Al-Ghazali

About Al-Ghazali

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058–1111) was a towering figure of the Islamic Golden Age, achieving the #331 rank in historical importance. A Persian polymath, he was renowned as a preeminent Islamic theologian, jurist, and philosopher whose work bridged philosophical reason with Sufi mysticism. His most significant contribution was his defense and reformation of orthodox Sunni Islam, notably through his powerful critique of Greek philosophy as expressed in works like *The Incoherence of the Philosophers*, which profoundly shaped subsequent Islamic thought and intellectual history.

Despite his massive cultural impact, Al-Ghazali currently receives modest attention on the modern internet. His 2025 annualized Wikipedia views stand at 358K, placing his Attention Gap at approximately 1x, meaning his online visibility aligns closely with his historical standing—a relatively rare occurrence among highly ranked historical figures. To provide context, this level of attention is significantly lower than that of contemporary philosopher Martin Heidegger (#432 importance), who garnered 595K views in the same period, suggesting a geographic or disciplinary bias in current online focus.

This figure shows a concerning trend: his 2025 Momentum, calculated by comparing Q1 to Q3 views, dropped by 19%, and his year-over-year change was negative at -11.3%. This indicates that while his baseline attention is stable relative to his importance, the trajectory suggests a slow but measurable decline in contemporary digital engagement.