Al-Ghazali
Influential Islamic theologian, jurist, and mystic who critiqued excessive rationalism in philosophy.
Who or what
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (1058–1111) was a Persian theologian and Sufi mystic.
His "Incoherence of the Philosophers" critiqued Neoplatonic philosophy's claims to certain knowledge.
Why it mattered
Al-Ghazali did not reject reason itself but argued that philosophical metaphysics overstepped its bounds.
His spiritual crisis and turn to Sufism produced one of the most influential works of Islamic spirituality.
Key works and moments
He identified 20 points where philosophers contradicted Islamic doctrine, particularly on the eternity of the world and God's knowledge of particulars.
His "Revival of the Religious Sciences" synthesized jurisprudence, theology, and mysticism.
Further detail
His critique targeted the Neoplatonic emanation theory and the philosophers' claim of necessary causal connections.
He argued that causation is habitual, not necessary — anticipating Hume's critique of causation by 600 years.
Legacy
His work prompted responses from Ibn Rushd and shaped the boundaries between philosophy and theology.
His spiritual writings remain among the most influential in Islamic thought.
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