th works, namely his famed al-Shifa (lit. healing ) that runs in 12 volumes (2 volumes available online c.f. Avicenna). Outside of philosophy his is famous for his medical encyclopedia, al-qanun fi-al-tibb (Canon of Medicine -available online in original Arabic(1593 ed.), from which the English term 'canon' comes from.
 Al-Ghazali (1058-1111) is an important figure in the history of Islamic thought. He was a a scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence and theologian by training who delved into philosophy out of necessity. He was also a gifted writer with keen knack for clarifying terse subjects. He claimed three things with regard to philosophy in the Muslim world at his time. The first claim is that some of the teachings of philosophy run against the teachings of Islam to the point that they cannot be rationally reconciled. Second, these teachings are also contradictory to the teachings of philosophy it self, hence they are incoherent at best and otherwise destructive. These teachings run counter to philosophy and its stated goals of being coherent, logical and consistent. Thirdly, some of the teachings of philosophy are useful to Islam, namely logic, math, astronomy, physics, etc.
 To prove his point al-Ghazali did two things first of all he wrote a summary (titled Maqasid al-falasifah (Aims of the philosophers) of philosophical teachings concentrating on metaphysics and logic. This summary proved useful and with the missing introduction and closing remarks would earn him the title of “the expositor of Avicennain philosophy” in the west. His stated goal is that in order to be able to refute philosophy one had to be competent in it. This he did, much to the dismay of his compatriots who claimed that you have done the philosophers task by simplifying their teachings for the layperson. Ibn Rushd would vent his anger on him years later for doing this as well. How could he bring to the masses the literature of the elite that has been hidden by complex terminology and vague statements that only the ‘select’ were understand after undergoing through ‘training’.
 The other work (titled Tahafut al-falasifah (Incoherence/Destruction of philosophers- available online c.f. al-Ghazali) was a refutation of the metaphysical teachings of philosophy summarized in twenty points. Three of these points not only lead to heresy but outright infidelism. This work was well accepted by the scholars of his time who heralded it as a victory for Islamic teaching. Philosophy was once and for all defeated in its own battlefield. It no longer held that charm or air of mystery that Avicenna had sought so hard throughout his life to veil it with. This fact should not be construed to denote the end of philosophy in the Muslim world. This was hardly the case as it opened the door for many theologians to study philosophy with relative ease. Actually the case can be made that he popularized the works of Ibn Sina in religious circles which continued to studied till the latter days of the Ottoman Empire.
Philosophy in the Muslim West:
 The works of al-Ghazali would have an interesting history in Andalusia. Part of the mystery is due in part to the fame that al-Ghazali achieved. Some theological and esoteric not to mention heretical works be written by anonymous authors and attributed to al-Ghazali. Add to the fact that al-Ghazali would change his mind on some issues of legislation and theology. These two elements added together led to a misunderstanding of al-Ghazali.
 A major figure in Andalusia who contributed to the misunderstanding of al-Ghazali is a personal physician of Almohad caliph Abu Ya’qub Yusuf (1163-1184). Ibn Tufyal (1106-1185) dappled in neo-Platonism and followed the esoteric teachings of Avicenna in addition to his flourishing medical career. He is the celebrated author of the fictional philosophical romance entitled “Hayy bin Yaqthan” [Living son of Awake]. It is a philosophical parable set on an island in the Indian Ocean (modern day Sri Lanka?) that tells the story of Hayy a child who grows up on the Island without any human contact, he is raised