The Intellectual Thought of Al-Ghazl

Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazl (1058-1111) was one of the most influential philosophers of the classical Islamic period, with his intellectual innovations spanning the fields of theology, logic, and law. Despite this, contemporary assessments of Ghazl often present him as hostile to rationality, and a guardian of dogma and orthodoxy. This study provides an innovative reassessment of Ghazl's legacy, offering a compelling depiction of a reformer in his own time with increasing relevance to the issues gripping multicultural and globalized societies today. Ali Mirsepassi and Tadd Graham Ferne closely study Ghazl's major Persian-language text Kmy-e sadat (The Alchemy of Happiness) and its scholarly reception, alongside his lesser-read works, arguing that Ghazl shared a message of reform, and critique of Abbasid institutions. Ghazl's critical stance is revealed as both pragmatic and cosmopolitan in its recognition of autonomy from religion in many aspects of life, and in the value placed upon scientific contribution.