Eventually, God cured me of the disease of total scepticism. This did not happen through systematic proofs, nor through logical arguments; it happened by a light which the most high God shone into my breast. This light gave me the confidence to seek knowledge, while at the same time releasing me from the need for proofs and arguments – those who demand proofs and arguments are too narrow in their view as to how God can communicate.
I started with theology and gained a thorough understanding of it. I read the books of reputable theologians and wrote some books myself on the subject. I was impressed that theology is successful in achieving its aim, but it did not achieve mine. Its aim is to uphold the beliefs of orthodoxy and to defend orthodoxy against heretics who think differently. Its method is to expose the contradictions in the teachings of heretics and to show that these teachings have harmful consequences. Yet it does not delve deeply into the inner nature of things, and it did not dispel my own confusion.
When I had rejected theology, I studied philosophy. I was convinced that I could only understand the flaws in a subject, by first gaining a complete grasp of it. So I read many books about philosophy; and within two years I was familiar with all its various branches. I spent a further year reflecting on what I had learnt, probing its tangled depths, until I realized that it is both deceitful and muddled.
(Imam Al-Ghazali)