Essay on Ghazali's Response to Ta'limites' Claim

Introduction

In response to Ta'limites' claim that it is only by adhering to the teachings of the infallible teachers as the only way of achieving truth about religious doctrines, Ghazali seeks to disentangle the truth lost in a mixture of sects and divergences of thought and how he had dared to climb from the bottom levels of traditional belief to the top of assurance ("CHAPTER II. Disagreements and Truth-Claims" 26). He states that people would like to learn what he had borrowed from the method of the Ta'limites'that truth rests upon leaders.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Ghazali states that he had been led to reject the philosophic systems and accepted the Sufis doctrine as the sum total of truth based on what he had gathered in studying various opinions of leaders. Ghazali states that most people would ask him the reason as to why he had resigned from a teaching position at Bagdad something that had created a lot of attention from people but had accepted a similar one at Nishur. The answer that Ghazali gives was that having been convinced that he is the sincerity that had prompted the attention and inquiries from people, then it was through God's help and protection that he had done so (Griffel 18).

Therefore, Ghazali responds to the claim that the truth could only be found from leaders was not true as he was one of the leaders but never believed so due to the diversity in beliefs and religions that exist as well as the many doctrines and sects that divide people. He proceeds to say that, as the Koran states that each party rejoices in its own creed, then each sect is true and believes to be in possession of salvation and truth. However, as the chief of the apostles whose word is in all times true, says that people would be divided into many sects and only one of the sects would be saved and therefore, like many other predictions by the prophet need to be fulfilled ("CHAPTER II. Disagreements and Truth-Claims" 28).

Ghazali says that he has disentangled the beliefs of each of the many sects of beliefs and also scrutinized those mysteries behind every doctrine to get the truth from error created by the likes of the Ta'limites'. As a result of the discovery that there existed many contradictions while disentangling the truth and falsehoods from the opinion of the Ta'limites', Ghazali made the reflection that since the search for truth was his aim, then he had to first find the knowledge to avoid chances of doubt or error(Griffel 23).

Therefore, from the experience and research of Ghazali, he was in the position to respond to the claims by Ta'limites' by saying that based on what the Koran says that every party rejoices in its own creed and also on the existence of many sects but only one will be saved, then the Ta'limites' claim was only relying on their own creed and was among the many sects. Thus achieving certainty about religious doctrines is not based on the level of one's adherence to teachings of the infallible teachers as he was one of them but still believed on God's help and protection as well as the understanding of Koran teachings.

How Sufism Can Lead To Certainty about Religious Doctrines

Sufism is the mystical Islamic trend that is characterized by various ritual practices, values, institutions as well as doctrines which can be traced back to the early Islamic history. Sufism is a representation of the most crucial and central crystallization and manifestation of the mystical Islam practices ("What Is Sufism? History, Characteristics, Patronage, and Politics" 13). Therefore, it is evident that Sufism is concerned with the refinement of the morality as well as the purification of the hearts of Muslims because Sufism refers to the means by which people become clean, complete and pure.

However, Sufism can lead to certainty about religious doctrines despite it being concerned with the refinement of moral character and purity (Laffan 31). This is because of the most original aspect of Sufism being the spirituality that is concerned with the levels of one's understanding of the various doctrines of the Islamic religion because according to Sufism, God is approached by degrees that are determined by how one understands the various doctrines and practices of religion that Sufism advocates.

First, the Koran laws need to be respected but the rituals and values that defines Sufism are of no use if one does not understand their hidden meaning. There is the need for one to be initiated into the rituals and values that he or she can have the required level of understanding of the hidden meanings (Laffan 34). It is through the deepening of one's knowledge about religious rituals and values incorporated within Sufism that one may get a better understanding of God as well as other religious doctrines that define Islam. Therefore, the aspects surrounding the practice of Sufism leads to a clearer understanding of what most religious doctrines around Islam.

Additionally, Sufis believe that all existence come from God who is the only real being (Laffan 32). The values as well as institutions that Sufism stands for lead to a better understanding of what Islam religion is all about. The refinement of people's character and also the refinement of their hearts has also made it possible for religious leaders to instill and make people practice the doctrines in an easier way. Also, the belief by Sufis that man is a mirror that when polished reflects God, brings the aspect of the practice of religious doctrines that would not have been understood if people's moral characters would not have been refined as well as their hearts purified.

Therefore, Sufism has in a great way helped in creating a better understanding of religious doctrines despite it being concerned with the refinement of people's moral character as well as the purification of their hearts as it has created an avenue for making people prepared for learning religious doctrines that they need in life.

Works Cited

"CHAPTER II. Disagreements and Truth-Claims." Meaning and Truth in Religion,

Griffel, Frank. "Al-Ghazali." The Islamic World,

Laffan, Michael. "2. Understanding Al-Imam's Critique of Tariqa Sufism." Varieties of Religious Authority, 2010.

"What Is Sufism? History, Characteristics, Patronage, and Politics." Sponsoring Sufism,