The Alchemy of Happiness

Alchemy of Happiness was written towards the end of Al Ghazzali's life. During the time before it was written the Muslim world was considered to be in a state of political as well as intellectual unrest. Al Ghazzali noted that there were constant disputes regarding the role of philosophy and scholastic theology and Sufi's became chastised for their neglect of the ritual obligations of Islam. Upon its release, the book allowed Al Ghazzali to considerably reduce the tensions between the scholars and mystics. Al Ghazzali was a Persian theologian, philosopher, and prolific Sunni author regarded as one of the greatest systematic Persian thinkers of Islam. The factor that set the Kimiya-yi sa'ādat apart from other theological works at the time was its mystical emphasis on self-discipline and asceticism. Al Ghazzali succeeded in gaining widespread acceptance for Sufism, however, he did so at the expense of the philosophers, despite the fact that his goal was to refute them.