Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali : An Exponent of Islam in Its Totality [Paperback]

Hamid Algar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1889999156 | ISBN-13: 978-1889999159 | Publication Date: July 15, 2000 | Edition: 1st

If a list of the half dozen most important figures in the historical elaboration of Islam were to be drawn up, there can be no doubt that Abu Hamid Ghazali would figure on that list. As a versatile and gifted scholar and, more importantly, a believer of great spiritual insight, he confronted all the intellectual and spiritual currents of his day and elaborated what might be called a defining synthesis of Sunni Islam. He achieved this result through both lengthy personal experience and erudition, and this lecture deals, therefore, both with his life and his works, as well as attempting to assess his impact on the religious history of Islam.

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About the Author

Hamid Algar, born in England in 1940, received his formal training in Islamic studies at Cambridge University, from which he received his Ph. D. in 1965. Since 1965, he has been teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, a wide range of courses including tafsir, Sufism, Shi'ism, the history of Islam in Iran, Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Islamic Pubns Intl; 1st edition (July 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889999156
• ISBN-13: 978-1889999159
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,860,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Algar, One of the Greatest Contemporary Islamic Scholars, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali : An Exponent of Islam in Its Totality (Paperback)

Algar is one of the greatest contemporary Islamic scholars who has published original works on Islam in the English language. This book is yet another in a series of illuminating discussions, many of which have been delivered live. Algar's other books and essays (both in English and other languages), whether on history, translation of sufi texts, commentary or tafsir, are a breakthrough in breathing Islam into the language of English. His scholarship in Persian, Turkish and Arabic--the three essential Islamic languages--and his excellence in command of other languages, have inevitably turned the English language to a vehicle for new ideas in a drastically new milieu. His amazing pamphlet on the first Sura of Quran, is now followed by another on one of the most amazing characters of Islam, respected by all traditions and schools within that glorious religion. We need to be grateful to Algar for having selected to produce this pamphlet on Ghazzali. Much has been said by Western scholars and Christian theologians on Imam Ghazzali over the years but now it is time to read from the pen of a man who's not only brought the spirit of Islam to the modern language of English but also delivered the message in the most compelling, modern tone. Don't miss this opportunity to delve into this profuse mystery that is now just beginning to be made clear in the English language.