Identifying the Components of Teaching Philosophical Thought in “Kitab al-Elm” and “Kitab al-Tafakur” from Al-Ghazali’s Ahya ul-Olum al-Din

The current research is intended to study the issue of teaching philosophical thought and identify its components in “Kitab al-Elm” and “Kitab al-Tafakur” from Ghazali’s Ahya ul-Olum al-Din. The data are collected through note-taking from related resources and analyzed through the descriptive-analytical method. It was found that, contrary to the popular assumption, Ghazali accepts the philosophical thought that is rooted in examination and research and is blended with skills such as reasoning, analysis, synthesis, and deduction. Therefore, in “Kitab al-Elm” and “Kitab al-Tafakur” this scholar has offered some conditions for teaching and learning which endorse the aforesaid stance and is proved efficient in acquiring those types of knowledge that are explicitly or cooperatively obtained. Classifying these conditions revealed that three categories of mental and intrapersonal skills, interpersonal or interactive skills and inquiry-based skills as well as some major components involving “dialogue”, “interaction”, “inquiry”, “interpersonal relationship”, “effective relationship”, “sympathy”, “scaffolding” and “self-correction” are involved in teaching philosophical thought. Identifying these components and blending them with newly developed curriculums, paves the way for employing them in new education and syllabus and uncovers the hidden capacities inherent in the views of Muslim scholars about education.