Ghazali's theory of takfir and the essence of his critique of philosophers

İn the early period of İslamic history, takfīr movement emerged with Khawārij because of the theological disputes. Afterwards, the debates of scholars on the nature of takfīr and on its practical and theological aspect gave rise to an important literature. İn this context, one of the most influential works in İslamic intellectual history is Tahâfut al-falāsife (The Incoherence of the Philosophers) in which Ghazalī criticised the views of philosophers and accused them of unbelief. In response to the Ghazalī's work, Ibn Rushd wrote Tahāfut al-Tahāfut (The Incoherence of the Incoherence), and various works were written as a contuniation of this tradition in Ottoman intellectual history. İn this tradition, philosophers and theologians discussed the conformity of each other's ideas with their own theory. In the first chapter of this study, the scholarly and social environment of Ghazalī will be discussed and a general picture will be drawn on his scholarly personality and studies. In the second chapter, after the description of ideas of the theological schools abouth the faith an unbelieve, Ghazalī's theory of takfīr will be evaluated in this context. In the last chapter of the study, the views of philosophers which were criticised and accused of unbelief by Ghazalī in Tahāfut will be discussed in the framework of the political, social and scholarly context of period. Keywords : Ghazalī, Takfir, Tahafut, Meşşai Philosophers.