Question:
As salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah
What silsila and tariqa was Imam Ghazali rahmatullah alayh a part of? I am aware that all four are correct means towards marifah, but as we are studying one of his books in our Majlis, I am interested which silsila he and his teachers were from. I know he was Shafii and maybe Shafii Sufis have been inclined towards the Suharwardi tariqa.
(Question published as received)
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Imam al-Ghazali (450 – 505 AH) did not belong to any of the four famous Salasil of Tasawwuf. These Salasil were founded after his time. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, the eponymous founder of the Qadiri Path, for example, passed away in 561 AH. Shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi, the eponymous founder of the Suhrawardi Path, passed away in 632 AH. Imam al-Ghazali, on the other hand, passed away in 505 AH, before these spiritual masters.
Imam al-Ghazali was a pioneer in the field of Tasawwuf. His work, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din, is considered an authority in the field. Regarding his background in Tasawwuf, he benefitted from the writings of the early forerunners in the science of Tazkiyah and Tasawwuf, like Abu ‘l-Qasim al-Qushayri and Abu Talib al-Makki. He undertook Sulook with Shaykh Abu ‘Ali al-Faarmidhi (407 – 477 AH), to whom the chain of some of the famous Salasil is traced back. May Allah have mercy on them all.
And Allah knows best
((وعليك إن أردت أن يظهر لك الحق وأنك تتحلى بالصدق بمطالعة إحياء الغزالي رحمه الله تعالى ورسالة الإمام العارف القشيري وعوارف المعارف للسهروردي والقوت لأبي طالب المكي فإنه هذه الكتب النافعة المبينة لأحوال الصادقين وتلبيسات المبطلين والحاملة على معالي الأخلاق وإيثار الفقر والإملاق وإدمان الطاعات وملازمة العبادات سيما الجماعات والإعراض عن سقاسف أقوام غلب عليهم الشيطان)) (الفتاوى الحديثية، ص١٤٣؛ نقلا من مقدمة الدراسة لكتاب عوارف المعارف، دار التقوى، ص ١٤)
وقال (الإمام الغزالي): إني أخذت الطريقة من أبي علي الفارمذي، وامتثلت ما كان يشير به من وظائف العبادات واستدامة الذكر إلى أن جزت تلك العقابت وتكلفت تلك المشاق وما حصلت ما كنت أطلبه (المنتظم في تاريخ الملوك والأمم، ابن الجوزي)
