Kehidupan Keilmuan al-Imam al-Ghazali/The Scientific Life of al-Imam al-Ghazali

Kehidupan al-Imam al-Ghazali dan adiknya ,Ahmad al-Ghazali yang ahli tasawuf itu dikelilingi oleh kebersahajaan dan dihiasi kesederhanaan. Wasiat mendiang sang Ayah selalu dipegang teguh keduanya serta diwujudkan dalam takaran maksimal. Kegigihan keduanya dalam menuntut ilmu menjadikan kehidupan ekonomi al-Imam berada tataran kurang terperhatikan. Keduanya lebih memprioritaskan kebutuhan ruhani berupa ilmu ketimbang makanan ataupun segala sesuatu yang bersifat kebendaan dan keduniaan. Gemerlap perhiasan dunia sangatlah jauh dari kehidupan kedua saudara sekandung itu.

Hari-hari mereka diisi dengan menuntut ilmu, pagi maupun petang. Sampai akhirnya kedua pemuda yatim tersebut berhasil mengisi kebutuhan ruhani mereka, sesuai harapan sang Ayah, dalam kebersahajaan hidup.Sebagaimana kalimat indah yang pernah dirangkai al-Ghazali dalam menggambarkan perjalanan kehidupannya meniti ilmu,

"Titian ilmu yang kami jalani hanyalah apa yang dapat menyampaikan kami kehadirat Allah Swt. dalam dekapan ridha-Nya, sesuai apa yang pernah dititahkan Ayah kami."

Dengan kata lain, kedua saudara kandung (al-Ghazali bersaudara) itu menuntut ilmu berdasarkan pada keyakinan, bahwa apa saja dari ilmu yang mereka tempuh pasti berdampak baik, dan akan membuahkan hasil(wasilah) yang baik pula bagi kehidupan mereka di dunia maupun akhirat kelak.

al-Imam al-Ghazali pada masa kecilnya memulai rangkaian menuntut ilmunya di negeri sendiri , Thusi. Yang kemudian setelah lebih dewasa mengadakan perjalanan menuju wilayah bernama Jurjan, dan belajar dengan seorang guru bernama Abi Nashr al-Isma'ili. Setelah selesai, beliau kembali lagi ke Thusi. Sekembali dari Jurjan, beliau dengan izin Allah Swt, menetap dan mengabdikan ilmunya disana untuk beberapa waktu. Setelah itu, dengan izin Allah Swt juga, beliau melanjutkan perjalanan keilmuannya ke wilayah Naisabur, guna mendalami ilmu fikih dan mendalami bahasa Arab pada seorang guru ulama besar, yang pernah menjadi Imam al-Haramain, beliau bernama Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini.

Selama menuntut ilmu di Naisabur, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini mendapati beliau sebagai seorang murid yang sangat cerdas dan memiliki potensi berkembang yang sangat pesat serta ketajaman pemikiran yang sungguh luar biasa. Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini merasa bahwa Imam al-Ghazali adalah satu-satunya murid yang bisa beliau jadikan sebagai pengisi kekosongan ulama manakala dirinya nanti dipanggil Allah Swt untuk kembali ke hadirat-Nya. Disana pula Imam al-Ghazali meletakkan dasar-dasar dimulainya dirinya sebagai seorang penulis kitab. Dan, penulisan beberapa kitab sudah mulai beliau rintis dibawah naungan Sang guru, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini termasuk juga dasar(awal) dari penulisan kitab ini, Ihya Ulumiddin.

Bersama al-Imam al-Ghazali, ada pula beberapa tokoh yang belajar bersama di Naisabur, dan sempat menjadi sahabat terbaik beliau, diantara mereka itu adalah seorang ulama bernama al-Kayya al-Haras (wafat tahun 504 H/1110 M) juga seorang ulama bernama Abu al-Muzhfar al-Khawwafi (wafat tahun 500 H/1106 M). Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini sempat mensifati ketiganya tersebut sebagai "Lautan yang tak bertepi" (al-Ghazali), "Singa yang terlatih" (al-Kayya), dan "Api yang membara/menyala-nyala" (al-Khawwafi).

Ibnul Jauzi pernah menyampaikan apa yang disebutkan oleh Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini untuk Imam al-Ghazali dalam buku beliau yang berjudul "al-Mankhul fi ilmi al-Ushul,

"Pencarianku selama ini tidak berbanding dengan buah kesabaran yang aku dapatkan setelah meninggal dunia nanti; karena diberi amanah mendidik murid seperti al-Ghazali"

Setelah guru beliau, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini meninggal, al-Ghazali melanjutkan perjalanannya keluar dari wilayah Naisabur menuju wilayah bernama al-Askar untuk menemui pemuka negeri itu, Nizham al-Mulk, dan menyampaikan pesan almarhum gurunya. Di al-Askar, beliau mendapat sambutan yang cukup hangat serta apresiasi yang luar biasa. Beliau dikenalkan dengan para tokoh utama dan pemuka agama disana (ulama). Imam al-Ghazali kemudian dipercaya untuk mengajar disebuah madrasah terkemuka dibawah naungan pemuka negeri. Beliau menetap dan mengajar di al-Askar sebagai guru besar untuk beberapa waktu. Tugas mengajar itu ditinggalkan al-Ghazali pada sekitar bulan Dzul Qa'dah tahun 488 H, karena beliau hendak melanjutkan perjalanan menuju Makkah al-Mukarramah guna menunaikan rukun Islam yang kelima, Ibadah Haji. Sebelum itu, Imam al-Ghazali sempat menempuh jalan zuhud dan meninggalkan ingar-bingar keramaian dunia, berikut aktifitas belajar-mengajar yang beliau sempat jalani untuk beberapa waktu.

Seusai menunaikan ibadah haji, al-Imam al-Ghazali mengunjungi wilayah Syam, dan untuk sementara waktu menetap di wilayah Damsyiq (Damaskus) hingga kembali ke kota asal beliau, Thusi. Sesampainya kembali di Thusi, Imam al-Ghazali sempat berbenah diri (menata kembali hidup beliau), dan saat itulah beliau mulai menyusun kitab ini, Ihya Ulumiddin.

Dalam buku al-Munqidz min al-Dhalal, al-Imam al-Ghazali menyatakan perihal diri beliau sendiri,

"Aku baru menyadari bahwa sesungguhnya diriku sangat membutuhkan kondisi dimana aku bisa mengabdikan hidupku untuk ilmu dan agama. Dan, untuk tujuan itulah aku kembali ke negeri asalku. Sebab, semua yang pergi pasti akan kembali ke asalnya. Akan seperti itu pula kondisi masa, dimana ilmu dan agama menjadi asing, hingga kembali ke asal (sumber) sesungguhnya, Allah Swt."

Pada saat itu, Imam al-Ghazali mulai menuangkan goresan pena nya, dan memulai menuliskan susunan kitab Ihya Ulumiddin hingga selesai. Beliau sadar, bahwa semua ilmu yang dipunyai tanpa dilanjutkan akan bernilai sia-sia; begitu pula sebaliknya, amalan tanpa didasari/dilandasi ilmu agama tidak akan berbuah apa-apa. Hari-hari beliau kemudian diisi dengan beramal,menulis, meningkatkan ibadah dan pendekatan diri kepada Allah Swt. Karena beliau menyadari, bahwa semua yang beliau miliki semata-mata hanya titipan Allah Swt.

al-Imam al-Ghazali menginginkan agar diri beliau sendiri (dan setiap kita) memperbaiki diri dengan meluruskan Niat. Apakah kita tidak menginginkan kebaikan ada dan bersemayam di sanubari kita? Demikian beliau memberikan pertanyaan yang sekaligus bernada pertanyaan untuk diri beliau sendiri (dan kita semua).

Kitab Hasil Karya al-Imam al-Ghazali

Ihya Ulumiddin

Tahafut al-Falasifah

Al-Iqtisad fi al-I'tiqad

Al-Munqidz min al-Dhalal

Mizanu al-Amal

Al-Maqshid al-Asna

Al-Qisthath al-Mustaqim

Al-Mustazhhiri

Hujjatu al-Haq

Mufsilu al-Khilaf

Kaimiyau al-Sa'adah

Al-Basith

Al-Wasith

Al-Wajiz

Al-Mustashfi

Al-Mankhul

Al-Muntakhal fi Ilmi al-Jadal

Al-Maqashid

Misykatu al-Anwar

Mi'yaru al-Ilmi

, dan masih banyak lagi lainnya.

al-Imam al-Ghazali meninggal dunia pada hari Senin, tanggal 14, bulan Jumadil Akhir, tahun 505 Hijriah. Jenazah beliau dikebumikan di pemakaman al-Thabiran, wilayah yang bernama sama dengan nama pemakaman itu, di negeri Thusi. Semoga Allah Swt. merahmati beliau.

The life of al-Imam al-Ghazali and his younger brother, Ahmad al-Ghazali, the expert in Sufism, is surrounded by simplicity and adorned with simplicity. The late will of the father is always held by both of them and is realized in the maximum dose. The persistence of both of them in pursuing knowledge makes al-Imam's economic life at a less noticeable level. Both of them prioritize spiritual needs in the form of science rather than food or everything that is material and worldly. The sparkling jewelery of the world is very far from the lives of the two siblings.

Their days are filled with studying, both morning and evening. Until finally the two orphan youths succeeded in filling their spiritual needs, according to the wishes of his father, in the simple life. As a beautiful sentence strung by al-Ghazali in describing his life's journey of pursuing knowledge,

"The path of our knowledge is only what can convey our presence in Allah's arms, in the embrace of His pleasure, according to what our father had commanded."

In other words, the two siblings (al-Ghazali siblings) are seeking knowledge based on the belief, that whatever knowledge they take must have a good effect, and will produce good results (wasilah) for their lives both in this world and the hereafter. .

al-Imam al-Ghazali in his childhood began a series of demanding knowledge in his own country, Thusi. Then, when he was older, he traveled to an area called Jurjan, and studied with a teacher named Abi Nashr al-Isma'ili. After finishing, he returned to Thusi. Returning from Jurjan, he with the permission of Allah, settled and devoted his knowledge there for some time. After that, with the permission of Allah, he continued his scientific journey to the Naisabur region, in order to explore the science of Jurisprudence and study Arabic in a great teacher, who had been Imam al-Haramain, he was named Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini.

During his studies at Naisabur, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini found him to be a very intelligent student and had the potential to develop very rapidly and the sharpness of thought that was truly extraordinary. Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini felt that Imam al-Ghazali was the only student he could make as a filler of the ulama's emptiness when he was later called by Allah to return to His presence. It was also there that Imam al-Ghazali laid the foundations of his beginning as a writer of the book. And, he began writing several books under the auspices of the teacher, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini including the basis (initial) of writing this book, Ihya Ulumiddin.

Together with al-Imam al-Ghazali, there were also a number of figures who studied together in Naisabur, and had become his best friend, among them a scholar named al-Kayya al-Haras (died 504 H / 1110 AD) and also an ulama named Abu al-Muzhfar al-Khawwafi (died 500 H / 1106 AD). Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini used to characterize the three as "the endless ocean" (al-Ghazali), "trained lion" (al-Kayya), and "Blazing fire" (al-Khawwafi) .

Ibnul Jauzi once delivered what was mentioned by Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini to Imam al-Ghazali in his book entitled "al-Mankhul fi ilmi al-Ushul,

"My search so far has not compared to the fruit of patience that I get after I die later; because I was given the mandate to educate students like al-Ghazali"

After his teacher, Abal Ma'ali al-Juwaini died, al-Ghazali continued his journey out of the Naisabur region to the region called al-Askar to meet the country's leader, Nizham al-Mulk, and convey the message of his late teacher. At al-Askar, he received a fairly warm welcome and extraordinary appreciation. He was introduced to the main figures and religious leaders there (ulama). Imam al-Ghazali was then entrusted to teach in a prominent madrasa under the auspices of the country's leaders. He settled and taught at al-Askar as a professor for some time. The task of teaching was abandoned by al-Ghazali around the month of Dhul Qa'dah in 488 AH, because he wanted to continue his journey to Makkah al-Mukarramah to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam, the Hajj. Before that, Imam al-Ghazali took the path of zuhud and left the frenetic hustle of the world, following the teaching and learning activities which he had lived for some time.

After performing the pilgrimage, al-Imam al-Ghazali visited the Sham region, and temporarily settled in the Damsyiq (Damascus) region to return to his hometown, Thusi. Arriving back at Thusi, Imam al-Ghazali had time to improve himself (restructure his life), and that's when he began to compile this book, Ihya Ulumiddin.

In the book al-Munqidz min al-Dhalal, al-Imam al-Ghazali states about himself,

"I just realized that I really really need a condition where I can devote my life to science and religion. And, for that purpose I return to my home country. Because, all who go will definitely return to their origin. Will be like that condition also, where knowledge and religion are foreign, until they return to their true origin, Allah. "

At that time, Imam al-Ghazali began to pour the strokes of his pen, and began writing the composition of the book Ihya Ulumiddin to completion. He was aware that all knowledge possessed without continuing would be in vain; vice versa, practice without being based / based on religious knowledge will not bear any fruit. His days were then filled with charity, writing, promoting worship and self-approach to Allah. Because he realized, that all he had was merely entrusted by Allah.

al-Imam al-Ghazali wants himself (and each of us) to improve himself by aligning his intentions. Do we not want the good to exist and live in our hearts? Thus he gave questions which at the same time contained questions for himself (and all of us).

The Book of the Work of al-Imam al-Ghazali