This thesis sets out to examine the significance of al-Ghazali's text entitled Fada' ih al-Batiniyya wa fada' il al-Mustazhiriyya, by placing it against the environment--political and social--in which it was written, and by focussing on the varying styles of argumentation contained in it. / This examination shows that, in addition to being a polemical tract against the Isma$ sp{ rm c}$ilis of his time, al-Ghazali also wrote this work in order to confront the intellectual challenges posed by the so-called Isma$ sp{ rm c}$ili doctrine of ta$ sp{ rm c}$lim. Challenges which impinged on the status of the Sunni Caliph per se and, by extension, on the Caliph's relationship with the Saljuq Sultan. More importantly, for al-Ghazali these intellectual challenges also impinged on the authority of Sunni fiqh and kalam, and hence carried implications for the role and status of the $ sp{ rm c}$ulama'. In responding to these challenges, al-Ghazali draws upon styles of argumentation shaped by the textual traditions of: adab al-firaq, kalam, fiqh, siyasa shar$ sp{ rm c}$iyya and nasihat al-muluk. / The intellectual diversity of the ideas and arguments in this text is emblematic of the complex set of concerns with which al-Ghazali was engaged, embracing the broad themes of orthodoxy, reason and authority in medieval Islamic thought and society. Above all, in writing this text al-Ghazali brought to bear a degree of sophistication and originality which has hitherto been inadequately studied by other researchers.

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This thesis deals with the political philosophy of al-Ghazzali from an analytical point of view. It focuses its examination on his theory regarding the imamate and sultanate. This examination is based on four of his works, namely, Fad&dotbelow;a'ih&dotbelow; al-Bat&dotbelow;iniyah wa-fad&dotbelow;a'il al-Mustaz&dotbelow;hiriyah, al-Iqtis&dotbelow;ad fi'l-i'tiqad, Ih&dotbelow;ya' 'ulum al-din and Nas&dotbelow;ih&dotbelow;at al-muluk . It begins with an account of past scholarship on al-Ghazzali's political thought. Until recently scholars have focused on al-Ghazzali's theories without giving due consideration to the circumstances that led him to develop them. This thesis shows how they were shaped by his encounter with the 'Abbasid court and the Seljuq sultanate, and how his own theological and juridical concerns coloured his interpretations. The practical necessity of justifying his concept of the imamate was forced upon him by the challenge posed by the Fat&dotbelow;imid caliph in Egypt, and by the reality of power politics in Baghdad, where the caliph exercised only nominal control. Throughout his writings he demonstrates an overriding concern for a stable society in which Islam can be practiced in full, even at the cost of living under an oppressive system.

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This thesis tries to bring together al-Ghazali's thoughts about different aspects of education, scattered in numbers of works of different kinds and aims at presenting his educational theory in its complete picture. His life, his intellectual career, his mental crises, as well as the solution to these crises were deeply influential in the formation of his educational thought; and it appears that al-Ghazali was remarkably successful in absorbing the conflicting schools of thought of his time. The theoretical aspect of his educational thought consists of a psychology that focuses on a series of mental operations by which man attains knowledge. Being a Sufi, al-Ghazali holds that knowledge can be attained through either sensual-rational or purely spiritual ways, believing the latter to be the source of true knowledge. Consequently, in his classification, he places spiritual sciences over the rest of the sciences. The practical aspect of his thought concerning education centers on the duties of student and teacher which must be fulfilled to ensure the success of the learning process.

This thesis studies an aspect of Islamic legal reasoning in terms of the method for determining the ruling on cases for which the Shari'a has no textual basis. Al-Ghazali (d. 550/1111), a great Muslim theologian, philosopher and sufi as well as a remarkable jurist, made an important contribution to this methodological problem. His theory of munasaba proposes a technique for making a ruling on the basis of an understanding and interpretation of the meaning behind the Shari'a. With this theory, a new case can be decided through a rational analysis without direct support in the textual sources. This theory is related to the legal doctrine of maslaha according to which legal reasoning ought to be mainly guided by considerations of public interest. Al-Ghazali argues that the absence of textual basis does not mean the absence of guidance and principles in the Shari'a concerning undefined human interests. This theory rests on the theological premise that God's rulings embody a meaning and purpose which can be perceived; such meaning, arrived at through an inductive survey of the Shari'a rulings, is taken to indicate the Shari'a customary orientation which is to be followed in understanding new cases. The theory is thus neither independent reasoning nor justification for arbitrary decision, because it is the Shari'a meaning which determines the ruling on new cases. While al-Ghazali justifies the extension of the Shari'a's meaning to new eventualities so that the law is not restricted by the limited scope of the revelation, he disclaims any influence of the Mu'tazilis. This thesis analyses not only al-Ghazali's theory of munasaba but also his many examples which serve as a practiced guide to an understanding of the adaptability of Islamic law to social change.

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This thesis deals with al-Ghazali's works and their influence on Indonesian Islam, an influence which, to a considerable extent, has marked the nature of the religious life practiced by the majority of Indonesian Muslims from the very beginning of its history until today. Their influence can be seen in the fact that Indonesian Islam appears to be a harmonious reconciliation between both the esoteric life represented by Sufism (tasawwuf) and the exoteric life which manifests itself in ritual obligation (shari'a). This characteristic owes much to the availability of most of al-Ghazali's works in the languages which Indonesian Muslims understand well. Many of these works have in fact been published repeatedly since they have long been considered by most Indonesian Muslims to be significant sources from which they might improve their understanding of Islam. Having investigated most of al-Ghazali's works which have been known in Indonesia, it would appear that his mystical works have been more popular than any other aspect of his teachings. Finally, this study comes to the conclusion that al-Ghazali's works have played an important role in the development of Indonesian Sunni Islam which has its roots in many of his teachings.

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