Al-Ghazali's views on education

ABSTRACTal-Ghazali (1058-1111) who lived in era of Saljukids, is known as anoutstanding Muslim theologian, mystic, jurist and religious reformer but he isalso a distinguished Educator. His writings are still effective both on IslamicWorld and on Western. There are so many researches about him, but only afew of them are on his educational aspects. This thesis aimed to investigatehis Educational views so that it is hoped to find out new contributions forcontemporary Educational Sciences.İt is accepted that there was a big revolution with emergence of themadrasah in History of Islamic Education. But it is not enough focused on thesocial and institutional changing and effects of this revolution. To lookthrough Ghazali's critics on madrasah, can help us to understand thisprocess. Moreover it can be said that it implies the popular motto: ?Thesociety without school?.Ghazali accepts the rigidity of Madrasah?s Education as the root ofproblems which arised in his time and he tries to solve these problems withemphasis on the Gnostic Dimension of Religion. His efforts are of the centerof his educational theory too. Ghazali rejects the prejudgment of ?Humanbehavior cannot be changed?. His rejection is related with Education directly.Because the term of education means acceptance of ?Changing ofBehaviors?. According to Ghazali the most proper term to express thischanging is ?Adab?.In summary Ghazali?s Educational views are important from twoaspects:To assign basic paradigm this shapes Islamic Education in historical periodand to understand Ghazali?s ultimate anxiety about Education-Ethics relation.1