Mohammed al-Ghazali

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For the celebrated scholar of Islamic thought who lived from 1058-1111, see Al-Ghazali.

Sheik Mohammed al-Ghazali al-Saqqa (1917-1996) (Arabic: الشيخ محمد الغزالي أحمد السقا ‎), was an Islamic cleric and scholar whose writings "have influenced generations of Egyptians". "The author of 94 books, Sheik Ghazali attracted a broad following with works that sought to interpret Islam and its holy book, the Qur'an, in a modern light. He is widely credited with contributing to a revival of Islamic faith in Egypt over the last decade." [1] Another source called him "one of the most revered sheiks in the Muslim world."[2]

Al-Ghazali was born in 1917 in the small town of Itai al Baroud, southeast of the coastal port of Alexandria. He graduated from Al Azhar University in 1941. He was married and had seven children and was buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia. [1]

Al-Ghazali was known in the West for testifying on behalf of the assassins of secularist author Farag Foda, telling the "Egyptian court that anyone who openly resisted the full imposition of Islamic law was an apostate who should be killed either by the government or by devout individuals. He also called on the Government to appoint a committee to measure the faith of the population and give wayward Egyptian Muslims time to repent. Those who did not should be killed, he said." [1]

In the Muslim world, however, Al-Ghazali "was not closely identified with the militant cause". He "often appeared on state-run television and held a place in the pulpit of one of Cairo's largest mosques,"[1] and in 1989 wrote a book "severely" criticizing what he believed to be the "literalism, anti-rationalism, and anti-interpretive approach to Islamic texts" of Ahl al-Hadith, (a term thought to be a euphemism for Wahhabis). [3] The book prompted "several major conferences ... in Egypt and Saudi Arabia" criticizing the book, long articles in response in the Saudi-owned London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, and assorted writings of others condemning al-Ghazali and questioning "his motives and competence." [4]

After Egyptian Islamic Jihad attempted to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to Ethiopia June 1995, "Sheik Ghazali was among the prominent Islamic clerics who traveled to the presidential palace to congratulate Mr. Mubarak on his safe return." [1]

[edit] Works

  • Islam and the Modern Economy
  • Islam and Political Despotism
  • Fanaticism and Tolerance Between Christianity and Islam

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mohammed al-Ghazali, 78, An Egyptian Cleric and Scholar DOUGLAS JEHL Published: March 14, 1996
  2. ^ Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam , (2002), p.287
  3. ^ Abou el Fadl, Khalid, Great Theft, (2005), p.88-89
  4. ^ Abou el Fadl Great Theft, (2005), p.93

[edit] External links