Maqāṣid al-falāsifah

work by al-Ghazālī

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (The Aims of the Philosophers) is a work by the Muslim theologian and mystic al-Ghazālī. This book presents an objective account of the teachings of philosophers, serving as a precursor to his more critical work, Tahāfut al-falāsifah (The Inconsistency of the Philosophers). The Maqāṣid al-falāsifah was influential in Europe and was among the first Arabic texts translated into Latin in the 12th century. It provided a summary of philosophical thought, making it accessible to a wider audience.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

al-Ghazālī
…published an objective account of Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (The Aims of the Philosophers; i.e., their teachings). This book was influential in Europe and was one of the first to be translated from Arabic to Latin (12th century).
Read More
…published an objective account of Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (The Aims of the Philosophers; i.e., their teachings). This book was influential in Europe and was one of the first to be translated from Arabic to Latin (12th century).
Read More

Western philosophy
Arabic thought
The Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (1094; “The Aims of the Philosophers”) of the Arabic theologian al-Ghazālī (1058–1111; known in Latin as Algazel), an exposition of Avicenna’s philosophy written in order to criticize it, was read as a complement to Avicenna’s works. The anonymous Liber de causis (“Book of…
Read More
The Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (1094; “The Aims of the Philosophers”) of the Arabic theologian al-Ghazālī (1058–1111; known in Latin as Algazel), an exposition of Avicenna’s philosophy written in order to criticize it, was read as a complement to Avicenna’s works. The anonymous Liber de causis (“Book of…
Read More

Isaac Albalag
…translation of parts of the Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (“Aims of the Philosophers”), a review of doctrines of earlier thinkers by the Arabic philosopher al-Ghazālī, to which Albalag added his own views and comments. In defending philosophy against the accusation that it undermined religion, Albalag espoused the doctrine of the “double truth”—prophetic…
Read More
…translation of parts of the Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (“Aims of the Philosophers”), a review of doctrines of earlier thinkers by the Arabic philosopher al-Ghazālī, to which Albalag added his own views and comments. In defending philosophy against the accusation that it undermined religion, Albalag espoused the doctrine of the “double truth”—prophetic…
Read More