Why Is the *Iḥyāʾ* Important?
Before reading the *Iḥyā*, the question "why this book?" must be posed.
Imām al-Ghazālī was an Islamic thinker who lived in the 5th century AH, synthesized the sciences that preceded him, and influenced all scholars who came after him. Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) is not merely a book, but a roadmap describing the process by which a human being builds himself. Al-Ghazālī's work, in an age when the religious sciences had turned into technical procedures and instruments of disputation (jadal), aimed to revive the spirit and essence of knowledge. What makes al-Ghazālī a "contemporary" figure who speaks to every age is his focus not on changing social structures, but on the unchanging weaknesses and virtues of the human being.
1. Human-Centered Universality and "Contemporaneity"
The fundamental reason Imām al-Ghazālī remains one of the most widely read names even a thousand years later is that he places "the human being" at the center of his analyses.
- Unchanging Human Nature: Even though societies and ways of life change, the human being's basic weaknesses—ambition, pride, envy, and desire for fame—do not change.
- Psychological Depth: Al-Ghazālī diagnosed phenomena that modern psychology (figures such as Freud and Jung) would conceptualize centuries later—libido, masks, and shadows—as "the hidden governors of the human soul" much earlier.
- Addressing Every Geography: Emotions such as pride or lust are not geographical; the same basic drives exist in India as in Denmark.
2. The Concept of "Iḥyā" and the Loss of the Spirit of Knowledge
The book's title, "Iḥyā" (revival/resurrection), is itself a critique of the condition of the religious sciences in that period.
- From Formality to Essence: In al-Ghazālī's age, fiqh had turned into an instrument that merely regulated worldly law or helped one prevail in debates.
- The Worldliness of the Sciences: Sciences such as kalām and fiqh, rather than seeking God's pleasure, had become part of personal ego and the culture of jadal (disputation).
- Reviving the Spirit: Iḥyā takes as its basis not only the pillars of prayer (obligatory and necessary acts), but what prayer adds to the human being and the transformation it effects in the soul.
3. The Art of Self-Deception
According to al-Ghazālī, the human being is a "master" at deceiving himself.
- Examining Sincerity: Even in moments when one appears most sincere, one may act from hidden ostentation (riyā), or from the desire to win society's approval.
- Confrontation: Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn enables the human being to confront himself. It exposes the hidden intentions in one's acts of worship, shatters false sincerity, and opens the door to true reform.
4. Reform of the Human Being, Not the System
Al-Ghazālī's approach focuses on repairing the individual's inner world rather than changing the outer world or systems.
- "If You Reform the Human Being, the World Is Reform": As established by a story narrated in the text: a child who could not assemble a world map found that when he corrected the photograph of a human being on the back, the world map also assembled itself.
- Process-Oriented Life: He views success not as an outcome (such as obtaining a diploma), but as a lifelong struggle (jihād).
Study questions
In which century did Imām al-Ghazālī live?
He lived in the 5th century AH.
What is the fundamental element al-Ghazālī places at the center of his *Iḥyā*?
The human being and the human being's unchanging essence (weaknesses and virtues).
What is the political anecdote about al-Ghazālī in the post-Republican period mentioned in the text?
While İsmet İnönü was criticizing Süleyman Demirel from the podium, thinking al-Ghazālī was still alive, he described Demirel as "one of his three teachers."
According to al-Ghazālī, is a "sound psychology" possible?
Because the human being is at every moment open to corruption and trauma, there is no permanent "soundness"; the human being must continually renew himself and struggle against his negative traits.
In what direction does al-Ghazālī criticize *fiqh* as having evolved?
He argues that it ceased teaching God's pleasure and turned into a worldly legal instrument and a science of disputation (jadal). ---