Realism and Idealism in the Views of Al Gazahli

This qualitative research explores the concept of realism and idealism in the views of Al Gazahli, a prominent philosopher, theologian, jurist, and mystic of Sunni Islam. The research methodology includes biographical and bibliographical research, and the result of the study discusses the different pillars of Islam and their relation to realism and idealism. The discussion also covers Al Gazahli's views on imamate, economic activity, and philosophy of education.

Dissertation & PHD Thesis

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................................................3
Result of the research.......................................................................................................................4
The concept of realism and idealism...........................................................................................4
Discussion........................................................................................................................................6
Views of Al Gazahli....................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
A realistic person has been considered to be the one which is the real or possible in a
particular situation. The concept of the individuals that accepts and deals with things as they
provide is the political realist that has been able to consider herself a realist when it comes to
parenting. An idealist person is someone who envisions an ideal world rather than the real one.
This is the concept in which the person is considering the idealists to be a naïve, impractical or
out of touch with the reality. The idealists are the way in which it strives for perfection for
making the world a better place. Al Gazahli was one of the most prominent and influential
philosophers, theologians, jurists and mystics of Sunni Islam.
Al Gazahli believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the
spiritual sciences was taught by the first generation of Muslims. Al Gazahli understood the
importance of Imam and developed a complex response which rejected and condemned some of
its teachings. The application of the complex response is considered to be the factor which brings
every concept into the actions. The successful introduction of Aristotelianism or rather
aniconism was considered into Muslim theology. As a philosopher Al Gazahli believed that
knowledge is the set of belief which was created by God whenever the conditions of knowledge
are to be satisfied.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research is qualitative type is used in this research which is a biographical and
bibliographical research. This is considered to be also the part of historical and psychological
research. Qualitative research is the one which utilizes the methods such as participant
observation or case studies to find the results to the narrative. The descriptive account of this is
the setting or practice. This method has been known to be used by the sociologists as a method
that is considered to be typically rejecting positivism and its adaptation of interpretive sociology.
For this research of that has the aim to find whether Al Gazahli was realist or idealist would need
to investigate on the different decisions made by him in his life. This approach of research will
help in developing the thesis about the ways in which he influenced the society. For supporting
the findings other sources will be used such as the books, journals and articles that will be
supporting the data. The result of this study is related to the journey and dynamics of the
character lives which are the objects of this study. The data analysis is the activity of collecting,

organizing, sorting, grouping, coding or signing the categorization of data to find and formulate
the work hypothesis based on the data.
Result of the research
The concept of realism and idealism
The concept realism comes from the international relations theory. In the first
assumptions of the realism it has been described as the nation state to the principal actor in the
international relations. Realism is able to draw an example from the past that it has been
considered to be a great deal of emphasis on the idea of the humans which are essentially held
hostage to repetitive patterns of behaviour towards the determination of their nature. It can be
assumed that the view of human being are egoistic and desire to power. However, realists believe
in selfishness is a power of appetite for inability to trust other that can lead to predictable
outcomes. A representation of the thing in the way they are is a form of being practical while
facing the facts. Realism is considered to be the rejection of mythical beings that provides the
representation of the art or literature of objects, actions or social conditions as they actually are
without their idealization of the different presentations.
Idealism theory is the one which supports idealist psychology as the view that only reality
is the ideal world. It explains the world to be full of ideas. This has been considered to be the
review that there are no external reality composed of matter and energy. There are ideas and
views that exist within the minds of the individuals. Idealism has been considered to be the
metaphysical view that is associated with the realist to ideas in the mind rather than towards the
material objects. This theory has layer emphasis on the mental or spiritual components of
experience and renounce the notion of the material existence. It is the philosophical view of
many religions to embrace idealist thoughts which are related to the existence of a supreme
divine reality which has transcended the basic human understanding and inherent of sensory
awareness.
Imam Al Gazahli are those pillars that are considered to be the representation of the
system which is known to be purifying the heart. According to him Iman needs to present
Quraysh, He should also be possessing the kind of religious knowledge of a judge, he needs to
have the insights of military affairs in order to protect the community. He also should be carrying
out the legal punishments without leniency or clemency. It is also to bring among the best
scholarships.These pillars are mainly considered to be the actions that a person needs to have in

their behaviour. First of these pillars explained to believe in no other god but only Muhammad
Pbuh as the last messenger. Therefore, this pillar of made by Gazahli explained to negate all the
gods. This has brought everything that can sense or understand its existence or not. The God has
put a mean for the people as a tangible one for focusing on the last message. This is the last
message that states that there is no intermediary between God and us. This is also considered to
be the factor which is able to mention that God has chosen among human beings, men that will
spread his word. He has explained that reading two books of Quran and the prophetic narration is
going to help the followers of this religion gain prophetic narration in a way to apply and
incorporate the divine commandments in our daily lives. This shows the nature of idealism in Al
Gazahli towards framing the religion and also the belives.
In the second pillar it was explained by Gazahli that as a Muslim it is very important to
pray five times a day1. According to him it is the order to liaise with him at-least five times a
day. The helping hand of this research is considered to be the focus and remembering him as a
Quran which has been seen as the creative weak for staggering statement to all which is the most
powerful. God by Gazahli has been explained to be the most powerful and also the most
merciful. In regard to our condition in order to remember him and revert to him five times a day
is said to be not too much. For the third pillar the concept of charity has been explained by Him.
This shows the approach of realism being adapted by Gazahli in his teachings. In this pillar the
actions which will make the individual much more connected to the supreme through prayers is
considered to be charity. It has been believed that every Muslim has to give 2.5% of their earning
has charity to the poor. This can be better understood when El Gazahli explains that to press on
yourself and let go one of the pleasure of life for others is a call for generosity and training for
calamities when they happen. He also explained how a calamity of someone in the world in
general is related to loss of something or someone we cherish and love.
For the fourth pillar fasting in here explained to be the practice to which everyone needs
to get accustomed to. It is withheld from things that can help in reaching and most importantly
pleasure the beyond the fact which is humble experience when the rich and poor share the same
burden. This is yet another concept inspired by the realism philosophy of Al Ghazani, in which
this life has been explained as a part of day in a month within months. According to him you will
have greater pleasure if you can withhold some pleasure in order to have greater pleasure in
1 Al-Ghazali's" Moderation in Belief". University of Chicago Press, 2013.

afterlife. This is the concept of being able to feel the what it’s like to feel the first taste of the
drink or bite. This explains the unrealistic feeling that give earthly pleasure for paradisiac
pleasure. For the last and the final pillar, the Pilgrimage which is the act of going to Mecca and
perform a series of act of worship during specific days of the year has been concerned to be one
of the most important act of religious behaviour. However, it orders to maintain his
understanding of realism Al Gazahli has also made it to be mandatory to those who can do it and
also afford it. Therefore, it has been explained in this pillar that more a person can do for their
religion it better, having said that it is possible to be done by them.
Discussion
Views of Al Gazahli
Imamate also known as Leadership for Al Gazahli was an issue of mandatory and non-
mandatory origin but was further found that it was a religious obligation. Religion and state are
inseparable as both although different may have functions which can mutually reinforce each
other. He was able to explain how the relationship between religion and state is the obligation to
establish a country as a religious entity. In many of his books he has explained the real world as
an afterlife field. According to him religion does not fulfil its purpose of not participating in
providing solution to world problems. Imamate is also considered to be one of the most
important matters that blogs to the art of intelligible rather is the one which is considered to be
the key of the legal topics. The interdependence between religion and stating the instrument for
achieving the worldly goals and gaining the pleasure from Allah. According to him making
interdependency as a religious. The state of organized people have been styled with religion by
him. This separation of religion and state is certainly not the limit to the relationship of both. The
related pattern of leadership is to synergize with religious values. Gazahli has explained the
demand as the very logic behind the state of government for the implementation of religion
which would have to run according to the spiritual matters.
Al Gazahli has explained Imam as obligatory. In which Obligatory2 is the interpretation
of the designated act of benefiting or performing it to not harm in refraining from it. The well-
ordered religious affairs are decidedly a purpose of the man with revelation, This is considered to
2 The Book of Knowledge: Al-Ghazzali, Kitab al-‘ilm of Al-Ghazzali’s Ihya’ Ulum al-Din,
Translated with notes by Nabih Amin Faris. Malaysia, 2013.

be the unquestionable premise about which has no dispute is imaginable. It has been added that
achieving another premise which is well-ordered religious affairs can only be achieved through
an imam which is obeyed. These are the correct form of proposition that the appointment of an
imam is obligatory follows from these two premises. Gazahli has said that Al Gazahli has
warned the students to not fully accept the beliefs and idea of a scholar simply because of their
achievements in mathematics or science. By issuing such warning he has been able to protect the
scientific enterprise for the future generation by insulating it from being mixed with other
theoretical philosophies.
Gazahli was able to successfully establish three goals of economic activity in which he
believed were part of one's religious obligations as well. The achievement of self-sufficiency for
one's survival provision for the well-being of progeny and provision is to assist those in
economic needs for arguing the subsistence living or living in a way that they provide the
necessities for only one family. There have been people which believed that there will be
detrimental results of these economical thoughts of Ghazali. It also explained that discourage
people from purchasing or possessing excessive materials items is considered to be the
philosophy which is helpful for the addition of money which is earned for being given to those
that are considered to be poor. According to Gazahli the thought of how it is not important to
force equality of income rather driving people for “the spirit of Islamic brotherhood” to share
their wealth willingly for the recognition for always the case. The wealth earned needs to be
potential manners. This is helpful for the Al Gazahli discussed the necessity of exchanging goods
across to close cities as well as larger borders as it allows the people to gain.
Al Gazahli as a philosopher has been able to proof education as a skill or technique,
instead of a science in itself. This perception of god, world and life is the concept that the god
and his relationship with the mankind is the main premise of Al- Gazahli’s philosophy of
education. Al Gazahli segregates this world life from the life after death. Thus, is the staple of
his religious philosophy was arguing the creator was the centre point of the human life and a
direct role in all world affairs. His aim was to fulfil the purpose of society is to apply the goal of
man is to achieved happiness close to God. Therefore, the aim of education to cultivate man so
that it abides to the teachings of the religion and is able to assure the salvation and happiness of
their eternal life. Knowledge is the set of beliefs created for us by God whenever the conditions

of knowledge are satisfied. They have been able to explain how these knowledges is very simple
such that anyone can understand it which is simplistic paved the way for their dominance.
Al Gazahli has been known to have both realism and idealism in his psychology.
Idealism can be seen in the different pillars he was able to establish for Islam explaining the
ways in which their followers can achieve from the religious practices. Realism is has been
achieved from the explanation of how the students needs to use education. Gazahli was able to
also analysed the different key elements which are related with improving the educational
practices. He explained how the knowledge was a more inclined towards the importance of
leadership and its impact on society and economy. These philosophies by El-Gazahli was able to
bring idealism and realism in harmony for Islam. Islamic teaching gave realistic steps and was
rather small and easy to reach idealistic states.
CONCLUSION
From this thesis it can be concluded that Al-Gazahli is a philosopher that believes in both
idealism and realism. This has been understood in this study with the help of qualitative analysis
that allowed us to explain theoretical concepts related to this study. Referring to the different
sources this research was able to explain the different beliefs of Gazahli. There has been certain
factor such as the five pillars of Islam that has been given as the path that the followers need to
use to achieve growth in their beliefs in this religion. The analysation of the concepts of the
knowledge and education from Gazahli was helpful for developing the consistency of how it is
able to gain realism.