Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love

The name al-Ghazalr rings through the annals of Islamic intellectual history. Many who know little about the Islamic tradition have heard of al-Ghazalr, and most whose professional lives are dedicated to the study of Islam, especially its intellectual sciences, have encountered this name in one form or another. For the vast majority, it is the name of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Ghazalr (d. 505/1111) with which they are familiar. Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazalr had an enduring influence on philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence that forever changed the course of these disciplines. Muslims of dif¬ ferent eras and varying ethnicities have seen in his writings the tools for a revival of the basic piety of Muslim life. 1 Given the extent of his influence, Abu Hamid al-Ghazalr is arguably the most eminent intellectual in Islamic history. All of the attention received by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazalr has, however, overshadowed the contributions of his younger brother, Shaykh Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Ghazalr (d. 517/1123 or 520/1126), who, as an influential Sufi Shaykh and impor¬ tant figure in the early development of Persian Sufi literature, is more renowned for his spiritual attainment and instruction than for his achievements in the religious sciences.