do not get busy with anything else! Pray for me to be blessed, so you are blessed, We went away, knowing that you are next. "Peace be upon you" are my last words to you! May Allah save you.
What else is there to say?