Hujjat al-Islam al-Ghazali:
Spiritual Refinement through Examples from the Jurisprudence of Financial Dealings
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
When Imam Taj al-Din ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Subki (d. 771 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, wrote the biography of Imam al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH), he said: “Hujjat al-Islam, the clear path of the religion through which one reaches the Abode of Peace, the gatherer of the scattered branches of knowledge, excelling in both transmitted and understood sciences. He was the most knowledgeable among his peers, the imam of the people of his time, and the foremost in his field. His stature was testified to by both those who agreed with him and those who opposed him, and even his adversaries acknowledged his rank.”
[See: al-Subki, Taj al-Din ‘Abd al-Wahhab, Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyyah al-Kubra, ed. Dr. Muhammad al-Tanahi and Dr. ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Hilu, Dar al-Hijrah for Printing, Publishing and Distribution, 2nd ed., 1413 AH, 6/191–194.]
When Imam al-Dhahabi wrote about al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on them both, he said: “The great shaykh, the imam, the ocean of knowledge, Hujjat al-Islam, the wonder of his time, (author of many works) and of extraordinary intelligence.”
[See: al-Dhahabi, Shams al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad (d. 748 AH), Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, Dar al-Hadith, Cairo, 1427 AH, 14/267.]
Imam al-Ghazali attained this lofty status in knowledge, jurisprudence, spiritual purification, and piety. Thus, it is no surprise that in his book Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din—a work on spiritual refinement and Sufism—you find insights into financial dealings, and a remarkable connection between purification of the soul and the foundations of monetary theory and wealth, which is a branch of economics. He moves from speaking about the love of Allah to discussing the prohibition of hoarding, from reflecting on gratitude to explaining the cause of riba.
Hujjat al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, speaks about the meaning of gratitude in the Book of Patience and Gratitude from the section on the means of salvation in Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din. He defines gratitude as:
“Using the blessings of Allah in what He loves; and ingratitude is its opposite—either by abandoning their use or by using them in what He dislikes.”
[See: al-Ghazali, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (d. 505 AH), Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, Dar al-Ma‘rifah, Beirut, 4/90.]
He then explains that attaining gratitude requires knowing what Allah loves and what He dislikes. This knowledge is based on understanding all the rulings of the noble Shariah concerning human actions, as well as perceiving the wisdom behind everything that exists. For Allah did not create anything without wisdom, and beneath that wisdom lies a purpose—and that purpose is what is beloved. These wisdoms are of two types: apparent and hidden.
Reaching Allah—who is the ultimate purpose of creation—can only be achieved through loving Him. Love for Him is established through constant remembrance and reflection, which in turn requires the preservation of the body. The body cannot survive except through nourishment, and nourishment depends on earth, water, and air. The body is thus the mount of the soul, which Allah created for the purpose of knowing Him.
After this journey through the secrets of knowing Allah and the paths leading to Him, Imam al-Ghazali transitions to an example of hidden wisdom that leads to true gratitude and avoidance of ingratitude. He says: “Among the blessings of Allah is the creation of dinars and dirhams. Through them the world is maintained. They are merely stones with no inherent benefit, yet people are compelled to use them because each person needs various goods—food, clothing, and other necessities… These diverse and scattered goods require a mediator to judge between them with fairness, so that each item’s rank and value may be known. Thus, Allah created dinars and dirhams as judges and intermediaries between all forms of wealth, by which wealth is measured.”
[Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 4/91.]
Through this, Imam al-Ghazali clarifies the importance of gold and silver (dinars and dirhams) and their purpose. They serve as the standard and intermediary between wealth, through which values are determined. They are not intended as commodities in themselves. Whoever uses them contrary to their intended purpose commits injustice and ingratitude, failing to realize true gratitude. Accordingly, the Shariah detailed rulings regarding them:
First: It prohibited riba (usury) in both excess and deferment. Exchanging gold for gold or silver for silver is only permissible hand to hand and equal for equal. Any increase turns money into an object of hoarding, which is injustice. Deferred exchange is also prohibited because it removes the element of goodwill found in lending and turns it into a transaction devoid of reward. As for exchanging gold for silver, it is permitted due to the difference in their functions.
[See: Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 4/91–92.]
Second: The Shariah prohibited hoarding gold and silver, because doing so removes them from their intended function. Wealth was not created for specific individuals, but to circulate among people as a fair standard. Allah says {what means}: “And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah—give them tidings of a painful punishment.” (al-Tawbah/34)
Third: The Shariah prohibited using gold and silver as utensils, because this also removes them from their true function and turns them into tradable luxury goods.
Fourth: The Shariah prohibited hoarding food, because it is essential for life. Its purpose is nourishment and healing, and hoarding it restricts its availability and delays its intended use.
At the end of this discussion, Hujjat al-Islam briefly addresses the legal reasoning behind the prohibition of riba in food items. He says:
“Through this, the strength of al-Shafi‘i’s view becomes clear in restricting it to food items rather than all measurable goods…”
[Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 4/93.]
He also summarized the wisdom behind the prohibition of riba with the concise statement: “The Shariah has removed the pursuit of indulgence in what is essential for sustenance; this is the wisdom behind the prohibition of riba.”
[Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 4/93.]
That which sustains life (qiwam) includes gold and silver due to their monetary function, and also includes food, as indicated in the hadith, based on the characteristic of edibility according to the Shafi‘i school.
[See: al-Nawawi, al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 9/146.]
And Allah the Most High knows best.
