Al-Ghazālī's ethical foundations of jurisprudential matters in the framework of Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn

This thesis, titled "Al-Ghazâli's Views on the Moral Foundations of Fıqh Issues in the Context of His Work Iḥyâʾ Ulûm al-Din", aims to examine how Imam al-Ghazâli addresses jurisprudential matters from a moral perspective in his renowned work "Iḥyâʾ ʿUlûm al-Din". The study is divided into three chapters. The first chapter evaluates al-Ghazâli's life, his educational period, scholarly personality, and the intellectual, political, and social conditions of his era, with a particular focus on his understanding of ethics and Sufism. The second chapter provides an overview of the general structure, systematics, and content of Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, as well as its significance and influence within the Islamic scholarly tradition. The final chapter presents a focused analysis of selected jurisprudential topics within the Iḥyâ', including acts of worship (such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and repentance), divorce and family law, and the halals and harams. These topics are examined in detail based on relevant sections of the work, highlighting how al-Ghazâli integrates ethical and Sufi dimensions into legal discussions. A comparative method is employed to elucidate al-Ghazâli's unique approach. To sum up, the study concludes that al-Ghazālī emphasizes a morality-centered perspective in legal matters, thereby adding significant depth to Islamic jurisprudence.