IMAMUL GHAZZALI

• 1. Imam Ghazali
• 2. Sheikh Ibn Arabi
• 3. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilan.

1.  Imam Ghazali

Al-Ghazzali was one of the most prominent and influential Muslim philosophers, Theologian, jurist and mystics of sufis in islam. He was a Persian origin
Titled:- Hujjatul islam

IMAMUL Ghazzali

Abu Hamid Muhammad Al- Ghazali was born in the year 450 A.H/1058 A.D. at a place called Tus in khurasan. His father was a pious Muslim. He often visited and sat in the company of fuqaha. When he listened to their sermons, he wept and prayed to Allah to grant him a son who would also be a faqih. He was fortunate that his prayer was granted by God who gave him Al-ghazali who later became the most learned of all the fuqaha of that time and also rose to the eminence of becoming the Imam of his age.
His father died when he was a small child. He was taken care of by a friend of his father who was a SUFI. Al- Ghazali received his early education from him before he entered a school in his native town and study fiqh under Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Razkani. He later went to Gurgan and studied under Imam Abu Made Ismail.
Imam Ghazali travelled far and wide in search of knowledge. He went to Nishapur where he joined the Nizamiyya. A college established by the great Nizam Al- mulk, the prime Minister of the Saljuqs. Al-ghazali studied theology fiqh. Science and mysticism under imam Al- Haramayn. Al- Ghazali remained with him till he died in 1085 A.D. At the age of 28, Al- Ghazali had no equal in scholarly work. When Nizum Al- mulk heard of his reputation he held him in high esteem and invited him to lead the Nizamiyya academy of Baghdad. It was there he studied logic and philosophy privately. At the age of 39, Al-ghazali underwent a very deep spiritual crisis that had very serious effect on him.
The crisis resulted in his inability to speak. After being in that situation of spiritual crisis for some months he recovered. When he emerged from that State of skepticism he resumed his Normal study and research into the beliefs and practices of the prevailing sects.
It was in Baghdad that Al-ghazali got spiritual consolation in Sufism. He felt that intellectual pursuits could not satisfy his hungry soul. He therefore sought to know some spiritual illuminations. He spent many years of rigorous saintly life roaming from place to place until he settled at Baghdad to preach his doctrines.
It’s under his influence that suffism attained a firm position in Islam. He wrote many books on Sufism. He propagated Sufism that didn’t contradict Qur’an and Sunnah. His greatest contribution however had been in revivalism of religious sciences and Islamic jurisprudence. He also did a lot in revitalizing the Muslim community by returning Muslim to the straight path, despite the continued difference of opinion between the sufis and many of the uluma.
Al-ghazali was able to secure a place for Sufism within the life of the community.
The teaching of Sufism is intended to train the Novice ( A person who has entered a religious order  and who is under probation before taking vows) along the spiritual path penetrating through various stages of the spiritual training in Sufism until he is able to acquire a particular spiritual virtue of each stage. Al- muqamat which is the plural of al- muqam are stages of spiritual development through which the Novice progress. The most significant stages of spiritual development are ten (10) Some of the stages followed by sufis in their spiritual training are;- Al- Zuhd, Al- Faqar,Al- Sabr (endurance) Al- shukr ( gratitude) Al- Taqwa ( God fearing) and then Al- tawakkul ( faith in God) .Sufi scholars do not seem to have agreed among themselves regarding the stages of spiritual development, but all of them will probably admit Al- Tawbah ( repentance) to be the first stage. Imam Qushairi said ” Whoever becomes reluctant to repent cannot hope to be close to God in his Spiritual training ” 
But Abu Hameed Al- Ghazzali observed that receiving spiritual of each stage must be based on knowledge and the knowledge must be supported with a practice and the practice must receive it’s quality matching the required condition. The stage itself is a source of experience to the Novice because action of the limbs are made to motivated by the commitment of the heart .
ALMUQAMAT
Almuqamat which is the stages in spiritual development describe the path and the stations which the Novice penetrates through or move to the direction of his ambition in his submission to God or realization of the spiritual essence or virtue and the Divine grace or visualizing the prophet or Divine power or glory of the creator. All actions of the limbs help him to move successfully from one stage to the other. For instance,if the Novice is at the stage of Al- Tawbah (repentance) he demonstrate the sober mood regretting the sins committed, shedding tears, honestly appealing to God to receive him as a pious servant of his God wishing that Allah will forgive him to and wipe out his sins. 
All these describe the Novice as he present himself to God in the stage of repentance, but that’s not enough to make him succeed. His heart must have the feeling, his mind must have the experience and his body must receive the sincere motivational force which will make him honest in his intentions. The source of all that’s the condition of the heart. That’s therefore what the sufis describe as Hal plural (Ahawal)  And when the Ahawal agree with Almuqamat, the Novice succeed in achieving his Spiritual objective in his Spiritual training. It’s also possible for the Novice to attain stages of spiritual development (muqamat) from the one to ten ( 1_10) without attaining the spiritual condition ( Ahawal). But it’s not possible for the Novice to attain HALWA without attaining the maqam. To illustrate this point more, it’s possible for the Novice to demonstrate his ability of having faith in Allah ( Al- Tawakkal) and endurance ( Al- Sabr) without being sincere in that or without succeeding to receive Divine grace for it. But when his heart becomes honest and sincere as required by Allah, he will immediately get Divine grace bestowed on him, having acquired the HALWA and definitely the maqam at the same time. Describe some spiritual virtues like Al- Tawbah, Al- Tawakkal, Al- Sabr, Al- shukr as aspect of maqamat or Awahal by the Sufi is an attempt to give an intellectual explanation for that, then arranging it according to the philosophical perception of Sufi scholars. But they belongs to the realm of the essential teaching of the scripture.
Al- Ghazzali continued to make contributions including attempt to revive the religious sciences until his death in the year 505 A.H The lmam has written several books which can be used to verify the information about him, some of the books are:-
1. The Alchemy of happiness.
2. The incoherence of the philosophers.
3. Mukhtasar Ihya ulum Ad din.
4. The book of knowledge for the children.
To mention a few.