1058-1111
Philosopher

Early Years. Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Tusi al-Ghazali was born in 1058 in Tus, near the present-day city of Mashhad in eastern Iran. He and his brother, Ahmad, were orphaned at an early age, but their father had directed a friend to help them get an education. Although the meager funds left for this purpose soon ran out, they were fortunate to live in a time when education for young people of humble origins was sponsored by many private foundations and by the Saljuk rulers of Iran. After acquiring a basic education, al-Ghazali studied throughout Iran, completing his studies in Nishapur, the site of a well-known Nizamiyyah religious college, where he studied under the renowned theologian Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni.

Career. In 1085 al-Juwayni introduced al-Ghazali to the Saljuk wazir Nizam al-Mulk, and in 1091 al-Ghazali was appointed chair of Shafi'i law at the Nizamiyyah madrasah...