Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Mu‘tazilites vs. Traditionalists
Free will/personal God creates/responsibility controls all acts
God’s attributes God’s attributesmetaphorical real
Preferred reason Preferred textover text - Qur’an i.e. Qur’an/created hadith - Qur’an
eternal
kalam (Muslim apologetic theology)
al-Ma’mun (r. 813-33)
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855)
1017 and 1041 Caliphs require subjects toreject Mu‘tazilite theology
Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari (d. 935) and followers
God’s attributes truly exist, but do notdetract from power, because theyare not like our attributes and arebeyond our understanding
Faith important, but must be proved throughaction (mixes Mu‘tazilite andTraditionalist positions)
God and Qur’an are eternal, universe is not
Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari (d. 935) and followers
God controls all actions, but humans areresponsible for their good and bad actionseven though
God decrees what is good and evil (opposesMu‘tazilite view that reason candetermine this)because
God creates all actions, but humans “acquire”the actions they perform, so are stillresponsible for them
Al-Maturidi of Samarqand (d. 944)
Humans acquire their actions, but connectedto intention of humans to perform acts,so evil deeds result of human choice
God gave humans capacity for reason, sorequired to use it. Reason even allowedknowledge of God before prophets(al-Ash‘ari claims prophets necessary)
Follows al-Ash‘ari on eternal God and issue ofGod’s attributes
Abu’l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma‘il al-Ash‘ari(b. Basra 873/4, d. Baghdad 935)
Little known of life. Originally studied underMu‘tazilite named al-Jubba’i in Basra
912/3 Rejected Mu‘tazilite position andadopted Traditionalist position, thoughmaintained Mu‘tazilite-style reasoning
Various works incl. Kitab al-Luma‘, theologicaltreatise intended to refute Mu‘tazilitesand other opponents
