Preface
Abbreviations
Names and terms
Chronology
INTRODUCTION
The Seljuqs
The Schools of Law
The Notion of Kalam
The Mutazili Factor
Ashari and the Three Brothers
Philosophy (Falsafa)
The Ismailis
Sufism
1 THE RISE TO RENOWN
A Child of Khorasan
The Stages of his Career
Early Studies: Sufi Masters and Theologians
Juwayni
The Patronage of the Powerful
Ghazali at Court
The Temptations of Prestige
2 DEVOTION TO THE LAW
Ghazalis Contributions to Law
The Example of Analogy (qiyas)
The Indolence of the Learned
Shafii: the Beloved Model
Fidelity to the Law
3 THE DOUBLE-EDGED DISCIPLINE: GHAZALI AND THEOLOGY
Theology vs Philosophy
Against a Religion of Donkeys
Ghazali the Theologian
The Dogmatic Manual al-Iqtisad fil-itiqad
Ghazalis Mode of Argument in The Just Balance
The Shadow of Ibn Sina
A Human Accent
Ghazali on Divine Names
The Absence of Insight as Insight
A Manual for Meditation
Ghazalis Attitude towards Kalam
4 THE POISON OF PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ANTIDOTE
Did Ghazali Destroy Philosophy in Islam?
The Seductiveness of System
The Exposition of Philosophy: the Maqasid al-Falasifa
The Attack: Tahafut al-Falasifa
5 CRISIS AND RECOVERY
The Breakdown of 1095
Sickness and Health
Al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (The Deliverer from Error)
Scepticism and Ghazali: His Early Crisis
The Significance of Dream
The Four Ways
The Decisive Break and the Departure from Baghdad
Baghdad, the Nest of Darkness
The Role of Ahmad Ghazali
6 THE REVIVAL OF ISLAM
The Character of the Ihya
The Architecture of the Ihya
CONCLUSION: KNOWLEDGE IN ACTION
The Return to Teaching
Death and Posthumous Career
Bibliography
Index