Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī thematizes in his Exposition of the Ninety-nine Beautifu Names of God the relationship of attributes to the divine essence. The present article discusses the introductory chapter of Ghazālī 's writing.
Al-Ghazālī methodically draws back on previous debates concerning divine attributes (ṣifāt Allāh) as symptomatic of the Islamic exegesis (kalām), in his use of instruments of logic and grammar to explain the divine revelation (tanzīl). A specific, and for the present time significant feature of his exposition is the way of interlacing several lines of theological thinking: faith in the revealed truths of God, rational consideration of these, and adequate rendering in language.
The synthesis is demonstrated on a three-level scheme employed for explanation of transcendent realities: proceeding from the word to the meaning that reflects the essence like an image in the mirror. Al-Ghazālī explains the divine attributes with a double intention: he will provide his student with instruments for understanding the expressions of the Qur'an, but also, perhaps more insistently, show him the way of arriving nearer the threshold of God's essence.
The way is one of respectful contemplation of Him, sharing in a liturgy of praise by the Most Beautiful names.