Tag: Imam Al-Ghazali
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The Ghazalian Turn is the Beginning of Islamic Philosophy
If you were to ask a historian of philosophy to give you an elevator summary of the story of philosophy in the Islamicate world, the story would go something like this: “The rapid territorial expansion of early Islam led to an encounter with Greek philosophy; translation ensued; the new philosophy instigated a productive tension between…
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Nikos Kazantzakis and Imam Al-Ghazali: On Pursuit of the Self
Nikos Kazantzakis’s portrayal of Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ reflects a struggle between flesh and spirit, aimed at self-discovery and reaching God. His interpretation draws parallels to Imam Al-Ghazali’s exploration of self-realization, emphasizing the need to confront worldly desires and temptations in their quests for spiritual unity and meaning.
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Journey of the Wayfarers
The modern man in his pursuit of knowledge finds himself inundated with doubts and uncertainty regarding the world he inhabits itself or the fundamental truths that transcend it. In a paradigm wherein skepticism is praised and certainty shunned, subjective truths are forwarded as truly the extent of human capacity, ever-changing across generations. Finding no concrete…
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Barriers to Understanding the Qurʾān: Insights from Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihyāʾ Ulūm al-Dīn
During my travels, I found myself immersed in Imam Al-Ghazali’s Iḥyāʾ Ulūm al-Dīn, and as I reflected on his profound insights into the barriers that prevent us from truly understanding the Qurʾān, I was struck by how these obstacles are not merely intellectual but deeply spiritual. Al-Ghazali identifies two primary barriers that hinder our comprehension: 1)…