Editing Al-Ghazali (section)

== School affiliations ==
{{Ash'arism}}
Al-Ghazali contributed significantly to the development of a systematic view of [[Sufism]] and its integration and acceptance in mainstream Islam. As a scholar of Islam,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Meri |first1=Josef W. |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: A-K |last2=Bacharach |first2=Jere L. |date=2006 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=978-0415966917 |page=293}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Böwering |first1=Gerhard |title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought |last2=Crone |first2=Patricia |date=2013 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691134840 |page=191 |quote=Ghazali (ca. 1058–1111) Abu Hamid Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Ghazali al-Tusi (the "Proof of Islam") is the most renowned Sunni theologian of the Seljuq period (1038–1194).}}</ref> he belonged to the [[Shafi'i]] school of Islamic [[jurisprudence]] and to the [[Ashʿari|Asharite]] school of [[theology]].<ref name="ReferenceA">R.M. Frank, ''Al-Ghazali and the Ashʿarite School'', Duke University Press, London 1994</ref> Al-Ghazali received many titles such as ''Zayn al-Dīn'' ({{lang|ar|زين الدين}}) and ''Ḥujjat al-Islām'' ({{lang|ar|حجة الإسلام}}).<ref name="Hunt Janin p 83"/><ref name="Smith-2009"/><ref name="Dhahabi"/><ref name="Oxtoby-1996"/>

[[File:The tomb of Imam Al-Ghazali.jpg|thumb|Mausoleum of al-Ghazali in [[Tus, Iran|Tus]]]]

He is viewed as the key member of the influential [[Asharite]] school of [[early Muslim philosophy]] and the most important refuter of the [[Mutazilite]]s. However, he chose a slightly different position in comparison with the Asharites. His beliefs and thoughts differ in some aspects from the orthodox Asharite school.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="jacb1">{{cite book |last1=A.C. Brown |first1=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan A.C. Brown |title=Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World ''(Foundations of Islam)'' |date=2009 |publisher=[[Oneworld Publications]] |isbn=978-1851686636 |page=179}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Leaman |first=Oliver |url=https://archive.org/details/quranencyclopedi2006unse/page/84 |title=The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0415326391 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/quranencyclopedi2006unse/page/84 84]}}</ref>