Chosen Saints of God and the Bigoted Mullas — Page 21
According to Ejaaz-ul-Haq Quddoosi, the background of all these nefarious activities was that the venerable Imam was rapidly gaining popularity in the districts all around and far-off places and was, indeed, doing a very great service to Islam. But as is the way of the world that it always places obstacles in the way of well-intentioned, good and pious men, the self-seekers in this case also became active. That was the reason why so many enemies of Imam Ghazali came out in the open to oppose him. . They were, as usual, the time-serving religious leaders and the wilful money-grabbing Mullas of his time who, feigning to be the pious champion of Islam, misled the common Muslim. But. Imam Ghizali unveiled all their tricks and deceits and laid them all bare before the public eye. He disclosed all their guile and exposed, in his books, all their errors, misconceptions and falsehoods. As a result of this, the Mullas realised that they shall soon lose their hold on the general public and no one would ever listen to them”. (Imam Ghizali: p. 42-44: Publishers Ferozsons). . It is mentioned in "Ghizali Naama" that Yusuf bin Taashfeen, (born 496 Hijra and died 537 Hijra) the king of Andulusia and Morroco was a follower of Imam Maalik and a very staunch believer in his creed. He was strongly prejudiced against all philosophers and free-thinkers. The jurisprudents belonging to the sect of Imam Maalik began to misinterpret the views of. Imam Ghizali and accused him to be a free-thinker and said that all his concepts were the production of his own brains which had nothing to do with the basic teachings of Islam. Ali bin. Tashfeen, therefore, ordered that every copy of "Ehyaa-ulUloom" and all his other books be confiscated and burnt. He further ordered that all the supporters of Imam Ghizali that lived in his domain should be arrested and beheaded '. . . And. Qazi 'Ayaada, who died in 544 Hijra had also given his verdict after the death of Ali bin Taashfeen to the effect that all the works of Imam Ghizali be burnt. . . Ibn-i-Hazaam who was considered to be the greatest Jurisprudent of his time in that area, also gave his ruling that to read "Ehyaa-ul-'Uloom" was an act of heresy and recommended that all its copies be burnt. "In the year 558, Yaafa'ee wrote that during the time when the works of Imam Ghizaali were made a target of all sorts of 21