Alexander Treiger - Inspired Knowledge in Islamic Thought: Al-Ghazali’s Theory of Mystical Cognition and Its Avicennian Foundation

Inspired Knowledge in Islamic Thought

It has been customary to see the Muslim theologian Ab mid al-Ghazl (d. 1111) as a vehement critic of philosophy, who rejected it in favor of Islamic mysticism (Sufism), a view which has come under increased scrutiny in recent years.

This book argues that al-Ghazl was, instead, one of the greatest popularizers of philosophy in medieval Islam. The author supplies new evidence showing that al-Ghazl was indebted to philosophy in his theory of mystical cognition and his eschatology, and that, moreover, in these two areas he accepted even those philosophical teachings which he ostensibly criticized. Through careful translation into English and detailed discussion of more than 80 key passages (with many more surveyed throughout the book), the author shows how al-Ghazls understanding of mystical cognition is patterned after the philosophy of Avicenna (d. 1037). Arguing that despite overt criticism, al-Ghazl never rejected Avicennian philosophy and that his mysticism itself is grounded in Avicennas teachings, the book offers a clear and systematic presentation of al-Ghazls philosophical mysticism.

Challenging popular assumptions about one of the greatest Muslim theologians of all time, this is an important reference for scholars and laymen interested in Islamic theology and in the relations between philosophy and mysticism.

Alexander Treiger is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. His research focuses on Islamic theology, Arabic philosophy, and Syriac and Arabic Christianity, with emphasis on the transmission of theological and mystical ideas from Late Antiquity to early Islam.

Culture and civilization in the Middle East

General Editor: Ian Richard Netton

Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

This series studies the Middle East through the twin foci of its diverse cultures and civilizations. Comprising original monographs as well as scholarly surveys, it covers topics in the fields of Middle Eastern literature, archaeology, law, history, philosophy, science, folklore, art, architecture, and language. While there is a plurality of views, the series presents serious scholarship in a lucid and stimulating fashion.

Previously published by Curzon

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A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo

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The Formative Period of Twelver Shiism

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Christians in Al-Andalus 7111000

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Arabic Literature

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Structure and Meaning in Medieval Arabic and Persian Lyric Poetry

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Muslims and Christians in Norman Sicily

Arabic speakers and the end of Islam

Alexander Metcalfe

Modern Arab Historiography

Historical discourse and the nation-state

Youssef Choueiri

The Philosophical Poetics of Alfarabi, Avicenna and Averroes

The Aristotelian reception

Salim Kemal

Published by Routledge

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2. The Hanbali School of Law and Ibn Taymiyyah

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8. Birth of The Prophet Muhammad

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16. German Orientalism

The study of the Middle East and Islam from 1800 to 1945

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17. Mull adr and Metaphysics

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18. Schools of Quranic Exegesis

Genesis and development

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19. Al-Ghazl, Averroes and the Interpretation of the Quran

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20. Eastern Christianity in the Modern Middle East

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21. Islamic Reform and Arab Nationalism

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22. Islamic Ethics

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24. Being Human in Islam

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25. The UAE and Foreign Policy

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26. A History of Early al-Andalus

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27. Inspired Knowledge in Islamic Thought

Al-Ghazls theory of mystical cognition and its Avicennian foundation

Alexander Treiger

28. Shii Theology in Iran

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Inspired Knowledge in

Islamic Thought

Al-Ghazls theory of

mystical cognition and its

Avicennian foundation

Alexander Treiger

First published 2012

by Routledge

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2012 Alexander Treiger

The right of Alexander Treiger to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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