Imam al-Ghazali - one of the greatest scholars of Islam

Brief Introduction of Imam Al Ghazali

The name of Imam Al-Ghazali, the prominent Islamic Scholar, is Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad. He was one of the greatest Islamic jurists, theologians and mystical thinkers. He was born in 1058 AD in Tus, Persia - a great Seljuq empire. He acquired knowledge of various branches of Islamic religious sciences in his hometown Tus and Nishapur in the northern part of Iran. He is well-known for his refutations of philosophers. He criticized the early Islamic Neoplatonism that was developed on the grounds of Hellenistic philosophy that it never recovered.

The life of Imam al Ghazali can be divided into three major periods. The first is the period of learning/acquiring knowledge. He was appointed as the Head of Nizammiyah College Baghdad in 1091 AD by the court of the Nizam al-Mulk, the powerful wazir of Seljuq Sultans. The second period of his life was his brilliant career. He was the highest ranking 'doctor'/scholar of the Islamic community in Baghdad (1091-5). This period lasted four years but was the most significant period of his life. Following the assassination of Nizam al-Mulk and later the violent death of Sultan Malikshah, Imam al-Ghazali faced a serious spiritual crisis. He left Baghdad renouncing both his career and the world. This was the time when his third period of life started (1095-1111). This was the period of inner search. He wandered as a Sufi in Syria and Palestine before he returned to Tus, his home town. He then engaged into writing, practicing as a Sufi, and imparting knowledge to his disciples/ students till his death.

One of the greatest works of Imam al-Ghazali is Ihya uloom al-din (The revival of the religious sciences). It is widely considered as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality, and perhaps the most widely read after the Holy Quran.