Preface

Abbreviations

Names and terms

Chronology

INTRODUCTION

The Seljuqs

The ¿Schools¿ of Law

The Notion of Kalam

The Mu`tazili Factor

Ash`ari and the Three Brothers

Philosophy (Falsafa)

The Isma`ilis

Sufism

1 THE RISE TO RENOWN

A Child of Khorasan

The Stages of his Career

Early Studies: Sufi Masters and Theologians

Juwayni

The Patronage of the Powerful

Ghazali at Court

The Temptations of Prestige

2 DEVOTION TO THE LAW

Ghazali¿s Contributions to Law

The Example of Analogy (qiyas)

The Indolence of the Learned

Shafi`i: the Beloved Model

Fidelity to the Law

3 THE DOUBLE-EDGED DISCIPLINE: GHAZALI AND THEOLOGY

Theology vs Philosophy

Against a ¿Religion of Donkeys¿

Ghazali the Theologian

The Dogmatic Manual al-Iqtisad fi¿l-i`tiqad

Ghazali¿s Mode of Argument in ¿The Just Balance¿

The Shadow of Ibn Sina

A Human Accent

Ghazali on Divine Names

The Absence of Insight as Insight

A Manual for Meditation

Ghazali¿s Attitude towards Kalam

4 THE POISON OF PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ANTIDOTE

Did Ghazali Destroy Philosophy in Islam?

The Seductiveness of System

The Exposition of Philosophy: the Maqasid al-Falasifa

The Attack: Tahafut al-Falasifa

5 CRISIS AND RECOVERY

The Breakdown of 1095

Sickness and Health

Al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (¿The Deliverer from Error¿)

Scepticism and Ghazali: His Early Crisis

The Significance of Dream

The Four Ways

The Decisive Break and the Departure from Baghdad

Baghdad, the ¿Nest of Darkness¿

The Role of Ahmad Ghazali

6 THE REVIVAL OF ISLAM

The Character of the Ihyä

The Architecture of the Ihyä

CONCLUSION: KNOWLEDGE IN ACTION

The Return to Teaching

Death and Posthumous Career

Bibliography

Index

Ghazali

The Revival of Islam