WESTERN

Atheism in Islam


Muhji ed-din Ghazzali "the Restorer (or Reviver) of Religion" 1058-1111 ce

"Ever since I was under twenty (now I am over fifty) ... I have not ceased to investigate every dogma and belief.
No Batinite did I come across without desiring to investigate his esotericism;
no Zaharite, without wishing to acquire the gist of his literalism;
no philosopher (neo-Platonist), without wanting to learn the essence of his philosophy;
no dialectical theologian, without striving to ascertain the object of his dialectics and theology;
no Sufi, without coveting to probe the secret of his Sufism;
no ascetic, without trying to delve into the origin of his asceticism;
no atheistic zindiq, without groping for the causes of his bold atheism and zindiqism.
Such was the unquenchable thirst of my soul for research and investigation from the early days of my youth, an instinct and a temperament implanted in me by God through no choice of mine. 45 p 725

- Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs (Macmillan: NY 1937) p 431

thanks to K.Smith.


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created 1jun1996, revised 20mar98     |     comments on this site? tpkunesh@atheisms.info