Al-Ghazali was a Muslim saint, a scholar and, for a time, a penniless wanderer seeking after God. He came from a humble background and through intelligence and determination became one of the most famous scholarly authorities in the whole Islamic world. But then he gave up all his power, prestige and money, and set off in search of a deeper knowledge of God. Al-Ghazali looked for God through philosophy, through Islam law and even through the claims of various alternative sects in Islam, but could find him in non of these places. In the end, al-Ghazali found God through mysticism, a branch of religion that seeks a spiritual experience of God. Following a new mystical path, he also brought the living experience of God to ordinary Muslims through his writings. For this reason, and many others, he is recognized as the greatest Muslim of his time and a timeless reviver of Islam. For anyone seeking to understand Islam today, a knowledge of al-Ghazali and his enduring influence on Muslims is essential.