His main diet was hunger...

His main diet was hunger, at night the moon provided him only light; during winter he slept under the sun at times when it shone or set down; his fruit and vegetable was none other than what the earth grows for animals. He neither had a wife that could instigate him to do follies nor did have a child that could make him sorrowful with concern; nor had any property which might have taken away from him; nor had he any kind of greed (for worldly things) that could cause him humiliation.

He had no means of moving except his own feet, his servants were his own hands.” On another occasion, addressing one of his companions, Imam Ali (PBUH), says: “Blessing be on those pious persons who have turned away from the worldly attachments like Christ.” 4) Mutual Influences in Kalami (Theological) Polemics. As it is generally accepted by researchers and scholars that Islamic Kalam has exercised influence on Jewish and Christian Scholasticism.

In a similar way, it is also incontrovertible that on the land the views of Muslim theologians, with regard to the Divine Attributes, in the course of their polemics and discussions with the Christian scholastics, particularly in the issue of the trinity have developed and attained maturity of thought.

(4) Undoubtedly, the use of the term Attribute (sifat) and the emergence of the concept of universal (kulliyat), during the medieval period of Christianity, through the Latin translation of the work of Ibn Hayman, Hidayat al-Mudallin (A Guide for Wayward) (530-601 A.H./1135-1204 A.D.),(5) were influenced immensely by Islamic Ilm al-Kalam.

He and before him Sadiya Gawun (Said al-Fayumi – 271-331 A.H./892-922 A.D.), had acquired their knowledge of Greek philosophy indirectly from Arabic translations and their Islamic commentaries. They themselves wrote in Arabic (which was the academic language of that period).

The ground conducive for the acceptance of the teachings of Muslim theologians, particularly al-Ghazzali, through Sadiya, who might be justifiably regarded as Ashairah of Judaism, for he not only adopts the method of Ashariyyah but also in specific issues, makes use of their arguments.

Yahud Ahlawi from Toledo, born in 479 A.H., who was a contemporary of al-Ghazzali, like him felt that philosophy in questioning the fundamentals of faith by interpreting them on the basis of logical argument results in weakening of the creed.