Did Imam Ghazali Write Works on Black Magic?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

I am writing this question because I am confused about Imam Abu Hamid Al Ghazali and some claims about him.
Did he, rahimahullah, write a book called “Al-Tibb al-Ruhani li al-Jism al-Insani” that contains “magical squares”?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.

I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah.

There are many studies about Imam Ghazali and his books. This isn’t one of the established books authored by him.

Imam Ghazali’s standing and greatness is acknowledged across mainstream Islamic scholarship–and only those at variance with mainstream Islam attack him.

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And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), and his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004).” Since 2011, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center has named Shaykh Faraz one of the 500 most influential Muslims.