Was Sufism in Disarray before Imam al-Ghazali?

Yesterday, I found an audio response by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller to the following question: Was Sufism in Disarray until Ghazali Came? As the Shaykh makes clear, the short answer is "No", but he discusses this issue in considerable detail since, due to Orientalist distortions of Islamic history, there are a lot of misunderstandings in this regard—especially amongst Muslims educated in the West.

In this same response, which is about seven minutes and forty seconds in duration, the Shaykh also addresses the question of whether there was a "huge divide" between the scholars of the "outward sciences" and the Sufis that was only resolved after Imam al-Ghazali came. Again, the short answer is "No", but please listen to the entire response so that you get all of the details.

Deen On...