Al-Ghazālī and method: An inquiry into the methodological ground of the Tahāfut

This thesis examines al-Ghazālī's Tahāfut al-falāsifa (d. 505/1111), traditionally regarded as a theological critique of the philosophers, in terms of its methodological foundation with a focus on his world of thought at the time of its composition. In this study, it is argued that al-Ghazālī authored the Tahāfut as a Sufi, that the methodological ground of the Tahāfut is the Sufi method, that al-Ghazālī's critique dialectically encompasses theologians, and that the text should be interpreted within this framework. The issue of the method of attaining truth, which al-Ghazālī focused on throughout his career, constitutes the foundation of this thesis. Accordingly, al-Ghazālī's relationship with the Sufi method is elucidated through historical testimony and intertextual relations, and it is established that he was already a Sufi when he wrote the Tahāfut. Following this, al-Ghazālī's epistemology and the methodological foundation of the text are revealed through each issue in the Tahāfut, demonstrating that the work is grounded in the Sufi method and emphasizes the centrality of method in understanding al-Ghazālī.