Islamic Scholarship & Notable Figures

Imam al-Ghazali and Spiritual Reform

Imām al-Ghazālī and the Revival of Islamic Spirituality

Intro

Imagine being the most celebrated scholar of your time and then walking away from fame to wander in search of inner peace. This is exactly what Imām Abu Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (1058–1111 CE) did. His life story is one of knowledge, crisis, and spiritual transformation. Al-Ghazālī’s personal journey from a prestigious professor to a humble mystic became the catalyst for a broader revival of Islamic spirituality. Generations have hailed him as Ḥujjat al-Islām (the “Proof of Islam”) and even the mujaddid (reviver) of his century. His works – especially Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) – rekindled the emphasis on sincere faith and purification of the heart in the Muslim world. In this article, we explore al-Ghazālī’s remarkable journey and how his teachings spurred spiritual renewal, offering lessons for us today.

Early Brilliance and the Pursuit of Knowledge

Abu Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī was born in Ṭūs in the Khurāsān region (modern-day Iran) in 1058 CE. Orphaned at an early age, he developed an intense hunger for knowledge. As a young man, he studied under the renowned Imām al-Juwaynī in Nishapur, mastering fiqh (Islamic law) and theology. Al-Ghazālī’s brilliance quickly gained attention. By his mid-thirties, he was invited to Baghdad to teach at the Niẓāmiyya Madrasa – the most prestigious university of the Muslim world at that time. He was given lofty titles like “Brilliance of the Religion.” Students and scholars from far and wide traveled to attend his lectures. By all outward measures, al-Ghazālī was at the pinnacle of scholarly success.

Despite his young age, he bested other scholars in debates and became an authority in Shāfiʿī law and Ashʿarī theology. Al-Ghazālī also wrote influential works defending orthodox beliefs, such as Tahāfut al-Falāsifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), which challenged the over-reliance on Greek philosophy. However, even as he achieved fame and respect, something troubled al-Ghazālī deep inside. He later confessed that his intentions had become clouded by ego and desire for status. He was delivering knowledge to thousands, yet he felt spiritually empty. This inner turmoil set the stage for a major turning point in his life.

Crisis of the Heart and Spiritual Awakening

In 1095 CE, at the height of his career, Imām al-Ghazālī experienced a severe spiritual crisis. According to his autobiography al-Munqidh min al-Ḍalāl (Deliverance from Error), he realized that he was teaching for fame rather than for Allah’s sake. His knowledge was vast, but his heart felt hollow and unsettled. The stress of this realization affected him physically – it is said he even lost the ability to speak in the middle of a lecture. Al-Ghazālī saw this as a sign that he had to make a dramatic change.

One day, this celebrated scholar simply left Baghdad. He told people he was going on the Hajj pilgrimage, but in reality he renounced his high post and worldly attachments. He distributed his wealth to the poor and adopted an ascetic lifestyle, carrying only the essentials. This was a shocking decision – imagine a famous professor suddenly abandoning his post and salary to live as a wandering dervish! Yet al-Ghazālī felt that saving his soul was more important than any worldly honor.

For the next decade, al-Ghazālī traveled in the Muslim lands in search of spiritual truth. He spent time in Damascus, often secluding himself in the Great Umayyad Mosque to meditate and recite the Qur’an. He visited Jerusalem, praying at Masjid al-Aqṣā, and spent time in the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madīnah. During this period of uzla (spiritual seclusion), he lived simply and engaged in intense dhikr (remembrance of God) and introspection. Al-Ghazālī kept a journal of his reflections, documenting the states of his soul. He also sat with Sufi masters – teachers of taṣawwuf (Islamic spirituality) – to learn tazkiyat al-nafs, the purification of the self. This humble life of worship and reflection gradually healed his heart. He later wrote, “I felt my heart come alive after it had been dead.”

“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long time passed over them so their hearts hardened.” (Qur’an 57:16)

During these years, al-Ghazālī also began authoring the masterpiece that would encapsulate his spiritual insights. He believed that in his era the Muslim community had become strong in knowledge but weak in spirit – outwardly practicing Islam but with hearts often ailing from pride, love of dunya (worldliness), and insincerity. This decline in ihsān (spiritual excellence) troubled him deeply. Al-Ghazālī observed that the early Muslims (Salaf) combined scholarship with deep piety, but by the 5th Islamic century many had forgotten the inner sciences of the soul. His own crisis was a microcosm of the ummah’s spiritual malaise. Only a renewal of the heart could revive the faith’s true vitality.

Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn: Reviving the Religious Sciences

Out of this transformative journey, Imām al-Ghazālī produced his magnum opus: Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn – “The Revival of the Religious Sciences.” This monumental work, completed around 1100 CE, was a comprehensive guide to faith, practice, and spirituality in Islam. Al-Ghazālī wrote the Iḥyā’ to bridge the gap between scholarly knowledge and spiritual action. He wanted to revive the essential teachings that he felt were neglected, uniting the outer observance of Islam with its inner reality.

The Iḥyā’ is organized into four quarters, covering every aspect of a Muslim’s life:

  1. ʿIbādāt (Acts of Worship): such as prayer, fasting, and Qur’an recitation – but explained not just with legal details, rather with their spiritual significance and how they purify the heart.
  2. ʿĀdāt (Norms of Daily Life): guidance on eating, marriage, earning a living, and social dealings – showing how even daily habits can be infused with remembrance of Allah.
  3. Munjiyāt (Qualities of Salvation): the virtues and good character traits like gratitude, patience, truthfulness, reliance on Allah (tawakkul), and sincerity (ikhlāṣ).
  4. Muhlikāt (Pathways to Perdition): the diseases of the heart that destroy us – such as arrogance, greed, envy, hypocrisy, and love of fame – and practical remedies to cure these illnesses.

Al-Ghazālī filled the Iḥyā’ with āyāt (Qur’anic verses), stories of the Prophets, and sayings of the Prophet ﷺ and early righteous Muslims. He often explained Arabic terms that appear in scripture or spiritual literature. For example, he delved into concepts like nafs (the self or ego), qalb (the heart, which in Arabic denotes the spiritual heart), zuhd (detachment from worldly excess), and tawbah (repentance). By analyzing these terms, he helped readers understand the inner dimensions of worship.

A striking feature of the Iḥyā’ is how it constantly links knowledge (ʿilm) to action (ʿamal). Al-Ghazālī emphasized that knowing the truth is of little use if one does not live it. This echoes the famous hadith of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ:

"Actions are [judged] by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended. So whoever’s migration is for Allah and His Messenger, then his migration is for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever’s migration is for some worldly gain or marriage, then his migration is for that which he intended." (Sahīh al-Bukhārī)

Al-Ghazālī continually reminds readers to purify their intentions and seek Allah’s pleasure alone. He warns against the trap he himself fell into – pursuing knowledge for the sake of status. He cites the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ about the first three people judged on the Day of Judgment being a scholar, a martyr, and a charity-giver who lacked sincerity. Their great deeds become worthless because their hearts sought recognition over God. It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Allah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Sahīh Muslim)

In one chapter, al-Ghazālī discusses the “marvels of the heart” – describing the heart as a king and the body as its kingdom. If the king is righteous, the whole kingdom flourishes; if the king is corrupt, the kingdom falls. He supports this with the well-known hadith:

“Truly, in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire body will be sound; and if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt. Verily, it is the heart.” (Sahīh al-Bukhārī & Muslim)

Such teachings hit at the core of spiritual reform: change begins from within. Al-Ghazālī stresses constant murāqabah (self-monitoring) of one’s heart, intentions, and thoughts. He advises practical exercises for character development, like giving charity secretly to cure pride, or remembering death often to soften a hard heart. In fact, one of the most moving sections of the Iḥyā’ is about dhikrul mawt (remembrance of death), where al-Ghazālī encourages believers to prepare for the meeting with Allah with a “sound heart”:

“The Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit ˹anyone˺ – but only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Qur’an 26:88-89)

Al-Ghazālī did not shy away from delicate topics. He candidly addressed how scholars can fall into vanity, how rulers can oppress, and how common people can be heedless – and how all need to return to Allah. He even wrote about permissible music and poetry in spiritual gatherings (sama`), the rights of brotherhood, and maintaining humility when doing good deeds. By blending law, ethics, and spirituality, the Iḥyā’ became a holistic manual for spiritual reform of both individual and society.

It’s important to note that al-Ghazālī grounded all these lessons in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Whenever he mentions mysticism or tasawwuf, he means the pursuit of Iḥsān (excellence in faith) as taught by Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. In the famous Hadith of Jibrīl, the Prophet defined Iḥsān in words that became a pillar of al-Ghazālī’s outlook:

“Iḥsān is to worship Allah as if you see Him; and even though you do not see Him, [you know that] He certainly sees you.” (Sahīh Muslim)

This profound concept – living with an awareness of Allah’s presence – is the heart of Islamic spirituality. Al-Ghazālī sought to instill this God-consciousness in Muslims’ daily lives.

Impact on the Ummah and Scholarly Praise

Imām al-Ghazālī’s efforts at renewal did not go unnoticed. In fact, his contemporaries and later scholars across the Muslim world were deeply moved by his works. The Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn spread far and wide, breathed new life into study circles and Sufi lodges, and became one of the most beloved books in Islamic history. Many accounts describe people weeping in repentance or changing their lives after reading it.

Renowned scholars from every corner of the Islamic world praised al-Ghazālī. Imām Yāḥyā al-Nawawī (a 13th-century Shāfiʿī scholar of Syria) is reported to have said that if all the books of Islam were lost except the Iḥyā’, it would suffice to replace them. Such a statement underscores how comprehensive and vital al-Ghazālī’s work was seen. Another eminent scholar, Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī, wrote that no one can read the Iḥyā’ without waking up to guidance, and that the Muslims took care to preserve this book through the ages because of its power to guide hearts back to Allah.

Likewise, the historian al-Safadī echoed that were all religious books to vanish, the Iḥyā’ alone could revive the knowledge. Even Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (the great theologian) marveled that it was as if Allah had gathered all the sciences and shown them to al-Ghazālī, given the encyclopedic breadth of the Iḥyā’. Such accolades earned al-Ghazālī the title “Proof of Islam” – indicating that his life and writings were considered a decisive evidence of the truth of the faith.

Importantly, this wave of spiritual reform was felt across the Sunni world and its four major schools of thought. Imām al-Ghazālī himself was a Shāfiʿī in law, but he was respected by Hanafī, Mālikī, and Ḥanbalī scholars alike. Major Sunni imams integrated al-Ghazālī’s insights into their own teachings. In North Africa and Andalusia, Mālikī scholars studied his works; in the Eastern lands, Hanafī and Shāfiʿī scholars embraced his approach to tazkiyah (purification). Even some conservative Ḥanbalī scholars, who were very strict about evidence, appreciated his message – though they scrutinized the Iḥyā’’s ḥadīth citations. For instance, the famous Ḥanbalī jurist Ibn al-Jawzī loved the content of the Iḥyā’ but took on the task of replacing its weak ḥadith with authentic ones. He and later Imām Ibn Qudāmah (another respected Ḥanbalī) produced an edited summary (Minhāj al-Qāsidīn) so that al-Ghazālī’s guidance could be followed with confidence in its proofs. This effort shows that scholars of all madhāhib were eager to benefit from al-Ghazālī’s revivalist teachings, even if they made minor adjustments to fit their scholarly standards.

Across the generations, classical and contemporary Sunni scholars have continued to draw on al-Ghazālī’s legacy. Imām al-Ghazālī’s fusion of knowledge and spirituality influenced later luminaries like Imām al-Nawawī, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (a great Ḥanbalī Sufi master), and Shah Waliyyullāh Dehlawi in India. In the modern era, scholars such as Shaykh Abu’l Ḥasan al-Nadwī wrote about him as a “reviver of the spirit” in Islam. Al-Ghazālī’s works have been translated into many languages, guiding Muslims and even inspiring Western thinkers with his depth of insight. Universities and madrasas include his teachings in their curriculum for moral philosophy and ethics. His impact is so great that many consider him the mujaddid (renewer) of the 5th Islamic century, in light of the well-known prophecy of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ:

“Allah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every hundred years someone who will renew its religion for it.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4291)

Al-Ghazālī’s renewal did not consist of inventing new ideas – it was about bringing Muslims back to the pure teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah. By cleansing hearts and reinforcing sincerity, he helped restore the original spirit of Islam in a time when it was at risk of being lost amidst legalism, sectarian conflicts, and political turmoil. It’s notable that while he was writing the Iḥyā’, the Muslim world was also facing external challenges (the Crusades were on the horizon in the late 11th century). Yet al-Ghazālī understood that victory and honor can only come when the believers reform themselves internally. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11)

Thus, the true “revival” he sought was on the inside: hearts filled with īmān, tongues moist with dhikr, and lives aligned with the Prophetic example.

Lessons from al-Ghazālī’s Time and Applying Them Today

Imām al-Ghazālī lived in an era much different from ours – a time of sultans and madrasas, of philosophers and warriors. Yet, the spiritual challenges he confronted are remarkably similar to those we face today. Muslims then, as now, struggled with balancing dunyā and dīn (worldly life and religion). Many had knowledge but lacked humility; others practiced religion outwardly but without inner understanding. Materialism and distractions were pulling people away from remembering Allah. Sects and ideologies caused confusion for some, while blind imitation caused stagnation for others. Al-Ghazālī’s analysis pinpointed the crux of the problem: the heart was neglected.

Fast forward to today – we live in a fast-paced digital age with endless information. Islamic knowledge is available at our fingertips, yet how often do we find barakah (blessing) in that knowledge? We see people arguing over details of fiqh on the internet, but how much khushūʿ (devotion) do we feel in our prayers? We might attend Islamic classes or watch lectures, but do we also spend time purifying our intentions and seeking Allah privately? The lesson of al-Ghazālī’s journey is timeless: we must constantly realign our outward practices with a sincere inner devotion.

Here are a few practical takeaways for us, inspired by al-Ghazālī’s teachings:

Perhaps one of the most beautiful lessons from Imām al-Ghazālī’s life is the value of sincerity (ikhlāṣ). Through his personal crisis, he learned that Allah’s acceptance is the true measure of success, not human applause. Toward the end of his life, al-Ghazālī returned to his hometown Ṭūs and established a small school and zāwiyah (spiritual retreat center). He taught a handful of students, spent his days in worship and teaching, and wrote some final beneficial books. People say his face carried a serene calm in those years – the sign of a heart at peace.

There are even inspiring anecdotes about his death that reflect his piety. One famous story relates that on the morning of his passing, Imām al-Ghazālī performed the dawn prayer, then calmly asked for his burial shroud. He kissed it, laid down saying “Lord, I submit willingly,” and breathed his last. Under his headrest, his family found a short poem he had written, describing how death released his soul like a bird set free from its cage. SubḥānAllah, Allah gave him a gentle end, as if to honor a life devoted to Him. Such accounts, widely transmitted by scholars, are seen as a sign of the karāmah (noble miracle) Allah grants to His awliyā’ (beloved servants).

“O serene soul! Return to your Lord, well-pleased ˹with Him˺ and well-pleasing ˹to Him˺. So join My servants, and enter My Paradise.” (Qur’an 89:27-30)

Conclusion: Continuing the Legacy of Revival

Imām al-Ghazālī’s journey from worldly renown to sincere devotion left an indelible mark on Islamic civilization. He taught by example that true success is closeness to Allah, and true knowledge is that which transforms the character. His work sparked a renewal that reminded Muslims of the importance of the inner dimension of faith. The waves of that renewal are still felt today whenever we prioritize heart over ego, substance over form, and Allah’s pleasure over all else.

In our modern context, we have every opportunity to apply al-Ghazālī’s lessons. We can be the revivers of our own souls and communities by returning to the Qur’an and Sunnah with the same earnestness he had. This does not require withdrawing to a cave or renouncing the world as he did for a time – rather, it requires purifying our hearts while we live in the world, being in it but not of it. By doing so, each of us can carry forward the torch of spiritual reform in our families, mosques, and circles of influence.

Ultimately, the goal is to reach the level of faith where one’s heart is always mindful of Allah. As al-Ghazālī and the masters of spirituality teach, when the heart is reformed, our actions and our society will follow. We ask Allah to grant us a portion of the wisdom and sincerity that He gave to Imām al-Ghazālī. Let us remember that every generation needs its own renewal, and each one of us can be part of that noble effort. May our hearts become sound, our intentions pure, and our deeds righteous, so that we too succeed – “He has certainly succeeded who purifies the soul, and he has certainly failed who corrupts it.” (Qur’an 91:9-10)

Relevant Quran Verses (English Translation)

“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And do not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long time passed over them so their hearts hardened.” (Qur’an 57:16)

“He has certainly succeeded who purifies it (the soul), and he has certainly failed who corrupts it.” (Qur’an 91:9-10)

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11)

“Those who have believed and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah – indeed, it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest.” (Qur’an 13:28)

“The Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Qur’an 26:88-89)

“O serene soul! Return to your Lord, well-pleased ˹with Him˺ and well-pleasing ˹to Him˺. So join My servants, and enter My Paradise.” (Qur’an 89:27-30)

Relevant Hadith (English Translation)

“Actions are only by their intentions, and each person will have but that which they intended.” (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari)

“Verily, in the body there is a morsel of flesh which if it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.” (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Agreed upon, Bukhari & Muslim)

“Allah does not look at your outward appearance or your wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Sahih Muslim)

“Iḥsān is to worship Allah as if you see Him; even though you do not see Him, [know that] He certainly sees you.” (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Sahih Muslim)

“Allah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every hundred years someone who will renew its religion for it.” (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Sunan Abi Dawud, hadith on Mujaddid)

Recommended Books (Classical and Modern Sunni Works)