Al-Ghazali’s Ma’rifah and Mahabbah’s Relations

Abstract

A salik is a sufī who practices tasawuf (mysticism) with certain marifah (knowledge of Allah) consequent to their devotion to his/her beloved (God); which piety obtains greater mahabbah (love) and a more intimate pool of marifah. This paper aims to discuss the concept of marifah in al-Ghazali’s Kimiya’ al-Sa`adah and IhyāUlum alDinn as an initial element of creation and direct result of mahabbah (love). The qualitative approach is employed. Literature from peer-reviewed and refereed journals, articles and those two books were reviewed in order to reveal the significant spirit of love and knowledge’s relations in al-Ghazali’s viewpoint as one of the greatest Muslim philosophers, theologians and jurists. The results show that marifah and mahabbah haqiqi (true love and knowledge) are of the same essence and that only those of proven capacity can understand metaphysical domains. Al-Ghazali’s perpective reveals that understanding marifah and mahabbah activates a causal chain or continuum that advances, strengthens and motivates this relationship