MA
DISSERTATION –SEPTEMBER 2000
AL-G
(Copyright
© 2000-2006, P.A.W. Greenland)
‘The
Spirituality of Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (1058-1111CE).
An examination of al-Ghazali’s writing and teaching
and its relevance for the Islamic Community in the contemporary world’.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
(1058-1111 CE) is regarded by scholars as an Islamic intellectual giant. The
dissertation seeks first to examine his work in presenting an argument for
Ghazali’s personal spirituality and influence both for Islamic scholarship and
the Muslim community (ummah). Second, it
disagrees with the view that Ghazali was a mystic.
Instead it is submitted that Ghazali was a superbly
gifted theologian who enabled others to become mystics. His magnum opus,
The Revival of The Religious Sciences (Ihya ulum al-din),
and spiritual autobiography, Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min ad-Dalal), are demonstrated as the
fundamental texts from which a basic thesis can be made about Ghazali’s
spirituality. But he was also accused of deliberately writing divergent views
on the same subjects for different people. Although this is shown to be a
correct view it is argued that it was not from any malicious intention. Instead
Ghazali wanted all Muslims to know that they only
have one lifestyle choice, which is adhering to the Islamic law (Shari’a).
Ghazali’s undoubted achievement was the
reconciliation of orthodox Sunni theology with Sufi (Tasawwuf)
mysticism. First, by instructing Muslims to adhere to orthodox tenets,
especially the Five Pillars of Faith (Arkan).
Second, teaching that every outward (zahir)
act or intention (Niyya or Riyan)
has an inner (batin) meaning both for
individual and ummah betterment. Through Ukhuwwa (‘Loving Contracts of the Heart’) Ghazali taught that batin
actions form a social ‘glue’ which holds Muslims together in love and respect.
The contemporary era threatens these ideals especially with the dislocation of
the traditional nuclear family. But it is advanced that the benefits
of the current age including the Internet offers the opportunity for a
global ummah founded on Ukhuwwa.
From Ghazali’s texts and web sites it is demonstrated
that through ‘non-history’ his guidance is always available. In essence Ghazali’s spirituality is not the Platonic idea of
Rationalism without Reason and which now includes modern secularism. Instead Ghazali taught through Islamic Reason that God exists
because God is God who must be praised and obeyed in any period of time.
The Dissertation may also be downloaded as a pdf
document (401 Kb) from Dissertation
on the 11th century philosopher al-Ghazali
Dissertation retained as submitted by Peter Greenland for King Alfred
College’s (now the University of Winchester) MA Board in August 2000
(The Winchester Al-Ghazali Site was originally called ‘Peter Greenland’s
Web Site’ published on BT Internet in 1999)