Hundred Great Muslims

108 Hundred Great Muslims
he had wasted all his energies if his education depended on a few papers only.
These words had a salutary effect on Ghazali and he memorised all his lecture
notes within three years.
Ghazali had to leave his home town for higher education. In those times
Baghdad and Neshapur were the highest seats oflearning in the East, which mid
the privilege of accommodating the two most celebrated teachers of Islam,
namely Irnamul Harmain who adorned the literary circles of Neshapur and Abu
Ishaq Shirazi who glittered on the literary firmament of Baghdad. As Neshapur
was nearer of the two, Ghazali became a pupil of Imamul Harmain.
Neshapur was a great centre of learning and Madrasa-e-Bakiath of Neshapur
had the privilege of being the first University of the world of Islam. Nizamiah
of Baghdad is wrongly believed to be the first university of the East as, long
before its existence, several universities like Bakiath, Sadia and Nasiria founded
by the brother of Mahmood Ghaznavi were functioning in Neshapur.
Ghazali was the most brilliant pupil of Imamul Harmain and soon acquired
so much knowledge that he used to assist his teacher in his educational pursuits.
He left Neshapur after the death of his celebrated teacher and by this time when
he was hardly 28 he had acquired so much knowledge that he had no equal in
the entire world of Islam.
The Caliphate of Abbasides was tottering, culminating in the formation
of several Turkish principalities, including that of Saljuks who had founded the
most powerful state of their times. The dynasty of Saljuks was distinguished for
a succession of brilliant monarchs like Tughril, Alp Arsalan and Malik Shah who
had kept aloft the dwindling candle of Islamic civilization. Malik Shah owed his
historical greatness to his far-sighted Minister, Nizamul Mulk Toosi, one of the
greatest administrators of all ages-one who was a great patron of learning and
had the distinction of being the founder of the celebrated Nizamiah University
of Baghdad. More than twenty million rupees were budgeted for education by
the wise Minister. Hardly any ancient or modem state can boast of spending
such a large portion on education out of the public exchequer. Ghazali's fame
by this time had travelled to the distant corners of the Islamic world and he too
attended the grand durbar of Nizamul Mulk whom he knew as a friend of men
of learning. He was respectfully received by the eminent Vazier and he proved
his mettle in scholastic discussions with learned men who had thronged the
court of Nizamul Mulk, whereupon he was appointed as the Principal of the
famous Nizamiah University of Baghdad at an early age of 34.
Ghazali was highly respected in both the great durbars of the Islamic
World-the Saljuks and the Abbasides, which were the centres of Islamic glory
and splendour. In compliance with the request of Abbaside Calipx Al-Mustazhar
Billah, who, to some extent, was responsible for the emancipation and reorientation
of Islamic religious thought, Ghazali wrote a book in reply to the dogmatic
beliefs of "Batinia' cult and named it as "Mustazhari" after the name of the