Tawasin al-Ghazali

The narrative explores the profound spiritual and intellectual biography of the iconic medieval Islamic scholar Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali. The novel charts his life from a impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise as the head of the prestigious Nizamiyya Academy in Baghdad, navigating the fierce political and ideological conflicts of his time. However, the story centers primarily on Al-Ghazali's catastrophic existential crisis—a psychological and spiritual breakdown that rendered him physically unable to speak or lecture. Renouncing his wealth, prestigious status, and position, Al-Ghazali embarks on a decade-long period of wandering through Damascus, Jerusalem, and Mecca. Written through Ben Arafa's gnostic literary lens, the novel captures Al-Ghazali's internal struggle to move beyond dogmatic theology and philosophical rationalism toward direct, mystical experience and inner certainty.

It offers an illuminating, psychologically rich narrative exploration of Al-Ghazali's life, bridging rigorous historical context with profound Sufi wisdom and existential drama.

Ideal for readers of translated modern Arabic historical fiction, scholars of Islamic philosophy, theology, and Sufism, and fans of spiritual biographies exploring crisis and enlightenment.