Our presentation deals with the problem of interpretation in the
thought of al-Ġazzālī. Starting from the chronology of his works, we will try to describe the contours and the nuances of his concept of interpretation, but, at the
same time, to emphasize the context and the framework of this concept both theoretically and practically. First of all, we mention that it is not possible, concerning the issue of interpretation, to set a clear distinction in the works of
al-Ġazzālī, between the purely theoretical writings and others with a purely
practical character. However, if the ideas of al-Ġazzālī are often the home of alternation between the contextual approach focusing more on the practical illustration and the abstract approach regarding the theoretical foundation, it is true that these ideas are, as a whole, governed by unifying and constant principles. For this reason, we prefer not to analyze the conception of al-Ġazzālī in the paradigm of the couple theoretical/practical, but to approach him moreover starting from the fundamental principles that create a sort of general framework for the deployment and usage of the interpretation process. There are three such
principles. The first concerns the unchangeable aspect of interpretation; the second,
the hierarchical aspect; and the third, the undefined aspect.