Ghazali and Islamic Reform (3)

By: Muhammad Jawad Sahibi

He opposed philosophy, especially Avicenna (Ibn Sina) so much that: “If people such as Saharurdi and Khajah Nasr al-Din did not appear within a short period Ghazali would have uprooted philosophy. Anti-philosophy movements were numerous in the Islamic world, but nobody had as much power as Ghazali did.” [Khidamat-i Mutaqabil-i Islam va Iran, p.558]

Despite the fact that Ghazali and his followers rebuked fanatic philosophers, he became fanatic in his criticisms of philosophy. He surpassed the point of fairness.

Ghazali took a conservative role in political and social reform. After practiced asceticism he made three vows to himself:

1. That he would never take any money from any king
2. That he would never greet any king
3. That he would never debate [Makatib Farsi, p.45]

Although Ghazali did not have a very effective reform movement in those dark times, but some Iranian university students have stood up to defend his words and actions in relationship to the conditions of the time he lived in.

Some believe that Ghazali even overlooked the crusades. But, if the book Tuhfah al-Maluk is correctly attributed to him this claim would be rejected. In this book Ghazali clearly mentions the issue of jihad against disbelievers. He states: “When the disbelievers take over the homes and the pulpits of Muslims; when they destroy the place of prayer for Zakariyah and the place of birth of Jesus (a) it is necessary to fight against them.” [Farar az Madresah, p.164]

Zarin-Kub describes the role that Ghazali played in reforming the society and enlivening religious thought in this way: “Ghazali believed that individual salvation comes before saving a society. This is why he ran away from his school. There is doubt that he could be considered a religious reformer.”