Ethical Teachings of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī: Economics of Happiness (Anthem Religion and Society Series)

This book studies the interplay of economic philosophy and moral conduct as reflected in the writings of one of the most renowned scholars in Islamic history, Abū Ḥmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazlī (d. 1111) . As is well known, Imm al-Ghazlī, nicknamed "the proof of Islam", contributed immensely to Islamic theology, philosophy, and Sufism or Islamic mysticism (taṣawwuf) . Strikingly enough, al-Ghazlī also made seminal contributions to the field of economic thought, but this contribution has been largely neglected, although al-Ghazlī dedicated many chapters to what he considered just and Sharī'a-based economic conduct in (Muslim) society. This book aims to analyse and revive al-Ghazlī's understudied contribution to economic thought by emphasizing his economic philosophy and its correlation between Sharī'a's moral law and the tradition of taṣawwuf, as well as to situate his thought within the context of modern economic theories.