Al-Ghazālī between sufism, philosophy and kalām: An investigation on Iḥyā'u ʻulūm al-dīn's "Book of the Faith in Divine Unity and Trust in Divine Providence"

This dissertation focuses on the "Book of the Faith in Divine Unity and Trust in Divine Providence" (Kitāb al-tawḥīd wa al-tawakkul), which is perhaps one of the most important and controversial chapters of Iḥyā'u ʻulūm al-dīn, which is accepted as al-Ghazālī's (d. 505/1111) masterpiece. This chapter, which bears the deep traces of al-Ghazālī's close relationship, especially with theology, philosophy and mysticism, is examined through focusing on the nature of the divine unity, the relationship between one and many and the position of human will between necessity and freedom. Moreover, the framework he presented in his al-Imlā' fī iškālāt al-Iḥyā', which is essentialy an answer to the questions arised about this section, is analyzed. Thus, the dissertation clarifies al-Ghazālī's relation with Sufism, Peripatetic philosophy and Ashʻarite kalām, and his view of the divine unity (tawḥīd), which he placed at the center of the science of mukāšafa, through scrutinizing "Book of the Faith in Divine Unity and Trust in Divine Providence".