Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali's Perspective on Authority and Religion

Authors

  • Nur Hadi Ihsan Universitas Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7037-8891
  • Iwan Aminur Rokhman Universitas Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia
  • Heryanto Heryanto International Islamic University of Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v8i2.10395

Keywords:

Imam Al-Ghazali, Religious Authority, Society, Justice, Happiness

Abstract

This article explores the concept of authority and its relationship with religion, addressing various aspects and theories related to both. This concept is significant as it touches on essential elements of society. In faciliting the research process, the researcher employs a descriptive and analytical method with a philosophical basis. As a result, the study finds a connection between authority in al-Ghazali's view and other concepts, such as justice, which ultimately leads to happiness. Authority is necessary in social life as a means to achieve happiness for both individuals and society. This reflects what can be described as the ideal society concept in al-Ghazali's perspective. Al-Ghazālī proposes that an ideal society is a blend of worldly reality and spirituality, where power must be exercised according to religious teachings by leaders who embody magnanimity, in order to achieve happiness and justice within the community.

References

Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid Muhammad. Al-Munqidh Min Al-Ḍalāl. Edited by Dr Jamil Shaliba. Beirut-Lebanon: Daar Al-Andalus, 2003.

———. Al-Tibr Al-Masbūk Fi Naṣīhat Al-Mulūk. Mesir: Maktabah al-Kulliyat al-Azhariyah, n.d.

———. Faḍāiḥ Al-Bāṭiniyyah. Edited by Abd ar-Raḥmān Badwī. Kuwait: Mu’assasah Dār al-Kutub al-Thaqāfiyya, n.d.

———. Iḥyā’ Ulūm Al-Dīn. Jeddah: Dar al-Manhaj, 2011.

———. Iḥyā’ Ulūm Al-Dīn. 2nd ed. Jeddah: Dār al-Minhāj, 2013.

———. Kīmīyā’ Al-Sa’ādah. Edited by Najāḥ ‘Iwāḍ. Cairo: Dār al-Maqṭam, 2010.

———. “Misykāt Al-Anwār Wa Miṣfātun Al-Asrār.” Beirut: ’Alam al-Kutub, 1986.

———. Mīzān Al-‘Amal. Edited by Sulayman Dunya. 1st ed. Mesir: Dar Al-Ma’arif, 2009.

———. The Alchemy of Happiness. The Alchemy of Happiness. Routledge, 2015. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315700410.

Al-Mawardi. Al-Aḥkām Al-Sulṭāniyyah Wa Al-Wilayah Al-Diniyyah. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1978.

Ani Nuraeni, Heni, Nibras Mutiara Gahana, and Nabila Rihadatul Aisy. “Human Need for Religion: Imam Al-Ghazali’s Perspective.” International Journal of Education, Information Technology and Others (IJEIT ) 6, no. 4 (2023): 193–200. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10447300.

Badawi, Abdurrahman. Al-Insān Al-Kāmil Fī Al-Islām. 2nd ed. Kuwait: Fahd al-Salim, 1976.

Ghazzali, and F R C Bagley. Ghazali’s Book of Counsel for Kings (Nasihat Al-Muluk). London: Oxford U.P., 1964.

Gudrun, Krämer. Speaking for Islam: Religious Authorities in Muslim Societies. Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East and Asia. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2006.

Helmiati. Islam Dalam Masyarakat Dan Politik Malaysia: Analisis Kebijakan Pemerintah Terhadap Islam Pada Masa Pemerintahan Mahatir. 1st ed. Riau: Suska Press, 2007.

Iqbal, Muhammad, and Amin Husein Nasution. Pemikiran Politik Islam Dari Masa Klasik Hingga Indonesia Kontemporer. Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Media Group, 2010.

Krämer, Gudrun, and Sabine Schmidtke. “Religious Authorities in Muslim Societies.” In Speaking for Islam, edited by Gudrun Krämer and Sabine Schmidtke. Belanda: BRILL, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789047408864_002.

Lubis, Nikmah. “Intersection of Traditional Religious Authority and New Authority in the Digital Space of Indonesia.” Fikrah 11, no. 1 (2023): 135. https://doi.org/10.21043/fikrah.v11i1.19678.

Mansur, Mustafa, Kunto Sofianto, and Dade Mahzuni. “Otoritas Dan Legitimasi Kedudukan Pemimpin Tradisional Di Loloda Maluku-Utara (1808-1958).” Sosiohumaniora 15, no. 1 (2013): 64–72. https://doi.org/10.24198/sosiohumaniora.v15i1.5240.

Marbun, SF. “Pemerintahan Berdasarkan Kekuasaan Dan Otoritas.” Jurnal Hukum IUS QUIA IUSTUM 3, no. 6 (October 25, 1996): 28–43. https://doi.org/10.20885/iustum.vol3.iss6.art4.

Maulidizen, Ahmad, and Ashilah Raihanah. “The Technique of Determining Ijtihad and Its Application In Life: Analysis of Istihsan, Maslahah Mursalah, ’Urf, and Syar’u Man Qablana.” Al-Ahkam Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum 4, no. 1 (2019). https://doi.org/10.22515/alahkam.v4i1.1600.

Mitha, Farouk. Al-Ghazali and the Ismailis: A Debate on Reason and Authority in Medieval Islam. London: I.B. Tauris, 2001.

Mohammad Iqbal. The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. California, United States: Stanford University Press, 2013.

Muhtador, Moh. “Pergulatan Otoritas Dan Otoritarianisme Dalam Penafsiran (Pembacaan Hermenuetis Khaled Abou El Fadl).” Qof 2, no. 1 (2018): 65–75.

Noor, Haula. “Dinamika Otoritas Keagamaan Di Indonesia.” Jurnal Indo-Islamika 2, no. 2 (2012): 311–16. https://doi.org/10.15408/idi.v2i2.1188.

Ortiz, Even Fontaine, Ion Gorita, and Victor Vislykh. “Series on Managing for Results in the United Nations System.” In Delegation of Authority and Accountability. Geneva: Joint Inspection Unit, 2004.

Rumadi. “Islam Dan Otoritas Keagamaan.” Walisongo 20, no. 1 (2012): 25–54.

Saifuddin, Ahmad Farid, and Boma Panji Astha Tulung. “Al-’Aql Wa ’Alaqatuhu Bi Al-Din Inda Thoha Abdurrahman.” Tasfiyah: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam 5, no. 1 (March 6, 2021): 137. https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v5i1.5693.

Schoenherr, Richard A. “Power and Authority in Organized Religion: Disaggregating the Phenomenological Core.” Sociological Analysis 47 (March 1987): 52. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711652.

Silitonga, Jose T.P, Lalu Satria Utama, and Dwi Putri Yuliani. Kepemimpinan Pemerintahan Dalam Penerapan Diskresi Inovasi Daerah. Edited by Alfiatin. 1st ed. Banyumas: Amerta Media, 2020.

Smith, Brian K. “Authority, Power, and the Definition of Religion.” Historical Reflections 25, no. 3 (1999): 413–422. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41299156.

Sucilawati. “The Concept of Shura in Islamic Governance Practice of Shura during the Caliph Umar Bin Khattab.” International Journal of Politics and SOciology Research (Ijobsor) 8, no. 1 (2020): 18–32.

Weber, Max. “On Charisma and Institution Building.” On Charisma and Institution Building, 1968.

Westelius, Alf, Ann Sofie Westelius, and Tomas Brytting. “Meaning, Authority, Rationality and Care as MARCs of Sustainable Organisations.” Cross Cultural Management 20, no. 2 (2013): 161–85. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527601311313436.

Zulkifli, Zulkifli. “The Ulama in Indonesia: Between Religious Authority and Symbolic Power.” Miqot: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman 37, no. 1 (June 2, 2013). https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v37i1.79.

Downloads

Submitted

2023-07-05

Accepted

2023-08-16

Published

2024-08-16

How to Cite

Ihsan, N. H. ., Rokhman, I. A., & Heryanto, H. (2024). Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali’s Perspective on Authority and Religion. Tasfiyah: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 8(2), 297–318. https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v8i2.10395

Issue

Section

Articles