Al-Ghazzali And Religion Essay

Al-Ghazzali: Mathematics and Religion Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali is known as one of the most influential thinkers in Muslim history. He lived from 1058-1111 and spent his life as a jurist, theologian, philosopher, and logician. Al-Ghazzali grew up and studies in a time of major change and innovation within Islamic culture. As the Islamic culture developed and spread to new areas, the cultures of many foreign areas began interacting and influencing the Islamic growth. While al-Ghazzali focused many of his studies around al-falsafa (Islamic Philosophy) he was concerned about the influence of the new “non-Arab” sciences that were starting to intertwine within the Muslim faith. Disciplines such as chemistry, astronomy, and medicine made up these “non-Arab” sciences, but al-Ghazzali specifically details the threats of combining mathematics and religion. The flourishing Islamic community that al-Ghazzali grew up and studied in …show more content…
He explains how when an individual studies these new sciences, they began to appreciate the clarity in the proofs that mathematics provides. It is then that the individual encompasses themselves within studies other than mathematics in hope of the same clarity of the mathematic proofs. It is then that the individual sticks on the side of the Divine Law and authority of the Muslim faith, all while quietly questioning the truth of religion to himself. The word “escaped” as used by al-Ghazzali is prominent in that it shows his belief in how mathematics diminishes the truth of the faith within these certain individuals. While the “non-Arab” sciences grew, so did the number of people who questioned the Muslim faith and Divine Law as they saw those around them stray away from the religion. He believes that these individuals question this because they compare the proofs of mathematics to religion in hope that their faith will have the same