Impact of the Controversy between al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd on the Development of Islamic Thought
The title is an article by Munawar Haque published in “Transcendent Philosophy Journal”, 11:93-132 (2010) . The following is an excerpt from its abstract.[1]
Objective of the article and intellectualism in Islam
This paper intends to explore the views of some orientalists and other scholars who hold al-Ghazali responsible for the general decadence of intellectualism in Islam and accuse Ibn Rushd of being pragmatic and utilitarian in his approach to religion.
Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and the Islamic Ummah
It is argued that al-Ghazali was a sincere intellectual who attempted to liberate the Islamic Ummah from the bondage of Greek worldview, which is inherently opposed and irreconcilable to the Islamic worldview. It is also contended that the serious allegation hurled against Ibn Rushd who was the prime example of a meticulous jurist, theologian and philosopher within the Islamic intellectual tradition is the product of hasty conclusion, which should be discredited.
Conclusion
The study concludes that both al-Ghazali and IbnRushd have essentially contributed to the growth of intellectualism in Islam. The significant difference between the two is limited only to their approaches