Al-Ghaz¿l¿: A Study in Islamic Epistemology offers a comprehensive academic analysis of the development of Ab¿ ¿¿mid al-Ghaz¿l¿'s theory of knowledge across the stages of his intellectual life.
Rather than isolating a single text, this study examines the full span of al-Ghaz¿l¿'s writings to trace the genetic development of his epistemology. Beginning with his early engagement in fiqh and ü¿l al-fiqh, the work follows his encounter with dialectical theology (¿ilm al-kal¿m), philosophy, skepticism, and finally Sufism.
The study is structured chronologically:His formative scholarly period
His first phase of public teaching at the Ni¿¿miyyah of Baghdad
His withdrawal and years of seclusion
His second teaching period at Nishapur
His final intellectual phase
Special attention is given to key works such as al-Munqidh min al-¿al¿l, I¿y¿¿ ¿Ul¿m al-D¿n, al-Mustäf¿, Mishk¿t al-Anw¿r, and others, analyzing how al-Ghaz¿l¿ understood:The sources of knowledge
The role of reason (al-¿aql)
The limits of kal¿m
The critique of philosophy
The epistemological status of Sufism
The relationship between intellect and prophecy
The work also engages prior modern scholarship and evaluates methodological assumptions concerning al-Ghaz¿l¿'s alleged shifts between kal¿m, philosophy, Sufism, and ¿ad¿th methodology.
Scholarly in tone and historically grounded, this volume is essential for researchers, graduate students, and academic libraries concerned with Islamic intellectual history, epistemology, and theology.
It presents al-Ghaz¿l¿ not as a static thinker but as a jurist-theologian whose epistemological framework evolved within the disciplined boundaries of classical Islamic scholarship.
