Al-Ghazali's Writings

Although he was clearly a prolific writer, over 70 books have been attributed to him, there is
considerable dispute about the authenticity of many works attributed to Al-Ghazali. Many of the
disputed works are considered to be the writings of Sufi authors attempting to gain kudos by
attributing their work to Al-Ghazali. Many of the suspect works contain ideas which are clearly at
odds with the principal ideas found in Al-Ghazali's teaching.
Of the undisputed works of Al-Ghazali, eight works in particular stand out as his most significant
contribution to Islamic thought.
The Ihya
Ihya' `ulum ad-din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) known simply as the Ihya is his most
impressive and influential work. It is a large collection of over 40 substantial volumes. The main aim
of this Ihya was to show how careful observance of the duties imposed by the Shari'ah law was the
basis of an authentic Sufi life.
The Revival of the Religious Sciences is widely regarded as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality,
and is perhaps the most read work in the Muslim world, after the Quran. It is divided into four parts,
each containing ten chapters. Part one deals with knowledge and the requirements of faithritual
purity, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage, recitation of the Qurn, and so forth; part two
concentrates on people and societythe manners related to eating, marriage, earning a living, and
friendship; parts three and four are dedicated to the inner life of the soul and discuss first the vices
that people must overcome in themselves and then the virtues that they must strive to achieve.
A second work also deals with Sufism and focuses particularly on Al-Ghazali's own Sufi practices.
This work is called Bidayat al-idaya (The Beginning of Guidance) and is known simply at the
Bidayat.
Works on Philosophy
Al-Ghazali produced five significant works dealing with the field of philosophy. The most important
of these was Masqasid al-falasifa (The Aims of the Philosophers). Known simply as the Masqasid,
this work is regarded as an outstanding account of the work of the great Islamic philosophers alFarabi and Avicenna and their use of Aristotelian and Neoplatonic philosophies. This work is
regularly used as an introduction to philosophical thought and due to its clarity and precision it has
been regarded as a clearer explanation of philosophy than the work of the original philosophers.
A critique of the metaphysical views of some philosophers is found in the work Tahafut al-falasifa
(The inconsistency of the Philosophers) known simply as the Tahafut.
Another important work of Al-Ghazali's is Al-Iqtisad fi-l-I'tiqad (The Just Mean in Belief) which made
effective use of Aristotelian syllogism in explaining Islamic belief. It is known simply as the Iqtisad.
A further work in the area of philosophy focused on the ethical work of Muslim philosopher arRaghib al-Isfahani. This work Mizan al-`amal (The Criterion of Action) is known simply as the Mizan.
The final significant philosophical work focuses on the principles of jurisprudence. It is called AlMustasfa (The Pure Teaching) and is otherwise known as the Mustasfa.
The last of the significant works of Al-Ghazali is called Al-Munqidh min ad-dalal (The Deliverer from
Error). Known simply as the Munqidh, it is effectively an exercise in apologetics defending and
explaining the changes in direction taken by Al-Ghazali in the course of his life. Its importance lies
in the amount of biographical information it provides as well as in its critique of the extremes of
Ash'arite theology.
www.studiesofreligion.org.au