Abstract

In this dissertation, I argue that the transformation of the soul is fundamental to the thought of Augustine and Ghazzali. Their other views are better understood and are in more agreement when taken as secondary to the transformation of the soul. They have given similar accounts of conversion or crisis experiences which ultimately turned them away from spiritually enervating ways of living. I assert that when the transformation of the soul in each of their accounts is described as a spiritual alchemy, the relation of that experience to reason, revelation, narratives and examples of good character becomes easier to understand. ;Augustine and Ghazzali came from different cultural backgrounds, but ultimately they shared a strong devotion to God and similar conversion experiences. But what is more important and interesting than the correspondence of accounts of spiritual transformation is the way the theoretical aspects of the thought of each person are made secondary in importance compared to spiritual transformation. Aspects of their theological disputations are put in the service of nurturing true devotion to God in the people of their communities, rather than put in the service of abstract arguments which attempt to confine truth to propositional statements. By discussing spiritual transformation as a spiritual alchemy, I argue that for both thinkers, devotion to God can become continual, effortless, and more important than any other aspect of how we direct our lives