| The dissertation examines Mishkat al-Anwar (The Niche of Lights) by the famous Muslim jurist, theologian, and mystic Abu H&dotbelow;alamid Muh&dotbelow;ammad al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111). Mishkat al-Anwar explains a verse of the Qur'an (al-Nur/24:35) and a saying (h&dotbelow;adith) of the Prophet Muh&dotbelow;ammad. The study evaluates the significance of al-Ghazali's use of philosophical concepts to interpret these, asking: does the work expose a fundamental contradiction in al-Ghazali's thought concerning philosophy? The renowned philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 595/1198) and recent scholarship asserted that this is the case. While al-Ghazali is famous for his critique of philosophy, the philosopher Ibn Sina (Avicenna, d. 428/1037) is clearly one of the most important sources for Mishkat al-Anwar. The dissertation details al-Ghazali's use of concepts drawn from the logic, psychology, epistemology, cosmology, and ontology of the Greco-Arabic philosophical tradition; however it moves beyond an identification of philosophical and other source material to a consideration of how al-Ghazali adapts his sources to express his own message. Insufficient attention has been given to al-Ghazali's stated purpose to provide a commentary on the Qur'an in Mishkat al-Anwar. The dissertation makes understanding the integrity and development of al-Ghazali's various Qur'anic allusions and interpretations a primary concern, especially with regard to verses such as al-Nur/24:35, al- Qas&dotbelow;as&dotbelow;/28:88, al-An'am/6:75-9, and al-Shu'ara/26:23-7. By examining how al-Ghazali draws on philosophy, theology, and mysticism as sources in the course of achieving a singular goal, the exegesis of the Qur'an, his reconciliation of apparent contradictions between these disciplines emerges more clearly than it had thus far. The result is a more precise appreciation of the significance of the philosophical content in Mishkat al-Anwar: al-Ghazali promotes philosophy dramatically, but not to the point of contradiction. He limits the scope of philosophy by means of a simultaneous promotion of a mystical elaboration of traditionalist theological doctrines associated with the Ash'ari School. Mishkat al-Anwar is a quintessential example of the precise balance al-Ghazali strikes between a confident intellectual promotion of reason and personal commitment to a mystical theology founded on the belief that revealed scripture provides a direct encounter with mysterious truths which transcend human comprehension. |
