1058 – 1111
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058–1111) was a Persian Muslim theologian, jurist, and mystic whose work reshaped Islamic intellectual life. He mounted the most influential medieval critique of Aristotelian philosophy as adapted by Islamic thinkers, while simultaneously revitalizing Sufi spirituality within orthodox Sunni Islam. His synthesis of theology, law, and mysticism made him one of the most consequential figures in the history of Islamic thought.
Authored Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), systematically refuting Avicenna's and al-Farabi's metaphysics on grounds of internal inconsistency
Wrote Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), a comprehensive synthesis of Islamic law, theology, and Sufi ethics
Articulated an occasionalist account of causation, denying necessary causal connections and attributing all efficacy to God
Composed the spiritual autobiography Deliverance from Error, a landmark of Islamic philosophical autobiography
Defended Ash'ari kalam against both philosophical rationalism and rigid legalism, securing its dominance in Sunni orthodoxy