Al-Ash'ari

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī
A depiction of Baghdad from 1808, taken from the print collection in Travels in Asia and Africa, etc. (ed. J. P. Berjew, British Library); al-Ashʿarī spent his entire life in this city in the tenth-century
Scholastic theologian; Champion of Islam Imām of the Scholastic Theologians Imām of the Sunnis
Venerated in	Sunni Islam
Major shrine	Tomb of al-Ashʿarī, Baghdad, Iraq

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī
Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī in Arabic calligraphy
Title	Imām al-mutakallimūn, Imām ahl as-sunnah wa l-jamāʿah
Personal
Born	AH 260 (873/874) Basra, Abbasid Caliphate
Died	AH 324 (935/936) (aged 64) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
Religion	Islam
Ethnicity	Arab
Era	Islamic golden age
Denomination	Sunni
School	Shafi
Creed
Main interest(s)	Islamic theology
Notable work(s)	Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa Ikhtilaf al-Musallin (The Treatises of the Islamic Schools), al-Luma' fi al-Rad 'ala Ahl al-Ziyagh wa al-Bida' (Refutation to Heresy), Al-Ibanah 'an Usul al-Diyanah, Risalah ila Ahl al-Thaghr
Muslim leader
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show Influenced the entire Ash'ari school

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Al-Ashʿarī (الأشعري; full name: Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Isḥāq al-Ashʿarī; c. 874–936 (AH 260–324), reverentially Imām al-Ashʿarī) was an Arab Sunni Muslim scholastic theologian and eponymous founder of Ashʿarism or Asharite theology, which would go on to become "the most important theological school in Sunni Islam".^[1]

Al-Ashʿarī was notable for taking an intermediary position between the two diametrically opposed schools of theological thought prevalent at the time. He opposed both the Muʿtazilites, who advocated the extreme use of reason in theological debate and believed the Quran was created, as opposed to uncreated. Ashari refuted this by stating "if the Quran was created then that implied God created this knowledge, and thus did not have knowledge of the Quran before this, and this contradicts God's omnipotence as he is all knowing, and therefore must have always had knowledge of the Quran". The Zahirites, Mujassimites and Muhaddithin, were also opposed to the use of philosophy or Kalam, and condemned any theological debate altogether.^[2]

Al-Ashʿari's school eventually won "wide acceptance" within some sects of Sunni Islam. However the Shi'a do not accept his beliefs, as Ashari's works involved refuting Shi'ism and Mu'tazilism, which was the doctrine held by Shi'as. His original versions of his text did not survive.^[3]

Biography[]

Al-Ash'ari was born in Basra,^[4] Iraq, and was a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, Abu Musa al-Ashari.^[5] As a young man he studied under al-Jubba'i, a renowned teacher of Muʿtazilite theology and philosophy.^[6][7]

He remained a Muʿtazalite until his fortieth year when al-Ash'ari saw Muhammad in a dream three times in Ramadan. The first time, Muhammad told him to support what was related from himself, that is, the traditions (hadiths).^[8][9][10] Al-Ash'ari became worried as he had numerous strong proofs contradictory to the traditions. After 10 days, he saw Muhammad again: Muhammad reiterated that he should support the traditions.^[9][10] So Al-Ash'ari forsook Kalam and started following the traditions alone. On the 27th night of Ramadan, he saw Muhammad for the last time. Muhammad told him that he had not commanded him to forsake Kalam, he had only told him to support the traditions narrated from himself. Thereupon Al-Ash'ari started to advocate the Hadith, finding proofs for these that he said he had not read in any books.^[9][10]

After this experience, he left the Muʿtazalites and became one of its most distinguished opponents, using the philosophical methods he had learned.^[4] Al-Ash'ari then spent the remaining years of his life engaged in developing his views and in composing polemics and arguments against his former Muʿtazalite colleagues. He is said to have written up to three hundred works, of which only four or five are known to be extant.^[11]

Views[]

After leaving the Muʿtazila school, and joining the side of traditionalist theologians^[12] al-Ash'ari formulated the theology of Sunni Islam.^[13] He was followed in this by a large number of distinguished scholars, most of whom belonged to the Shafi'i school of law.^[14] The most famous of these are Abul-Hassan Al-Bahili, Abu Bakr Al-Baqillani, Al-Juwayni, Al-Razi and Al-Ghazali. Thus Al-Ash'ari's school became, together with the Maturidi, the main schools reflecting the beliefs of the Sunnah.^[14]

In line with Sunni tradition, al-Ash'ari held the view that a Muslim should not be considered an unbeliever on account of a sin even if it were an enormity such as drinking wine or theft. This opposed the position held by the Khawarij.^[15]

Al-Ash'ari also believed it impermissible to violently oppose a leader even if he were openly disobedient to the commands of the sacred law.^[15]

Al-Ash'ari spent much of his works opposing the views of the Muʿtazila school. In particular, he rebutted them for believing that the Qur'an was created and that deeds are done by people of their own accord.^[14] He also rebutted the Muʿtazili school for denying that Allah can hear, see and has speech. Al-Ash’ari confirmed all these attributes stating that they differ from the hearing, seeing and speech of creatures, including man.^[14]

He was also noted for his teachings on atomism.^[16] The Salafis argue that he had accepted the Salafi theology before his death.^[17]

Legacy[]

The 18th century Islamic scholar Shah Waliullah stated:

A Mujadid appears at the end of every century: The Mujadid of the first century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah, Umar bin Abdul Aziz. The Mujadid of the second century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah Muhammad Idrees Shaafi. The Mujadid of the third century was the Imam of Ahlul Sunnah, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari. The Mujadid of the fourth century was Abu Abdullah Hakim Nishapuri.^[18]

Earlier major scholars also held positive views of al-Ash'ari and his efforts, among them Qadi Iyad and Taj al-Din al-Subki.^[19]

According to scholar Jonathan A.C. Brown, although "the Ash'ari school of theology is often called the Sunni 'orthodoxy,' "the original ahl al-hadith, early Sunni creed from which Ash'arism evolved has continued to thrive alongside it as a rival Sunni 'orthodoxy' as well."^[20] According to Brown this competing orthodoxy exists in the form of the "Hanbali über-Sunni orthodoxy".^[21]

Works[]

The Ashari scholar Ibn Furak numbers Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's works at 300, and the biographer Ibn Khallikan at 55;^[22] Ibn Asāker gives the titles of 93 of them, but only a handful of these works, in the fields of heresiography and theology, have survived. The three main ones are:

• Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa Ikhtilfa al-Musallin ("The Discourses of the Proponents of Islam and the Differences Among the Worshippers"), an encyclopaedia of deviated Islamic sects.^[23] It comprises not only an account of the Islamic sects but also an examination of problems in kalām, or scholastic theology, and the Names and Attributes of Allah; the greater part of this works seems to have been completed before his conversion from the Muʿtaziltes.
• Al-Luma`

1. Al-Luma` fi-r-Radd `ala Ahl al-Zaygh wa al-Bida` ("The Sparks: A Refutation of Heretics and Innovators"), a slim volume.
2. Al-Luma` al-Kabir ("The Major Book of Sparks"), a preliminary to Idah al-Burhan and, together with the Luma` al-Saghir, the last work composed by al-Ash`ari according to Shaykh `Isa al-Humyari.
3. Al-Luma` as-Saghir ("The Minor Book of Sparks"), a preliminary to al-Luma` al-Kabir.^[24]

• Kitāb al-ibāna 'an usūl al-diyāna,^[25] though the authenticity of this book has been disputed by several scholars.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

See also[]

• Ash'ari
• Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
• Ibn Kullab
• Al-Tahawi
• Abu Mansur al-Maturidi
• Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi
• List of Ash'aris and Maturidis
• List of Muslim theologians
• List of Muslim comparative religionists
• 2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny

Early Islam scholars[]

References[]

External links[]

• Imam Abu‘l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari by Shaykh Gibril Haddad
• Imam Ash’ari Repudiating Asha’rism? by Shaykh Nuh Keller

Further reading[]

• Thatcher, Griffithes Wheeler (1911). "Ash'arī" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 2 (11th ed.). p. 729.