Al-Ghazali joined exacting engagement with philosophy to theology, law, ethics, and Sufi practice, criticizing specific metaphysical doctrines without rejecting rational inquiry wholesale.
Intellectual setting
Al-Ghazali rose within Seljuk institutions and Sunni legal theology. He mastered the philosophical curriculum closely enough to present it before challenging selected Avicennian conclusions.
Key ideas
Critique of the philosophers
Philosophical claims should be distinguished and tested individually rather than accepted or condemned under a single label.
Transformative knowledge
Intellectual assent alone is insufficient when knowledge concerns the ethical and spiritual reformation of the knower.
Legacy
His works reshaped Islamic theology, ethics, and spirituality and provoked major responses, including Ibn Rushd's Incoherence of the Incoherence.