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Hello, in the 11th century A.D. the Middle East, particularly the cities of Baghdad, Damascus,

and Jerusalem, was a flourishing center of learning and cultural activity.

At the heart of its thriving intellectual community was Al Ghazale, one of the most

eminent Muslims and philosophers of his day. In his book, The Incoherence of the Philosophists,

he attacked Arab scholars who had become immersed in Greek philosophy, arguing that their ideas

were incompatible with Islamic doctrine.

He was a renowned mystical thinker who had a strong interest in the tradition of Sufism,

the idea that Muslims can find divine love and knowledge

through direct personal experience of God.

He also made a significant contribution to Islamic legal practice, asserting that the aim of sharia

law is not to promote specific rules but to ensure the

greater good.

Al-Gazali had a profound influence on later Muslim theologians and is widely regarded

as playing a major role in the development of Islamic law and thought.

With me to discuss the life and work of Al-Gazale are Peter Adamson, professor of

late ancient and Arabic philosophy at the LMU in Munich, Carl Hillenbrand, professor of Islamic

history at Edinburgh and St Andrews universities, and Robert Gleeve, professor of

Arabic studies at the University of Exeter. Peter Adamson, Al-Gazale was born in Persia in the mid 11th century.

Can you tell us about the part of the world that he grew up in?

Right, well this is a central part of the Islamic world which was very large at the time and stretched from Spain the Iberian

...