In
Al-Ghazali's, The Rescuer From Error, the author embarks on a lifelong
journey searching through all known sciences and disciplines in an
attempt to discern what can be known with absolute certainty. ‘"Since
I seek to know things as they really are, I must first seek out the reality of
knowledge itself.’ It became apparent that certain knowledge is that in
which what is known is laid bare in such a way as to leave no room for doubt,
and is unaccompanied by the possibility of error or illusion, to the point that
the mind cannot even conceive it. Rather, what is secure from error should be
so closely associated with certainty, that if someone tried to show that it was
false by turning stone into gold or a stick into a snake, for example,
that would not make it doubtful or refute it" (61).
Al Ghazali sets forth an
incredibly high standard for certainty of knowledge which is virtually
impossible to attain. Al-Ghazali proclaims that if someone were to turn a stick
into a serpent as proof that a statement is true, the Al Ghazali says
"the only outcome would be wonderment at how he is able to perform such a
feat" (61). Al Ghazali would have no doubt that the statement
was true and he concludes that "whatever I did not know in this manner and
was not certain of in this way was untrustworthy and insecure knowledge; and
every knowledge that is insecure is not certain knowledge" (61).
Al Ghazali
does not believe that certain or secure knowledge can be found
through sensory perceptions. Al Ghazali notes that when he relies on
his vision, his eyes tell him that a shadow is stationary yet he later
observes that the shadow gradually moves. His visions tell him that celestial
bodies are tiny yet geometric proofs indicate the celestial bodies are larger
than the earth. This indicates to Al Ghazali that his sensory
perceptions cannot be relied upon for certain knowledge because his
rational mind knows his visual perceptions have misled him. He states " My
confidence in sensory beliefs has also been annulled. Perhaps one can only
trust rational beliefs" (62).
Next,
Al Ghazali looks to reason and rational beliefs to attain knowledge that
can be had with absolute certainty and again he is disappointed. Al
Ghazali finds ‘"Negation and affirmation cannot coexist in the same
thing. The same thing cannot be both originated and eternal, or existent
and nonexistent, or necessary and impossible" (62). Just as his
sensory perceptions were proven wrong by his rational mind, Al Ghazali's
rational beliefs are now proven wrong by a judge who exists behind rational
apprehension. His sensory beliefs say to him "you trusted in me, but
the judge of reason disproved me. Were it not for the judge of reason, you
would have continued to believe in me. Perhaps behind rational
apprehension there is another judge who, if he were to manifest himself, would
disprove the judgment of reason, just as the judge of reason manifested himself
to disprove the judgments of sense perception. The fact that such an
apprehension has not manifested itself does not indicate that it is
impossible"(62).
Al Ghazali
comes to mistrust his sensory perceptions because his rational beliefs showed
him they were not always accurate. Now Al Ghazali mistrusts his rational mind
and reason because it is possible that another judge might disprove his
rational thoughts: "Why are you so sure that everything you believe in
your waking state on the basis of the senses or reason is true in relation to
your current state? ... Perhaps the temporal life is slumber by
comparison with the afterlife, and when you die things will appear differently
to you from the way they appear now. At that point, you will be told: 'We
have removed your veil and your vision is now acute'. (Qur'an
50:22)" (Al Ghazali p. 63)
Al Ghazali rejects reason as a means to acquire certain knowledge
because reason cannot comprehend the absolute and the infinite. Reason can only
explain the finite and observe relative relationships. Absolute truth and
certain knowledge must be able to consider the infinite.
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