The Great Islamic Jurist, theologian and mystical thinker " IMAM AL-GHAZALI "

Knowledge Seeker

Senator (1k+ posts)
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf discusses in an interview the greatness of hujjatul islam Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, his emphasis on the importance of internal aswell as external reformation of a believer. Very important to learn in an age of self indulgence, as shaykh explains.

This interview was conducted following the completion of 'alchemist of happiness' a documentry about Imam Abu Hamid Al Ghazali.


Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (May Allah Bless Him) was one of the great Muslim jurist, theologian and mystics of the Muslim world. He lived in the 12th Century. He was a polymath who wrote on a wide range of topics including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy. In the west he is famous for his devastating attack on philosophy specifically metaphysics in his tahfut al-falasifa, Incoherence of the philosophers. He is also the author of the famed ihya' `ulum al-din (Revival of Religious Sciences) a book that combined mysticism with practical everyday life actions by emphasizing the underlying psychology of daily life practices and its ramification on life in this world and the hereafter. AKA: al-Ghazzali , Algazel (450-505 AH/1058-1111 AD).

http://www.ghazali.org
 

Bret Hawk

Senator (1k+ posts)
The Sanctified Mine of Islamic Sciences

First of all my admiration and appreciation for this remarkable upload of videos, which draws a scant sketch about the sacred life and works of one of the greatest thinker and reformer of this world, which is purely based in the realms of mystical and empirical intellectualism of divine faith of Islam. Imam Al Ghazali Rahimahu Allah is indeed a complex personality and unfathomable for those who are themselves incomplete and unrefined as far as their intellectual capabilities and prowess are concerned. Therefore any attempt from a novice to even draw a brief sketch of his persona and his influential works would be a mockery of that intellectual pursuit per se.


Personally for me Imam Al Ghazali RA is like a continuous stream of vitality which can revive the spirit of any empirical scientist and for those who have the desire to pursuit the ultimate reality in its highest conceivable manner, a luminary who’s Noor (illumination) can shine the dark pavements of the self and heart of those who really wants to embark on the journey of self purification and revival of the spirituality, a remarkable painter who can perfectly inculcate his precious knowledge and sharpness of observation into the hearts and minds of the apprentices in order to perfectly sketch the objects in their ultimate forms along with the usage of immaculate tinge of colours to shape up the reality of that object according to the dictates of refined conceivable thoughts.


Surely one can easily learn from this multifaceted personality according to his own limited needs and desires. Such was the transcendent nature of his original thought and works that even his contemporaries and subsequent generation of scholars termed him as the most influential personality of Islam after of course the blessed gigantic persona of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Apart from many of the accolades the revered Imam has earned till this day from the vast majority of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, one of the unique and ultimate admirations for the great Imam came from none other than the Holy Prophet of Islam SAW himself in the dreams of a great Sufi saint Abul Hasan Al-Shadhili, where Prophet SAW put an example of Imam Al Ghazali in front of Prophets Moses & Jesus Alihim Salam and enquired them about the possibilty of indicating a likewise parallel gigantic intellectual personality among their followers and both of their replies were in negative and the one account narrated by Imam Al Subki again from the authority of Al Shadhili that one of the great critics of Imam Al Ghazali RA in part of Maghrib (Current day’s Morocco) and famous jurist Ibn Hirzahm got the lashes in his dream on the order of Prophet SAW, when that jurist was on a brink to officially burn the copies of Ihya Uloom Uddin of Imam AL Ghazali in his native town, and upon awaking from that nightmare he found the scars of lashes on his back and therefore this miraculous incident prompted him to retract from his intention and implored the atonement and forgiveness from Allah SWT.
 
Last edited:

Knowledge Seeker

Senator (1k+ posts)
@ Bret Hawk

Jazak Allah for writing some important points about the great Imam Al-Ghazali (May Allah Bless Him). If I remember correctly then you had mentioned somewhere in the Forum that you have written an article or essay about Imam Al-Ghazali (May Allah Bless Him).

Could you please share that material if possible?

hassam said:
Where I can find translation of his work?

You can easily find the English or Urdu translation of Imam Al-Ghazali's (May Allah Bless Him) books in Pakistan and if you could share your country of residence then I will try to find out some useful resources suitable for you to obtain the valuable work of Imam.
 

Bret Hawk

Senator (1k+ posts)
Brother KS first of all I would like to thank you personally about your great effort of posting that great interview of Shaikh which was hinged briefly on the life and works of the great Hujjat (proof) and reformer of Islam and later appreciating my brief tribute to the great Imam.

Secondly you’re partially right that I did indeed dedicated a thread some months ago in the honour of the that great reformer and intellectual of Islam, precisely speaking in Sep 2009, however after the brief prologue I actually presented the works of Imam Al Ghazali RA from his two brief books

a) The Alchemy of Happiness
b) The Niche of Lights

The excerpts of Imam’s writings on the above two books can be retrieved from my old thread through this link. Jazak Allah Khair. Br and enjoy the gems of wisdom of this great saint of Islam.


http://www.siasat.pk/forum/showthread.php?25711-Imam-Al-Ghazali-s-Posts
 

hassam

MPA (400+ posts)
Brother KS first of all I would like to thank you personally about your great effort of posting that great interview of Shaikh which was hinged briefly on the life and works of the great Hujjat (proof) and reformer of Islam and later appreciating my brief tribute to the great Imam.

Secondly you’re partially right that I did indeed dedicated a thread some months ago in the honour of the that great reformer and intellectual of Islam, precisely speaking in Sep 2009, however after the brief prologue I actually presented the works of Imam Al Ghazali RA from his two brief books

a) The Alchemy of Happiness
b) The Niche of Lights

The excerpts of Imam’s writings on the above two books can be retrieved from my old thread through this link. Jazak Allah Khair. Br and enjoy the gems of wisdom of this great saint of Islam.


http://www.siasat.pk/forum/showthread.php?25711-Imam-Al-Ghazali-s-Posts

Where did you get all this matter. Is there a website or document available.