PREFACE – For a book entitled Muslim Intellectual A Study of al-Ghazali By W. Montgomery Watt
The difficulty of writing about al-Ghazali is well illustrated by the various comments and critisicm that have been made of the works by Julius Obermann, A.J. Wensick, Margareth Smith and Farid Jabre. The difficulty is due to the great volume of this writings, to the fact books were ascribed to him that were definitely not by him and the changes in his outlook which occurred during the course of his life. When the growth and development of his outlook is combine with the lack of complete agreement about which works unauthentic, scholars are presented with the some peculiarly intractable problems before they can properly begin the study of al-Ghazali’s thought. Yet the subject is one that is well worth attempting. Al-Ghazali has been acclaimed as the greatest. His outlook, too, is closer that of many Muslims to the outlook of modern Europe and America, so that he is more easily comprehensible to us. Thus there is here a great challenge to scholarship.The present study of the struggle and achievement of al-Ghazali does not attempt to
take up that challenge in its entirely, but only to look at his life and thought as a whole within the context of the times in which he lived. I have tried to write in such a way that the book could be read by general sociologist as well as by the students of Islam, but this means that Islamists will find an undue neglect of detail. In defence I would make the plea that is necessary to look at the picture as a whole before we can see at what points further detailed study is needed. The general standpoint from which I write is that of the sociology of knowledge – a discipline which, though still in its infancy , is characteristic of our age and a expressions of its spirit. Since practically nothing has been written about the Islamic world from this standpoint, I have found it necessary to re-examine and reassess much of the previous history of Islamic thought. This re-assesment had largely been made, and the relevant sections of his book written, before I began Islamic Philosophy and theology.
