Imam Ghazali and the Allegation of Intellectual Decline: Truth or Myth?

✍ Written by: Muhammad Saad

❖ The Accusations​

1. Imam Ghazali labeled mathematics as a "devilish game."
2. Muslims turned away from science because of Imam Ghazali.

These accusations are often repeated without proper references. We shall respond to them using Imam Ghazali’s most famous work, Ihya Ulum al-Din.

❖ Imam Ghazali’s Classification of Non-Shar‘i Sciences​

Imam Ghazali divides non-religious sciences into three categories:

① Praiseworthy Sciences​

These are disciplines essential for worldly affairs, such as medicine and mathematics. Some of these are classified as fard kifayah (communal obligations), while others are recommended.

• Medicine: Necessary for addressing health and illness.
• Mathematics: Essential for trade, wills, inheritance distribution, and various societal needs.

If no expert is present in a town, it creates communal hardship; however, if even one person masters these sciences, the obligation is lifted from the rest.

② Permissible Sciences​

• Poetry (as long as it does not corrupt morals)
• History and related disciplines

Other neutral or undesirable arts can be assessed through analogy.

③ Blameworthy Sciences​

• Magic
• Sleight of hand
• Deceptive sciences

This excerpt alone is sufficient to understand Imam Ghazali's view: He did not condemn beneficial sciences, but only those that led to deception or immorality.

❖ Did Muslims Abandon Science Because of Imam Ghazali?​

If we accept the claim that Muslims abandoned scientific learning because of Imam Ghazali, this would imply that few to no major Muslim scientists emerged after him. To investigate, we reviewed notable lists of Muslim scientists — for accessibility, we referred to Wikipedia’s compilation.

❖ Muslim Scientists Born After Imam Ghazali (d. 1111 CE)​

Focusing on astronomy, mathematics, physics, and engineering, we found numerous scholars who lived after Imam Ghazali. Below is a selection of 20 prominent names:

1. Ibn Rushd (Averroes) (1126–1198) – Jurist, philosopher, physician, astronomer, mathematician
2. Al-Samaw’al al-Maghribi (1130–1180) – Mathematician, astronomer
3. Al-Bitruji (d. 1204) – Astronomer, judge
4. Al-Jazari (1136–1206) – Theologian, inventor, mathematician, engineer
5. Sharaf al-Din al-Tusi (d. 1213/14) – Mathematician, astronomer
6. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201–1274) – Astronomer, biologist, mathematician
7. Muhyi al-Din al-Maghribi (1220–1283) – Mathematician, astronomer
8. Mu’ayyad al-Din al-Urdi (d. 1266) – Mathematician, astronomer
9. Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (1236–1311) – Astronomer, mathematician, physician
10. Shams al-Din al-Samarqandi (1250–1310) – Mathematician, astronomer
11. Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakushi (1256–1321) – Mathematician, astronomer
12. Kamal al-Din al-Farisi (1267–1319) – Mathematician, astronomer
13. Ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375) – Astronomer, mathematician
14. Al-Khalili (1320–1380) – Astronomer
15. Qadi Zada al-Rumi (1364–1436) – Mathematician, astronomer
16. Jamshid al-Kashi (1380–1429) – Mathematician, astronomer
17. Ulugh Beg (1394–1449) – Mathematician, astronomer
18. Al-Qalasadi (1412–1486) – Mathematician
19. Taqi al-Din (1526–1585) – Astronomer, engineer
20. Muhammad Baqir Yazdi (16th century) – Mathematician
    

❖ Conclusion​

This list proves that Muslims did not abandon scientific pursuits due to Imam Ghazali or any other religious scholar. The causes of scientific decline are far more complex and must be assessed within a broader historical and intellectual context.