What is Ghazali’s methodological doubt and what is this methodology?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Imam Ghazali’s “skepticism” never had a problem of belief. His effort was a “battle of ideas” in which he tried to answer certain philosophers who idolized the intellect and sowed seeds of doubt and unbelief around them in the language they understand. Or, out of compassion and pity for people who might fall into their trap by mistaking philosophers for great people and thus fall prey to misguidance and doubt, he sacrificially threw himself into a battle of ideas that they could not do. As a matter of fact, Imam Ghazali explains the reason why he voluntarily entered into this issue as follows:

“When I investigated the causes of laxity and weakness of belief among the people, I found that it was based on these four principles:

1. The reason for those who are engaged in philosophical sciences.

2. The reason for those who follow the path of Sufism.

3. The reason for those who follow talim, the claim that (the meaning of everything is learned from the innocent imam, who is the one who stands with the truth).

4. The reason for those who are known as “ulama (scholars)” among the people.

When I found that the people’s belief had weakened to such an extent due to the reasons I have listed, I considered myself competent to remove these doubts. I said, ‘It is obligatory to fulfill this duty.’“

The battle of ideas that he entered into with different motives, such as his efforts to defend the Islamic creed and the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah on the one hand, and his feeling of pity and help for weak-minded and ordinary people on the other, later turned into a very exhausting intellectual ordeal. He was saved from this exhausting ordeal with the help of Allah and a light in his heart.

Thus, it was possible for him to suddenly grasp self-evident truths without the help of intellect, reasoning and logic, that is, without evidence and proof. After this intellectual ordeal, he makes the following important observation:

“Those who think that the attainment of truths always depends on proofs narrow the vast and infinite mercy of Allah.” In this regard, he cites the following verse: “Those whom Allah (in His plan) willeth to guide,- He openeth their breast to Islam...” (al-An’am, 6/125)

This period of ordeal yielded fruitful results. Ghazali, whose only concern was to defend and spread the Islamic faith and the Ahl as-Sunnah creed, had the opportunity to learn about all the views and ideas of his time that seemed to be alternatives to the Islamic faith and the Ahl as-Sunnah creed, and to see their weaknesses and faults during this difficult period.

After those difficult years, Imam Ghazali identified many basic principles that will shed light on today’s Muslims. For example;

- By expressing the fallacy of the philosophers,

 He says, “I realized that intellect is not independent in grasping all the issues and is not in a position to solve all the questions.”

- Instead of completely denying the science of philosophy, he criticizes its mistakes.

He says, “Some ignorant Muslims deny whatever comes from philosophers. Why should a person abandon and deny the words of philosophy if they are reasonable and fixed by evidence, if they do not contradict the Quran and hadith? Such people make the religion of Islam look ignorant.”

As a critic of philosophy, Ghazali is said to have led the French thinker Descartes with the principle “Doubt leads to truth”, David Hume with the maxim “There is no necessary connection between cause and effect”; and the German philosopher Kant with the principle that “intellect cannot grasp all issues”.

References:

- Cavid Sunar, İslam Felsefesi Dersleri, Ankara, 1967, p. 115.
- Mehmet Ayman, Gazali’de Bilgi Sistemi ve Şüphe, İnsan Y., 1997.
- Aykut Küçükparmak, Gazali’nin Bilgi Sisteminde Hadsi Bilgi, Muş Alparslan Üni̇versi̇tesi̇ Sosyal Bi̇li̇mler Dergisi Vol: 1 Iss: 2 December: 2013.

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