Ethical Teachings of Abū Ḥmid al-Ghazlī

Economics of Happiness

By (author) Sami Al-Daghistani

Publication date:

26 February 2021

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781785275302

This book studies the interplay of economic philosophy and moral conduct as reflected in the writings of one of the most renowned scholars in Islamic history, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (d. 1111). As is well known, Imām al-Ghazālī, nicknamed “the proof of Islam”, contributed immensely to Islamic theology, philosophy, and Sufism or Islamic mysticism (taṣawwuf). Strikingly enough, al-Ghazālī also made seminal contributions to the field of economic thought, but this contribution has been largely neglected, although al-Ghazālī dedicated many chapters to what he considered just and Sharī‘a-based economic conduct in (Muslim) society. This book aims to analyse and revive al-Ghazālī’s understudied contribution to economic thought by emphasizing his economic philosophy and its correlation between Sharī‘a’s moral law and the tradition of taṣawwuf, as well as to situate his thought within the context of modern economic theories.

“Al-Daghistani makes a remarkable contribution to the study of economic thought in classical Islam. A rewarding read.” —Wael B. Hallaq, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University