It is somewhat paradoxical that AI-Ghazzali spearheaded the attack against free-thinkers and the proponents of logic, but in doing so had to use the weapon of his adversaries. Indeed, the stubborn ghost of Greek dialectics withstood exorcism by the greatest Asharite of all time.

It is imperative to realize that Muslim culture is inextricably wedded to the past

Fire causes burning, lightning causes thunder, winds cause waves, and gravity causes bodies to fall. Such connections between an effect and its cause form the cornerstone of scientific thinking, both modern and classical. But this notion of causality is one which is specifically rejected by Asharite doctrine, and the most articulate and effective opponent of physical causality was AI-Ghazzali

The elites which rule Muslim countries today have shown little ability – or even desire - to address the myriad problems and challenges of a modern world. Of these, the development of science and a rational culture are perhaps the most important. Indeed, compared with non Muslim countries possessing roughly equivalent resources and a comparable level of cultural development, Muslim states do poorly.

The Hanbalite Ibn Taymiya understood Ilm (knowledge) as referring to that knowledge which derives from the Prophet. Everything else he regarded either as useless or no science at all, even though it might be called by that name.