Faysal al-Tafriqa wa-Yalihi Qanun al-Ta'wil lil-Imam al-Ghazali (2nd ed.) فيصل التفرقة ويليه قانون التأويل للإمام الغزالي (الطبعة الثانية)

Fayṣal al-Tafriqah bayna al-Islām wa-al-Zandaqah and Qānūn al-Taʾwīl

فيصل التفرقة بين الإسلام والزندقة — قانون التأويل

Fayṣal al-Tafriqah bayna al-Islām wa-al-Zandaqah (“The Criterion of Distinction Between Islam and Unbelief”) and Qānūn al-Taʾwīl (“The Rule of Metaphorical Interpretation”) are two important theological works of Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE), addressing takfīr, theological disagreement, and the interpretation of revealed texts. This is a critical edition based on six manuscripts.

Fayṣal al-Tafriqah bayna al-Islām wa-al-Zandaqah

The work examines the boundaries between Islam and unbelief and establishes principles for determining when a theological position constitutes kufr. Al-Ghazālī distinguishes between affirming what the Prophet ﷺ brought (taṣdīq) and rejecting it (takdhīb), while cautioning against declaring Muslims unbelievers because of disagreements in theological interpretation.

A central discussion concerns the levels of existence (marātib al-wujūd) through which revealed expressions may be understood: the essential or ontological (dhātī), sensory (ḥissī), imaginative (khayālī), intellectual (ʿaqlī), and metaphorical or analogical (majāzī / shabahī). Al-Ghazālī uses these distinctions to explain why a non-literal interpretation does not automatically constitute unbelief when it remains within a legitimate interpretive framework.

The treatise consequently places considerable emphasis on restraint in takfīr, particularly in matters where Muslims differ over theological interpretation rather than the fundamentals of faith.

Qānūn al-Taʾwīl

Qānūn al-Taʾwīl addresses the relationship between reason (ʿaql) and transmitted revelation (naql) and sets out principles for interpreting texts whose apparent meanings present difficulties.

Al-Ghazālī maintains that sound reason and authentic revelation cannot ultimately contradict one another. Where an apparent textual meaning conflicts with a definitive rational proof, he discusses the conditions under which taʾwīl—an interpretation beyond the immediately apparent meaning—may be employed, while stressing the importance of Arabic language and established principles of interpretation.

Appendices

The volume also includes three appendices dealing with important theological questions, including discussions of Ṣifat al-Baqāʾ (Allah’s attribute of Everlastingness) and Ṣifat al-Kalām (Allah’s attribute of Speech). These supplementary discussions add further material on key questions of Islamic theology.

Published together, these works and appendices provide a focused presentation of al-Ghazālī’s treatment of theological disagreement, takfīr, taʾwīl, and the relationship between reason and revelation. The editor has made considerable effort to establish the text accurately, clarify obscure passages, and explain difficult or condensed discussions. This can be seen in the book’s treatment of the definition of faith, the criteria for unbelief, and the divine attributes.

The book opens with an extensive biographical introduction to Imam al-Ghazālī, followed by a separate chapter examining Imam al-Ghazālī’s methodology in his writings.