It is an honor and a privilege to have been involved in the publication of this volume - a study of the past and from a different world, where Abū Ḥāmid Al-Ghazālī, a man of faith and knowledge, thought hard about the intricacies between ethics and the mundane realities of economic life. His faith forced him to confront the inequities of human societies, and his religious quest urged him to find wisdom from the philosophers of the past. He explored Greek philosophy which laid the groundwork for a new synthesis between the moral imperatives of Islam, the force of logical thinking, and the precarious conditions of human life and our common vulnerability. Al-Ghazālī's thought became a bridge between religion and philosophy, and a source of knowledge for those who are thinking hard about the essential contours and conditions of a more just world.

Al-Ghazālī is famous for many achievements, not least his research into what constitutes human happiness. To achieve insight into human wellbeing, he concluded that rationalism was not in itself sufficient to guide humans to self-knowledge and at the same time that religious piety was more than a collection of rules to guide the faithful. As a Sufi philosopher, he acknowledged the force of everyday experience, and the inspiration of music and dance. We moderns can benefit from his teaching, because in our world happiness is often degraded to mean merely selfish satisfaction.

The 2020 pandemic has highlighted the iniquities of the contemporary world and the depth of human suffering. His philosophy has forced us think deeply about the intersections between morality and economics. This publication is the first volume in the series Religion and Society with Anthem Press. Sami Al-Daghistani has established a level of intellectual excellence which will inspire future authors and develop a deeper understanding of the complex relations between the secular and the religious.