Ontological explanation of instances of sin from the perspective of Augustine and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

The present study, using a comparative method, examines the ontological aspects of sin in the thought of Augustine and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

Comparing the views of these two great thinkers of the Christian and Islamic worlds on this issue sheds light on the extent of the effects of sin as a great obstacle to human happiness in various areas of his existence. In fact, what sin is existentially, considering its instances, under what category it falls, and what the divisions and relationships between the types of sin are, is important both theoretically and practically.

An examination of the ontological category of sin in the thought of Augustine and Al-Ghazali shows that in the view of both thinkers, sin is realized not only in the members and organs of man, but also in the inner and outer parts. In this regard, one of the divisions of sin in the view of both thinkers is the division of sin into external and internal sins. In addition, Augustine and Al-Ghazali have attempted to classify instances of sin in other ways. The relationship between the types of sin in the eyes of Augustine and Al-Ghazali shows that in the eyes of both thinkers, venial sins are the cause of venial sins.

Based on what is obtained from the semantics of sin, the basis of the concept of "sin" in the eyes of Augustine and Al-Ghazali is "turning away from God towards oneself," which appears in the ontology of sin in the instance of self-supremacy.