Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali: An Exponent of Islam in Its Totality
By Hamid Algar
()
About this ebook
Hamid Algar
Enter the Author Bio(s) here.
Read more from Hamid Algar
Wahhabism: A Critical Essay Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Roots of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReligion and State in Iran 1785-1906: The Role of the Ulama in the Qajar Period Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConstitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMirza Malkum Khan: A Biographical Study in Iranian Modernism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali
Related ebooks
Ghazali: The Revival of Islam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFundamentals of Islamic Thought: God, Man and the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Principles of Sufism [translated] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Revival and Reform in Islam: A Study of Islamic Fundamentalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Faith and Practice of Al-Ghazali Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Confessions of Al Ghazzali Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSufism: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Towards Understanding Islam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Treasury of Ibn Taymiyyah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Imam Ghazali Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Garden of Truth: Knowledge, Love, and Action Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Islamic Jihad of Nonviolence: Said Nursi’s Model Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSufism and the Way of Blame: Hidden Sources of a Sacred Psychology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Defending Muḥammad in Modernity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Path of God's Bondsmen from Origin to Return [translated] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sufism Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The First Muslims: History and Memory Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Is to Be Done: The Enlightened Thinkers and an Islamic Renaissance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Qur'an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated & Explained Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Psychology In Islam: Simplified Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPsychology of Personality: Islamic Perspectives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Al-Ghazali's "Moderation in Belief" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duties of Brotherhood in Islam Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Islam For You
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holy Qur'an Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5English Translation of the Qur'an Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Quran, English Translation, "Text Only" Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rumi's Little Book of Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quran English Translation. Clear, Easy to Read, in Modern English. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holy Quran: English Translation and Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Understanding Islam Book: A complete guide to Muslim beliefs, practices, and culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rumi: The Big Red Book: The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quran: Arabic Text with Corresponding English Meaning Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Koran (Qur'an) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an: Complete Translation with Selected Notes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Critical Qur'an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Quran In English. Modern English Translation. Clear and Easy to Understand. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation and Commentary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIslam For Beginners Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quran Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Letters to a Young Muslim Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman's Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holy Koran: Saint Gaudens Modern Standard Version Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-hop and the Gods of New York Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali - Hamid Algar
When examining the intellectual and spiritual history of Islam, or for that matter any other major human community, to speak of great figures or important individuals carries with it a danger of distortion, for the maintenance and perpetuation of a religious or cultural tradition is clearly dependent on more than the efforts of individuals. There is something arbitrary and artificial in classifying the scholars of the past as either great, first-ranking figures, or as persons of lesser importance. Very frequently in the evaluation of our history we fall prey to the problems that are inherent in this scheme of things, leading us to say that after a certain time in our history no great figures emerged. This is simply because according to our conventional historiography no important names in a given field emerged after a certain date. Furthermore, the history of a given civilization, culture or tradition is necessarily the history of its totality, not simply of a few individuals contributing to it. This having been said, it remains indisputable that there are in the history of every community certain individuals who played a role, which while not indispensable, was nonetheless qualitatively and quantitatively more important than that of their predecessors or those who came after them.
It may be in this sense that we can interpret the well known hadith ascribed to the Prophet (saw) in which he is reported to have spoken of the emergence of a mujaddid, a renewer, who will come at the beginning of every century of the Islamic era. Not one who will reform religion, which by definition does not need reforming, but rather one who will renew it by restating, elaborating, and exemplifying its essential principles with new force and vigor. It might be profitable to explore the history of Islam with a view to discovering those who in each century of the Islamic era fulfilled this function of tajdid, of renewal. In many centuries it would be difficult or at least controversial to identify a single individual as having been the mujaddid, for the function of tajdid may have been shared by several individuals. There are, however, certain individuals whom tradition with near-unanimity identifies as having been the mujaddidin of their respective centuries. By the amplitude and profundity of their work and their influence they indeed gave a new impetus to the spiritual and intellectual life of the community, not simply for their own century but for many centuries afterwards. Certainly one such individual is Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali, the subject of this lecture.
In