What would al-Ghazzālī’s views be on the contemporary environmental movement? Inferences from al-Ghazzālī’s conclusions on the ethical teachings of Islamic philosophy in his al-Munqidh min al-Ḍalāl (Deliverance from error)

• Main Author: Moris, Megawati
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: B Philosophy (General); B720 Medieval; BJ Ethics; BJ1188 Religious ethics; BL Religion
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/86588/1/12%20DR%20MEGAWATI.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/86588/15/86588%20abstract.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/86588/14/86588%20Slides%20What%20would%20al-Ghazz%C4%81l%C4%AB%E2%80%99s%20Views%20be%20on%20the%20Contemporary.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/86588/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

What would al-Ghazzālī’s Views be on the Contemporary Environmental Movement? Inferences from al-Ghazzālī’s Conclusions on the Ethical Teachings of Islamic Philosophy in his al-Munqidh min al-Ḍalāl (Deliverance from Error). Abstract The environmental crisis is considered as one of the most acute issues the world is facing today. Many environmental movements and organizations have accelerated in Western countries but the pace is slower in the Muslim world until recently. Many Muslims are still ambivalent on what is Islam’s specific stand on this crisis and are searching for more explicit explanations to enable them to know how to confront the issue and to participate in an active and focused manner as their counterparts in the West. The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of al-Ghazzālī, one of the most important Muslim scholars in ethics and a well-known critique of the philosophical sciences. Although during his time the crisis has not taken place and there were no environmental movements the researcher contends that we can anticipate his position based on his views of the moral sciences or ethics in Islamic philosophy. Issues on the environment are categorized as a discipline in environmental ethics which is a philosophical study in the contemporary West. In his well-known book al-Munqidh min al-Ḍalāl al-Ghazzālī evaluated the truth claims of the main philosophical divisions prevalent in the Muslim world which included the philosophers’ teachings on the moral sciences and gave his conclusions on whether to accept or reject them based on his interpretation of the Qur’ān and Sunnah. Islam’s perspective of the environment which has implications on its ethics and movement is authentically based on principles derived from the Qur’ān and a body of aḥadīth which shows the Prophet’s attitude and behavior towards nature. Hence, this study will make inferences from al-Ghazzālī’s conclusions within the perspective of Islamic environmental ethics and apply them on the frameworks, goals and methods of the current environmental movement. The researcher will give recommendations based on the findings of the study and Muslim scholars’ and activists’ opinions to enable Muslims to have a clearer perspective of the real issues and consequently be more clear and confident in the direction of their perspective and participation in the current environmental movement.