-
Rare_Sermons_of_Jesus, page : 10
The first of the books here translated, Deliverance (savior) from Error (literally,
`What delivers from error ’al-Munqidh min ad-Dalal), is the source for much of
what we know about al-Ghazali‟s life. It is spiritual autobiographical, yet not
exactly an autobiography. It presents us with an intellectual analysis of his
spiritual growth, and also offers arguments in defence of the view that there is a
form of human spiritual apprehension higher than rational apprehension,
namely, that of the prophet when God reveals truths to him. Moreover close
study shows that al-Ghazali does not always observe strict chronology, but has
schematized his description of his intellectual development. For example,
Descartes introduces his discussions in a manner reminiscent of Al-Ghazali
(without mentioning al-Ghazali). The `bonds of mere authority‟ ceased to hold
him, as in later centureis they ceased to hold the father of modern European
philosophy. Looking for `necessary‟ truths Descartes came, like al-Ghazali, to
doubt the infallibility of sense-perception, and to rest his philosophy rather on
principles which are intuitively certain. While Ghazali had superor spiritual
balance. With this in mind al-Ghazali divided the various `seekers‟ after truth
into the four distinct groups of Theologians, Philosophers, Authoritarians and
Mystics.
`What delivers from error ’al-Munqidh min ad-Dalal), is the source for much of
what we know about al-Ghazali‟s life. It is spiritual autobiographical, yet not
exactly an autobiography. It presents us with an intellectual analysis of his
spiritual growth, and also offers arguments in defence of the view that there is a
form of human spiritual apprehension higher than rational apprehension,
namely, that of the prophet when God reveals truths to him. Moreover close
study shows that al-Ghazali does not always observe strict chronology, but has
schematized his description of his intellectual development. For example,
Descartes introduces his discussions in a manner reminiscent of Al-Ghazali
(without mentioning al-Ghazali). The `bonds of mere authority‟ ceased to hold
him, as in later centureis they ceased to hold the father of modern European
philosophy. Looking for `necessary‟ truths Descartes came, like al-Ghazali, to
doubt the infallibility of sense-perception, and to rest his philosophy rather on
principles which are intuitively certain. While Ghazali had superor spiritual
balance. With this in mind al-Ghazali divided the various `seekers‟ after truth
into the four distinct groups of Theologians, Philosophers, Authoritarians and
Mystics.