KONFLIK ILMU DAN FILSAFAT DALAM PANDANGAN AL-GHAZALI

Sebuah Tinjauan Kritis Kitab Tahafut al-Falasifah

Abstract

This article critically examines the conflict between science and philosophy in the thought of Imam al-Ghazali, with a focus on his seminal work Tahāfut al-Falāsifah (The Incoherence of the Philosophers). The study explores the epistemological and theological foundations of al-Ghazali’s critique of philosophy, the argumentative methods he employed in refuting philosophers such as Ibn Sina and al-Farabi, and the broader implications of his thought for the development of Islamic knowledge. Utilizing a library research approach and a critical-hermeneutic analysis, the article reveals that al-Ghazali did not entirely reject philosophy; rather, he distinguished between neutral sciences and those potentially misleading to Islamic creed. While affirming the value of logic and the exact sciences, he was critical of speculative metaphysics that contradicted divine revelation. The findings highlight al-Ghazali’s major contribution in synthesizing rationality and spirituality within the epistemological framework of Islam—a synthesis that remains relevant for developing contemporary Islamic education based on spiritual and ethical values. The study further emphasizes the need to reposition al-Ghazali’s thought as an ethical and methodological foundation for integrating knowledge and faith in the modern era.