Posts Tagged "ghazali"
Imam Ghazzali and his al-Wasit
Imam Ghazzali is a fifth century jurist and thinker. His contributions to Islamic thought left a profound impact within the realms of theological, philosophical, and legal discourse that we witness up to this very day.
Imam Ghazzali’s Wasit is one of the most significant writings in Shafi’i fiqh literature, in fact, in the literary body of Islamic legal discourse. This great contribution has received an insufficient amount of attention in recent times; as in the English language, many have elucidated and researched Imam Ghazzali’s theological and philosophical thought. However, almost unwittingly many have disregarded his impressive contributions within the legal sciences.
Imam Ghazzali’s Life
Regarding the author, there is little doubt that he is one of the greatest thinkers and theologians that Islam has produced so far. Allah gifted Imam Ghazzali with unparalleled traits. Ibn Kathir described Imam Ghazzali’s scholarly character, “He excelled in many of the sciences and wrote profusely on a vast array of subjects. He was the most intellectual in all that he spoke about. He became a master in his youth and then taught at the Nizamiyyah of Baghdad; at that time he was only thirty-four years old.” (al-Bidayat wa al-Nihayah 8/173-74)
Indeed, Imam Ghazzali led an extraordinary life. His full name is Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Ahmad. He was born in 450 (all dates are according to the Hijri measurement) in the city of Tus, in the district of Tabaran. It is mentioned that Tabaran is an alternate name for Tus. (Hamawi, Mujam al-Buldan 2/282) The cognomen, Ghazzali, was ascribed to him since his father was a wool-spinner by trade. (Imad, Shadharat al-Dhahab 6/18) Some claim that his cognomen is retained from the provenance of a village named Ghazzalah, near Tus. (Nawawi, Tanqih 1/95)
Tus is a famous city located in Khurasan, 50 kilometers from Nishapur, in northeastern Iran, slightly north of Meshad. It is a city of rich heritage and history, conquered during the caliphate of Uthman b. Affan. The caliph Harun al-Rashid is buried there, as well as Ali b. Musa. (Mujam al-Buldan 2/282)
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