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MODULE 2: Development of Muslim Firaq
Unit 1: The Jabarites, the Qadarites, the Murjites and the Conseqquences of Grave Sin.
Unit 2: The Khawrij
Unit 3: The Shah
Unit 4: Extremist Shites (Gultu sh-Shah)

Unit 1 The Jabarites, the Qadarites, the Murjites and Consequences of Grave Sin.
CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1: The Jabarites,
3.2: The Qadarites
3.3: The Muslim Majoritys Opinion
3.4: Consequences of Grave sin
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
1.0: INTRODUCTION
As you should have expected, there were people who usually engaged in religious
pursuits and discussions as early as the time of the Prophet Muhammad. The Ahlu `lSuffah (People of the Platform i.e. in the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina) could be
cited as example. This group generally did discuss matters religious applying reason
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where needed. It may not be out of place to mention Ali, Ibn Masud, Aishah, Mudh ibn
Jabal along with them. Perhaps the report that the Prophet Muhammad () once met some
Companions arguing on the issue of Qadar and discouraged them refers to them. In this
unit, three early theological movements associated with discussion on predestination shall
be presented to you.
2.0: OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit you will be able to
1. identify the Jabarites and highlight their views on predestination
2. identify the Qadarites and highlight their views on predestination
3. highlight the Muslim Majoritys opinion on predestination
4. enumerate what are regarded as grave sin and its consequences.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
3.1: The Jabariyyah (Jabarites)
In the pre-Mutazilite era, before 105 A.H./732 A.D., certain Muslims held the
belief that what man will be or do on earth has been predetermined by God. So, no matter
how pious or impious he was on earth, the decree of God on him would prevail. In fact, his
uprightness or otherwise was regarded as manifestation of Gods will. That somebody was
a saint or a sinner was therefore not his own making but what God wanted him to be.
To such people, man is so weak that he cannot take any action independently. He is
nothing more than a puppet in the hands of God Who manipulates him the way He likes.
People of such belief often supported their stand with quotations from both Qurn and
adth. An instance of such quotation is Qurn chapter 35 verse 8, which says verily

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God leads astray whom He pleases and guides to the right path whom He pleases; and
Chapter 10 verse 26, which says God calls to the abode of peace and guides whom He
wills into the right path; and Chapter 42 verse 14 which also asserts that God elects for
Himself whom He pleases and guides unto Himself who turns to repentance.
An example of quotations from the prophetic traditions (adth) is the one which
says what hits you could not possibly have missed you and what misses you could not
probably have hit you, the pens have been raised and the papers are dry.
Another adth stipulates that a man during the process of his growth in the womb
gets his life span and where he would be after death by the decree of God ever before
he was born.
Since God creates man, since God directs his actions, he has no choice but to behave
according to what has been predestined for him.
The people who believed in pre-destination are known as the Jabarites.
Self Assessment Exercise
Who were the Jabarites? Provide some Qurn and adth passages they cite to support
their views.
3. 2. The Qadariyyah (Qadarites)
The opponents of the predestination argued that certainly, God does not do evil and
does not condone evil practices. That is why He punishes evildoers and rewards
righteous people. God does not create anybody to be rich or to be poor; success or
failure, wealth or poverty are results of each mans advantages and initiatives. God does
not create anyone to do evils. If He were to do this, it would be injustice on His part to turn
round and punish evildoers. Furthermore, God does not guide certain people aright and
lead others astray. If He were to do this, it would amount to arbitrariness and partiality on
His part.
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Thus the opponents asserted that man has his own volition, independence and free
will to do what he likes and be rewarded accordingly, good or bad, depending solely on
his choice and freewill. Because of the emphasis they laid on freewill of the people thus
negating the control of God on man, the opponents of predestination were called
Qadarites.
Surprisingly, the opponents of predestination used the word Qadarites for the
upholders of predestination. The Qadarites refused being called this epithet because
the prophet once said that the Qadarites are enemies of God.
According to the promoters of free will, God has given man the faculty to reason and
differentiate between what is good and what is bad. Besides that, 104 holy books have
explained elaborately what is good and what is bad. Furthermore, that was the purpose of
sending 124000 prophets like Ibrahim, Musa, Dawud and Isa to different peoples and
nations at different times; and also that was why Prophet Muhammad was sent as the last
of the prophets. They go further to say that that is why the Qurn asserts that everybody
will be responsible for his own deeds. Qurn 17 verse 15 says: he who receives guidance
receives it for his own benefit and he who goes astray does it at his own risk.
No bearer of burden will bear the burden of another nor would we give out punishment to
any group of people until we have sent an apostle to give warning.
To argue further that God does not predestine anybody to do evil, promoters of free will, the
Qadariyyah quotes Qurn chapter 41 verse 46 which says whoever is righteous benefits
his own soul and whoever does evil does it against his own soul. Your Lord is never unjust
to His servants.
They also point to Qurn chapter 76 verse 3, which says: God has certainly shown
man the way, its for him to accept or reject. They therefore reject the arguments put
forward by their opponents and assert that anything contrary to their view is
misinterpretation.
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The pre-determinists who were surprisingly supported by the majority of the Muslims
rejected the argument of free-will group saying that the latter were dualists who had set up
the human being as a co-creator with God by believing that human beings can initiate their
own actions and thereby determine their own fate. Some of the protagonists were; Ma'bad
al Juhani, a citizen of Basra who was killed in 699 AD. Another was Ghaylan ibn Abd al
Malik al-Dimashqi who was killed in about 743 AD. So also was Shabib al Najrani, who was
killed almost during the same period.
Self Assessment Exercise
Who were the Qadarites? Provide some Qurn and adth passages the quoted in
support of their views.
3.3: The Muslim Majoritys Opinion
From the Sunni point of view, it is incumbent upon every Mukallaf (one on whose religious
duty is imposed) to believe that it is possible for God to create good and evil; to create
Islam in Zayd and unbelief in Amr, knowledge in one of them and ignorance in the other.
It is also incumbent upon every Mukallaf, to believe that the good and the bad of things are
by act of Destiny (qan) and act of Decree (qadar). And there is a difference of opinion as
to their meaning. It is said that Destiny (qan) is the will of God and the eternal connection
of that will (azali), and Decree (qadar) is Gods bringing into existence the thing in
agreement with the will. So the Will of God that is connected eternally with your becoming a
learned man or a Sultan is destiny, and the bringing of knowledge into existence in you,
after your existence, or the Sultanship in agreement with the Will, is decree. And it is said
that Destiny is Gods eternal knowledge and its connection with the thing known, and
Decree is bringing things into a man after he enters existence.
Furthermore to the Sunnis, this belief belongs to the category of things the doing of which
isonly possible for God. By this, they assert that there is nothing incumbent upon God. He
creates faith in Zayd, for example, and gives him knowledge out of His grace without there
being any necessity upon Him. Hence the saying: _ _ _

__ _ _ _ _ __

___ _ _

( Gods rewarding the obedient is a grace from Him, and His punishing the rebellious is
justice by Him).
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Obedience does not advantage Him nor does rebellion injure Him. And these acts of
obedience or rebellion are only signs of Gods rewarding or punishing those described by
them. The ones whom He wills to draw near to Himself, He helps to obedience, and in Him
whos abandoning and rejecting He wills, He creates rebellion. And all acts of good and bad
are by the creation of God, for He creates the creature and that which the creature does as
He has said (Q37: 9): and God has created you and that which ye do. (al-Fudali)
And the proof that possible things are possible in the case of God is that there is a general
agreement on their possibility. If the doing of any possible thing was incumbent upon God,
the possible would be turned into a necessary thing, if they were hindered from Him, the
possible would be turned into an impossible. But the turning of the possible attribute into a
necessary or an impossible one is false.
Self Assessment Exercise
Give and expatiate on the Islamic theological aphorism which summarizes Sunni stand on
mans actions and fortune.
3.4: The Murjites and Consequences of Grave sin
Out of the discussion of the nature of the Islamic community and fate of its members in the
hereafter, another theological sect called the Murjites emerged. Their theological view was
that whether a man will enter hell or Paradise could not be settled in this world. It should
therefore be postponed to the Day of Judgment when God will decide everybodys fate. For
postponing such a decision, the group earned their name Murjites.
They argued that the worldliness of the Ummayah caliphs and their lukewarm
attitudetowards Islam as compared with the orthodox caliphs were not sufficient for anyone
to refuse them recognition as leaders of Islamic community. The question of whether they
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are religiously qualified to rule the Islamic empire and whether the majority of the citizens
were sinners who should be ostracized (banished or shut out from society) should be left in
the hands of God.
This is not to say that criminals should not be punished but the fate of individual citizens
who are considered sinners should be left to God, the Supreme authority. They often
quoted Qurn chapter 4 verse 48 and chapter 4 verse 116 which say that God will not
forgive the association of anything with Himself, and that apart from that He could forgive
any other form of sins. The Murjites therefore consider as Muslims anyone who did not
oppose the Unity of God and denounce Muhammad as His final messenger. This
theological belief of leaving the matters of sinners in the hands of God puts the Murjites in a
separate arm from the Kharijites who held the view that a grave sinner should be killed as
you will see later.
In sum, grave sins are: the association of partners with God (shirk), deliberate killing of
human beings without any justification (qatlu nafs min ghayr haqq), adultery (zina)and
wrong accusation of a married woman of adultery (qadhfu `l-muhsant), apostasy (riddah),
running away from Jihad (firr min al-Jihd), magic (sir), unlawful misappropriation of the
wealth of the orphans (aklu ml al-yatm), persistence in unlawful things (irr al dhamb)
etc, etc.
The Murjites were not only tolerant to sinners but also hesitant to declare anyone a good or
bad Muslim simply because he committed sins. Their argument is that anyone who
believes in One God and professes the Kalimat al-Shahadah i.e. formula by which a person
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attests to the unity of God could not be easily declared a non-Muslim simply because he
committed a sin.
Self Assessment Exercise
Enumerate sins that are considered grave in Islam ; then discuss the attitude of the
Murjiites towards grave-sinners.
4.0: CONCLUSION
The Ahlu `l-Suffah usually engaged in theological pursuits during the time of the Prophet
Muhammad. Where needed, they tried to work out religious doctrines in the light of
reason.The Jabariyyah and Qadariyyah were two other groups that argued the problem of
predestination and free-will before 105 A.H./732 C. E. using reason and supporting their
views with passages from the Qurn and adth thus constituting another nucleus of
Islamic theological movements during te Prophets life-time.
In the opinion of the (Ahlu `s-Sunnah) the Muslim Majority, it is incumbent upon every
Mukallaf, to believe that the good and the bad of things are by act of Destiny (qan) and
act of Decree (qadar). To them also _ _ _

__ _ _ _ _ __

___ _ _ ( Gods

rewarding the obedient is a grace from Him, and His punishing the rebellious is justice by
Him).
Another pre-Mutazilite era theological sect was the Murjites. Their theological view was that
whether a man will enter hell or Paradise could not be settled in this world. It should
therefore be postponed to the Day of Judgment when God will decide everybodys fate.

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5.0: SUMMARY
This unit suggests that the Ahlu `s-Suffah, the Jabariyyah and the Qadariyyah were
thelogical groups found discussing the problem of predestination and free will during the
time of the Prophet Muhammad or before the appearance of the Mutazilah. Where needed,
they did try to work out religious doctrines in the light of Qurn , adth and reason. They
could be regarded as people who prepared the ground for the school of Mutazilism. The
unit also highlights the Muslim Majoritys view on Qad and Qadar and discusses the
Murjiites and their views on grave sin and its consequences.
6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. The Jabarites and the Qadarites were two precursors of theological movements in Islam.
Introduce them and their views.
2. Give a highlight of the views of the Muslim Majority on the issue of mans destiny and
free-will.
3. Discuss the Murjiites and their theological ideology.
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) The Holy Qur'n with English Translation.
(2) Muhammad al-Funal, Kifyat al-Awm fi Ilmi `l-Kalam,Eng. trans. by
D. B. MacDonald in his Development of Muslim TheologyLondon, 1903, pp. 315-351
(3) A. J. Wensick (1932). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development,
CambridgeUniversity Press.
(4) M. Saeed Sheikh (n.d.). Studies in MuslimPhilosophy , Pakistan, Kashmiri Bazaar
Lahore.

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(5) Hasan Sayyid Mutawall (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhd; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press.
Unit 2. The Khawrij
CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1: Emergence of the Kharijites
3.2: Division into Sects the Najdites
3.3: Political cum Theological Doctrines
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
1. 0. INTRODUCTION
In this Unit we shall trace the origin of a political cum theological movement
known as the Kharijite in early Islam. We will identify the Azraqites and the Najdites as
its two main sub-divisions. There after you will be presented a highlight of the doctrines
propounded by the political cum religious sect who has serious theological implications
on the course of developments in early Islam.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this Unit you should be able to
1. trace the origin of the Kharijites
2. discuss its division into sub-sects
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3. highlight its political cum theological doctrines.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
3.1: Emergence of the Kharijites
Subsequent to the murder of Uthman b. Affan, the third caliph in Islam on June
17, 656 AD, Ali b. Abi Talib was proclaimed the 4th caliph at the Prophets Mosque in
Medina on June 24, 566 AD. Practically, the whole Muslim states acknowledged this
succession. (The new caliph was the first cousin of Muhammad and first Muslim youth.
He offered himself to be assassinated in place of the prophet by the Makkan idolaters and
was later renowned as a fearless combatant in the struggle of Muslims against the
polytheists. He was above all a scribe of the Holy Qurn, a Hafiz, exegete and a great
Sahabi). The new caliph was in addition the first cousin of the Prophet, a husband of his
favorite daughter Fatimah, the father of his surviving male descendants, Hasan and
Husayn. Yet, however, the succession met opposition from certain circles.
Among the opponents was Muawiyyah, the governor of his predecessor in charge
of Syria. He determined as a relation of the assassinated caliph to take revenge and
suspected that if the new caliph was not the assassin, he was a party to the assassination.
He thus mobilized supporters from among the people of the territory where he governed
and presented the new caliph with a task designed to engender crisis. He boldly asked
him to produce the assassins of late Uthman or otherwise he would be held as an
accomplice who thereby was not qualified to rule in Islamic territory.
At this point, war became imminent between supporters of Ali and Muawiyyah
and at a place called Siffin, on the West bank of river Euphrates soldiers of the two
parties clashed. When it was becoming clear that victory was swinging to Alis side,
Muawiyyahs supporters thought of a trick to avert defeat. They fastened copies of the
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Holy Qurn to their lances, which they held upright for everybody to see. The gesture
meant that they wanted Qurn, rather than the sword to settle the dispute between them.
They shouted: Judgment belongs to Allah. Thus, Ali the caliph accordingly ordered the
use of weapon to stop.
However, Alis agreement to a peace talk wounded the feeling of a large section
of his supporters. These supporters angrily broke away from his party. They seceded and
were called Khawarij Kharijites meaning seceders. (Singular: khariji). There were
people who however tenaciously attached themselves to Ali and sworn never to part with
him. They were the Shiah whose identity and doctrines will be studied in the next unit. .
The Kharijites later developed certain theological doctrines, under the leadership
of Abdullah b. Wahab al-Rasibi. They considered Ali and his descendants as fallible as
any other human being. To them, anybody who committed a sin should be brought to
book according to Qurnic teachings.
They thought Ali had such qualities, called charisma or supernatural powers; and
that was why they followed him in the first instance. But when he went off the track and
did not live up to expectation, they abandoned him. For, they could not get a fulfillment
of such high quality they anticipated from a charismatic leader.
Muhammads community was considered to have got that charisma and was
regarded charismatic, a member of which was entitled to Salvation and Paradise.
Anyone who committed a great sin, the Kharijites argued would go to hell in the
hereafter and should therefore be expelled from Muslim community in this world
otherwise he would pollute the community and thereby prevent the law-abiding members
from getting Salvation.
Their ambition to have a puritanical society made the Kharijites condemned the
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Shiites in their impression that both Ali and his sons were infallible leaders.
The Kharijites also opposed the prerogative leadership conferred on the Quraysh
i.e. that rulers should come from the Quraysh. The Kharijites condemned this. According
to them, any Muslim could be the head of an Islamic state provided that he was morally
and religiously irreproachable. This standard of righteousness made the Kharijites to hold
to the sloganLa hukmah illa lillah (Govenance belong to Allah alone.
Self Assessment Exercise
(i) State the genesis of the Kharijites.
(ii) Identify their few political cum theological doctrines.
3.2: Division into Sects
Later on, many sub-sects emerged within the rank and file of the Kharijites. The
most important among them were the Azraqites and the Najdites.
(i) The Azariqah, an Arabic sectarian name whose English equivalent is Azraqites,
were the most militant among them all under their leader called Nafiu b. Azraq. They
often found fault with the government of the day because according to them, many
members of the ruling class were sinners who should be fought.

They often invited other Muslims who were not Kharijites to join forces with them in order to
attack the government. To avoid being arrested, they often withdrew from the society and
lived in camps called Dar-al-Islam (House of Islam). In other words, they often alienated
themselves from the society because they thought the society was infested. They lived in
their camps so that they could maintain purity. More often than not, they encouraged
other Muslims to dissert their sinful community and migrate to their camp. Those who
refused to do so were called sinners and unbelievers who deserved to be killed and whose
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wives and children should also be killed. They constituted themselves into a terrorist
gang because of their extreme puritanical theology.
(ii)The Najdites: The other sub-sect, known in Arabic as Al-Najdat, took their
name from their leader Najdat ibn Amir. This sub-sect did not only oppose the
government of the day but they also succeeded between 686 AD and 692 AD in
establishing an autonomous government. Their tentacles spread over a large area in
central Arabia i.e. Bahrayn, Umman, Yemen and the Hadramawt.
Like the Azraqites, the Najdites views were harsh, but their experience of
government in large area made them introduce some innovation e.g. Muslims who did
not migrate to them and live among them were not called unbelievers (kufar) but
hypocrites (munafiqun). They also told their members who as of necessity have to live
under a non-Kharijite government to conceal their religious view so as to avoid
persecution and victimization. This is called Taqiyyah.
It was not without reason that the Najdites were softer than the Azraqites. They
realized that the harsh theological views of the Azraqites could only be put into practice
in camp with small population. In a large community, it will be difficult to identify a
righteous Muslim from unrighteous ones.
They classified sins under two headings fundamental and non-fundamental.
According to them, it is only Muslims who committed fundamental sins that should be
expelled from the community while those who committed non-fundamental sins could be
punished only. They also believed that Allah will punish all sinners in the hereafter but
He will not allow them to remain permanently in punishment. He will grant respite to all
and sundry.

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Self Assessment Exercise
Write short notes on the two most important Kharijites sub-sects highlighting the
differences in their doctrines among other things.
3.3: Summary of their Political cum Theological Doctrines
1. The Kharijites opposed the Shiites who believed that the head of state was
infallible. According to the Kharijites, anyone could make a mistake and once a
leader does this, he should be deposed.
2. The head of state should not come from Quraysh tribe alone. Any Muslim,
whether coloured or white could rule provided he was morally and religiously
irreproachable.
3. None of the leaders of the Kharijites was from the Quraysh and each of them
rather than being referred to as Caliph was called Amir-al-Mmin in the
Commander of the Faithful.
4. Abu-Bakr and Umar were recognized as caliphs. Uthman was also recognized up
to the first six years of his reign and Ali was recognized as a caliph up to the
battle of Siffin.
5. According to them, any Muslim who commits a grave sin was an apostate.
According to the Azraqite faction, such a Muslim, his wife and his children
should be fought.
6. All non-Kharijite Muslims were, in the view of the Kharijites, apostates. They
upheld that the conscience of the Kharijite was the only pure conscience and they
regarded pure conscience as indispensable complement to purity of the body with
which the act of worship could be valid.

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Self Assessment Exercise
Give a list of the main political cum theological doctrines of the Kharijites
4.0: CONCLUSION
The Kharijites were a group of supporters of Ali who broke away as a result of his
agreement to a peace talk at the Battle of Siffin. They further broke into sub-sects two of
which were known as Azraqites and Najdites.
To them the Prophet Muhammads community was considered charismatic, a
member of which was entitled to Salvation and Paradise.
Anyone who committed a grave sin, the Kharijites argued would go to hell in the
hereafter and should therefore be expelled from Muslim community.
The Kharijites condemned the Shiites in their impression that both Ali and his
sons were infallible leaders.
The Kharijites also opposed the prerogative leadership conferred on the Quraysh
According to them, any morally and irreproachable Muslim could be the head of an
Islamic state. The Kharijites used the title Amir for their leader; and adopted La hukmah
illa lillah as their slogan.
5.0: SUMMARY
The Kharijites were early Muslim theological groups. Their two major sub-divisions wee
the Azraqites and the Najdites. They opposed the Shites in their infallible Imam doctrine
as well as the Sunnis who conferred prerogative leadership on the Quraysh alone. They
recognized the caliphate of Abubakr and Umar; and those of Uthman and Ali to a large
extent. They regarded kharijism as the only pure conscience complementary to purity of
the body required for validity of worship. To them non-Kharijites were apostates and
grave sinners should be ostracized.
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6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. Give an account of the emergence of the Kharijites
2. Write short notes on the Azraqites and the Najdites.
3. Discuss the main politico-theological doctrines of the Kharijites.
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) The Holy Qur'n with English Translation.
(2) an-`Nasafi, Najmu d-Din, al-Aqaid, Eng. tr. in D.B. MacDonald(1903). Development
of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theories, London, pp. 308-315
(3) A. J. Wensick (1932). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development,
CambridgeUniversity Press.
(4) Hasan Sayyid Mutawalli (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhid; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press. Vol. 3
Unit 3: The Shah
CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1: Main Doctrines of the Shah
3. 2. Ithn Ashariyyah (the Twelvers)
3. 3. Ismliyyah/ Sab 'iyyah (the Seveners)
3. 4. Zaydiyyah ---(the Zaydites)
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
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7.0: References/Further Readings
1. 0. INTRODUCTION
The word Shah in the Arabic tongue connotes followers, allies, party or factions.
As an Islamic theological term, the Shah are those who swore allegiance with Al ibn
Ab Tlib, (the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad) in particular and believe that his
Imamate, Caliphate or Muslim leadership is testamentary; who consider him the only
rightful successor of the Prophet in the temporal and spiritual matters, and deny this right
to all who did not belong to his House. It applies also to his loyalists during his struggles
with Muwiyyah and supporters of the members of his household after im.2
The Shah did not surface as a conspicuous entity during the lifetime of Al ibn
Ab Tlib; nor did they adopt the nomenclature. It was his murder and the murder of his
son Husain at Karbala that made them politico - religious entity supporting his
descendants and working towards establishing a state in their name by regarding them the
rightful Caliph and formulating principles and doctrines peculiar to them.3
2.0. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit you will be able to
(i) define shiism and identify its main creeds.
(ii) discuss the Ithna'ashariyyah, Sab-'iyyah and Zaydiyyah Shiite sub-sects
(iii) distinguish between the creeds of the various.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
The Main Shah Creeds:
The creeds general to all Shah groups are in connection with five issues; viz.
(i) the Imamate (ii) Relationship between Ali, the Sahabah and the rest of Muslims. (iii)
Ismah of the Imams (iv) Taqiyyah and (v) Raj ah or Mahdism.
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(i) Immah (Imamate): To them, as belief in God is an Article of Faith, so also is the
belief that Imamah (the temporal and spiritual leadership of the Muslim Ummah) after
Prophet Muhammad is hereditary in the House-hold of Ali.
This, they argue is because Ali as a nephew to the Prophet Muhammad (S) and husband of
Fatimah his daughter, must have inherited the rights to rule the Ummah and interpret the
Shariah from the Prophet. Their children too should have been bequeathed such divine
rights by their parents. Such powers could only be found in the descendants of Fatima and
Ali.
The Shah even hold that the Prophet appointed Al as his vicegerent in his Sermon
delivered before thousands of his disciples at Ghadru `l-Khum on the outskirts of
Madina in 10 A.H. (632 C.E.) when he said: fa man kuntu mawlhu, fa Aliyyun
mawlhu, meaning hence whoever recognizes me as his Master, for him Al (too) is
Master, With that statement the appointment (na) of Al as his vicegerent was
completed and never revoked. In fact, later incidents mentioned by Sh authors show
that the Prophet confirmed and acted on the assumption that Al was the heir apparent of
the spiritual kingdom. The salvation of man is in the love and devotion to the Imam.
This is known as walyah.
Self Assessment Exercise
Explain the Imamate Creed of the Sh'ah

(ii) Relationship between Ali, the ahbah and the rest of Muslims.
The moderate Shiites are of the view that all the adversaries and opponents of Ali are
sinners and will be perpetual in the hell fire like the infidels unless their repentance is
established and they die on love and devotion to Ali.
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As for the Muhjirs, the Ansrs, and the Righteous Caliphs before him, since Ali
acknowledged them, related well with them and did not raise sword against them or
invite anybody to do so, they cannot condemn them.
Since Al accepted their leadership and observed Salt behind them, he has to be
emulated and none can go beyond reports about his attitude to them.
Since it was established that Al did not curse the Sahabis the moderate Shiites will
also treat them in likewise manner. To the moderate Shiah also, the rank of Prophethood
was higher than the rank of the Imam.
But there are Shiites who called the Chosen Sahabis infidels; and call the Caliphs
before him usurpers of his right. They claim that when the Prophet was aware his death
was imminent, he sent Abu Bakr and Umar away in Usamah ibn Zayds expedition, in
order to clear the city of all possible opposition and paving the way of securing bayah
(pledge of allegiance) for him from the remaining people. Usamah;s troops however dilly
dallied for days against the wish of the Prophet and the aim was not achieved.8
In their attempts to defend their doctrines, some Shiites formulated dangerous ideas,
raising doubts about the authenticity of the Qur n and Hadth in the hands of the
generality of Muslims; and claiming that only their scholars are in custody of the
authentic ones.
Self Assessment Exercise
Explain the Shiite creeds relating to the relationship between Ali, the ahbah and the
rest of Muslims

(iii) Ismah (Infallibility of the Imms):

The Shah believe that the Imm was infallible (masm); he can never commit
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minor nor major sins because he is the link between God and humanity like the Prophets
and Apostles of God. He receives revelations though of an invisible nature.
It however seems the early Imm did not conceive the Ismah doctrine and that
the extremist Shah developed the idea later; a situation which led the Imm to be going
into hiding and obscurity as a result of which people were denied access to evaluate their
actions.
Meanwhile, the Shah claims the Imms do things through divine inspiration and
Commandment. They see the Imm as the lawgiver and law enforcer who cannot be
censored. He is the proof of God (Hujjatullah) and sign of God (Ayatullah).
(iv) Taqiyyah:
The Shah believe in the expediency of Taqiyyah, ( i.e.dissimulation or concealment
of proper religious identity and theological feeling by a Sh) when dwelling in a nonShah State or under threat of injury to his life or property.This also means pretension,
deceit and saying something contrary to what one harbours in mind. The Shah
theologians find basis for this belief. They quote Q.3:28 & Q.16:106 to buttress the
doctrine. They regard Alis silence on the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar, his prayer
behind them and association with them as acts of Taqiyyah.
Self Assessment Exercise
Explain the Ismah and Taqiyah doctrines of the Shi 'ah.
(v) Rajah or Mahdism.
The Shah believe their Imm is deathless; has miraculously remained alive since
his ghaybah (absence), and is an Expected Messiah who will return to fill the earth with
justice, equity and prosperity.15 Perhaps the first to innovate this doctrine was Abdullah b.
Sabai, when he claimed that Ali was not killed; he was a Mahdi, an Expected Messiah
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who is coming back to the world to avenge his enemies. This idea then passed from his
group (the Saba;iyyah) to the Ksniyyah who made Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah their
Mahd; despite the fact that he has died, Abban ibn Uthmn the then Governor of
Madina said the funeral prayer on him; and was buried at Baq near the Prophets
Mosque in Madina.
The Ithn Ashars (Twelvers) believe in ghaybah, that is, the disappearance of
the Imm from the world; not so the Ismls. They believe there can be no ghaybah in
this world. The Imm cannot completely disappear, even if to the profane eyes of the
people he is invisible (mastr), hidden from the sight of those whose vision does not
possess the penetration of the true adept. If the Imm were to disappear from the world
even for a moment, verily, the earth would perish with all their in. This Mahdism is
sometimes termed Rajah Doctrine, meaning the returning of the Imm. Some Shah
have however interpreted it to mean return of States and not return of deceased Imams.
Self Assessment Exercise
Discuss Rajah or Mahdism as a doctrine of the various shiah denominations.

3. 2. Ithn Ashariyyah (The Twelvers)

**Meanwhile the Shah are divided into several schools of theological thought
and the principal case for the division was the succession after Al Zaynu `l-bidn, the
fourth Imm
The majority of the Shah followed Muhammad al-Bqir and after him Jafar aldiq.
After the death of Jafar, another split took place, the majority followed Mus alKzim and six Imms after him, thus making twelve Imms in all hence, the name Ithn
Ashariyyah (Twelvers). The Ithn Ashariyyah school, sometimes called the
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Jafariyyah, deriving from the name of the sixth Imm , Jafar, spread widely in Persia
especially during the Safawid rulers era (908-1148 A.H. when every ruler claimed to be
descendant of Musa Kzim, the seventh Imm.
And its spirit permeates a large number of articles in the Iranian Constitution till today.
1.Ali
Khawlat (al-Hanafiyyah)--------------------------- Fatimah b. Rasul )

Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyyah
2. Hasan (d. 50/670). 3. Husein (d. 61/680).

4 Ali Zaynu `l-bidn (d.c. 94/712)

5.Muhammad Bqir(d.113/731)

6. Jafa diq (.148/765)

7.Musa Kzim (d.183/790)

8. Ali Rida (d. 202/810)

9. Muhammad Taqi (d.220/835)

10. Ali Naqi (d.254/868)

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11.Hasan Askari (d. 260/874)

12. Mahdi (disappeared 260/874)

Shah Isml, on ascending the thrown in 909 A.H. ordered the inclusion of the
names of their Imms in Friday sermons and ash-hadu anna Aliyyan waliyyullah in the
Adhn (call toalt-prayer); and the Ithn Ashariyyah doctrine has so widely dominated
the Iranian society and governance that it has become the Official religious school in
Iran and the constitution stipulates that the Shah was ruling on behalf of the Expected
Mahdi.That was the status quo until the Iranian revolution of 198 ? The Ithn
Ashariyyah also constitute the majority of the Shah and are also to be found in Iraq
and in smaller groups in India.
Self Assessment Exercise
Examine the Ithna 'ashariyyah/ Jafariyyah as having majority of the shi 'ah follower-ship.

3.3. Ismliyyah(the Seveners)

The minority of the Shah, after the death of Jafar, did not acknowledge Ms
al-Kzim but followed his elder brother, Isml, as the seventh Imm and have since then
been known as Ismls or Sabiyyah, Seveners. The basis of the Ismliyyah creed
as crystallized under Fatimids of Egypt is the belief that there are two aspects of
knowledge, namely the exoteric (zhir) and the esoteric (btin), hence the Ismlis name,
btiniyyah). The zhir of the Qurn is tanzl while the btin is tawil known to the
Prophet who imparted it to his Imms They are mostly to be found in India, but small
groups of them live in Central Asia, Iran, Syria, and the Persian gulf emirates.22 The
Ismailiyyah were operating underground under the leadership of propagandists listed
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below until they founded the Fatimid State in Egypt (297 567 / 909-1171).
Isml (d.145 A.H.) (son of Jafar Sdiq and the seventh Imm recognized by them)

Muhammad

Isml

Muhammad al-Maktm
( the first hidden Imm)

Jafar al-Musaddiq

Muhammad al-Habb
(the last of the Hidden Imms)

Abdullah al-Mahd 1 (297 322 A.H.)

(the first of the Fatimid Rulers his campaign declared open by Ab Abdullah)23
The Ismlis dominated the history of Islam for a long period; adopting neoplatonic
philosophy as presented by the Ikhwnu `l-Saf (Brethren of Purity) in their
Ras`il (Episles) and applying it to their Shiite theology.
Self Assessment Exercise
Expound Isma'ilism and state their impact on the history of Islam

3. 4. Zaydiyyah ---(the Zaydites)

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After the death of Ali Zaynu `l-bidn, his son Zayd (d.122 A.H /742 C.E.) who
was living in Madina was invited to Kufa to become the Imm. He accepted the invitation
and his group were called the Zaydiyyah (Zaydis).
On his arrival at Kufah in 120 A.H. / 740 C.E., over 15,000 people pledged
loyalty to him. He and his supporters thus revolted and made a realistic attempt to make
an alternative government to that of the Umayyads in Damascus. Their first attack was
made upon the Umayyad governor in Iraq Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi.
When the war broke out, Zayd was deserted by a large number of his soldiers who had
previously given him assurance on the ground that he gave concession to Abubakr and
Umar. He therefore suffered utter defeat from the hands of his opponent and as a result of
the wound he sustained during the war, Zayd eventually died in 123 A.H. / 743 C.E. He was
succeeded in the Shiite Imamate by his son, Yahya , who was also killed during the battle
against the Umayyad forces in 126 A.H. / 74 C.E. 25 A few doctrines and ideologies of the
Zaydiyyah are as follows:
They recognized the principle of election as basis for succession. This must
however be from the erudite scholars among the offspring of Fatimah, daughter of the
Prophet only.26 Thus they did not recognize Immate of Muhammad, son of Ali from
Khawlah of the al-Hanafiyyah tribe.
1 They believed in the superiority of Alis Immate over Abubakr and Umars
caliphate. To some of them, the Immate of the inferior (Immat al-Mafdl) was
permissible. It is this concession however that seemed to have alienated the more
thorough going Shiites within the Zaydiyyah.27
2. It was conditioned to them that to become an Imm, a revolt must be staged. Thus
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the y moved Immate from being a secret affair to an open one.28
3. The majority of the Zaydis disapprove the principles of Ismah, Taqiyyah and
Rajah.29
4. Some Zayds were Mutazilites while some were salafs 30
5. Most of them belong to the HanafsSchool of Islamic law while some are Shfiites.31
Within a thousand years, many Zaydis were killed in the battlefields and many
succeeded in establishing Shiite states and died naturally. In 1322 A.H/1901 C. E. the
Zaydis were able to re- establish a ZaydiyyahState in Yemen after a revolt against the
Turkish Ottomans which Yemen revolution of 1962 terminated. Yemen however still
remains the stronghold and center of the Zayds. 32
Self Assessment Exercise
Give a highlight of their doctrines; and a brief statement on their history.
4.0: CONCLUSION
The Shi'ah are a politico-religious sect in Islam who believed among other things
that leadership of the Muslims should be from Ali and his descendants. They are divided
into several schools of theological thought and the principal case for the division was the
succession after Al Zaynu `l-bidn, the fourth Imm . The three prominent groups
among them are the Ithna 'ashariyyah /Ja'fariyyah, the Ismailiyyah, and the Zaydiyyah
who all played and are still playing significant roles in the politics and history of the
Muslim world.
5.0: SUMMARY
A summary of the fundermental politico-theological doctrines of the Shiah could be
given as follows:
(i) Imamate is a pillar of Islam. It is not a matter for public consideration. Thus it was
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an incumbent duty of Prophet Muhammad to appoint an infallible Imam for the Ummah.
(ii) The Prophet (S) designated Ali as his Wasiyy. He was thus Imam by Testamentary
Statement and not by election. The Imamate should be hereditary among his descendants.
(iii) Ali is the best of the creatures in the two abodes after Prophet Muhammad.
Whoever antagonizes him or harbours hatred for him is an enemy of God.

6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

(i) Discuss the fundamental doctrines of the Shiites in detail.
(ii) Who are the Twelver and Sevener Shi ah? Provide their beliefs among other things.
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) Louis Massignon (1936), art. Nusairi in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Leiden, E. J. Brill, vol.
iii
(2) W. M. Watt (1962). Islamic Survey, Series 1, Islamic Philosophy and Theology.
Edimburgh, University Press.
(3) Hasan Sayyid Mutawalli (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhid; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press.
(4) Saheed Ismaeel (n. d.), The Difference between the Shiites and the Majority of Muslim
Scholars, an Eng. Trans. of Al-Khilf bayna `l-Sh cah wa Jumhur al-cUlam al-Muslimn
WAMY, Riyadh n.d.
(5) Sharif, M. M. (1963). A History of Muslim Philosophy, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden,
Germany 1963, vol. 1.
(6) Jal, Ahmad Muhammad, Dirsah ani `l-Firaq wa Trkh al-Muslimn (A Study of Muslim
Sects and Muslim History), King Faisal Establishment, Riyadh 1408 /1988

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Unit 4: Ghultu `l-Shah (Extremist Shiites)
CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1. The Sabaiyyah
3.2. The Ksniyyah or Mukhtriyyah:
3. 3. The Agha Khniyyah:
3. 4. The Durz :
3. 5. The Bhoras
3. 6. Al-Nuayriyyah (the Nusayrs)
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
1. 0. INTRODUCTION
In Unit Two, shiisn was defined and its major doctrines discussed. The fundamental
doctrines of the Ithn-Ashariyyah (Twelvers) popularly known as Jafariyyah, the Ism
iliyyah, also called (the Seveners), and the Zaydiyyah and their history were presented in
brief. These three are usually regarded as main Shah groups and generally moderate.
This Unit aims at dealing with six groups that are regarded as extremists.
2.0.OBJECTIVES
After a thorough digestion of this unit you will be able to
(i) expound on the seven extremist Shah groups
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(ii) trace their origin and expose their extremism
(iii) discuss their history and pinpoint their location.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
3. 1. The Sabaiyyah :
The Sabaiyyah was one of the first extremist Shah group who were heretical in
ideology and perhaps harboured evil intentions against Islam. It was named after
Abdullah b Sabai, a former Jew who came from Yemen. When Al was appointed to
succeed Uthmn, he was one of the first people to pay homage to him and soon
afterwards, he started to weave doctrines that were completely strange to Islam around
Als personality. He alleged that Muhammad will come back to the world and he had as
his own slogan, the following statement:
It is amazing for people to believe that Jesus will come back and to disbelieve in
the coming back of Muhammad, whereas God says in the Qurn chapter 28 verse 85
that certainly the one who revealed the Qurn on you will return you back to your
place.
He also alleged that he saw in the Torah (Taorah) that every prophet usually had a
successor and therefore Al was the successor to Muhammad and as Muhammad was
the best of the prophets, Al was the best of the successors. He went to the extent of
proclaiming Al as a prophet. Worst still, he called him Juzu min Allah (divine part)
or God incarnate.
When Al was assassinated another doctrine innovated by ibn Sabai for his
group was that Al was not killed. He claimed that it was the devil that appeared in
Als shape and got killed in his place. As Jews and Christians lied in their claim that
prophet s (Jesus) was put to death on the cross whereas it was only made to appear to
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them as such, so also was the case with Al. Al was raised to the heaven and he is
coming back to rule the world.
Self Assessment Exercise
Examine the claim that the extinct Sabaiyyah was an extremist Shiite group.
3.2. The Ksaniyyah or Mukhtriyyah:
This is another heretical sub-sect of the Shah, which called people to accept
Muhammad uncle of Al, popularly known as al-Hanafiyyah (16 A.H. to 81 A.H.) as the
Imm. The leader of this sub-sect was al Mukhtr b. Ab Abd al-Thaqaf nicknamed
Kisn, hence the appellation Kisniyyah. This sub-sect is sometimes called
Mukhtriyyah which is a title derived from Mukhtr, the proper name of its leader.
When Mukhtr has achieved his aims, he started talking like a soothsayer
imitating the Qurn in form and contents in his utterances. Then he claimed that he was
a prophet receiving revelations. When some of his followers realized that they had been
misled, they decamped but al-Mukhtr was then still enjoying the support of the
Sabaiyyah and many other Shiites.
Al-Mukhtr had an ancient chair expensively decorated, which he claimed to be
part of Als heritage. Whenever he went for war, he carried the chair along with him as
the Jews used to do with their arch. Al-Mukhtr however met his death in the battle
against Abdullah b. Zubayr in 67 A.H. at Kufah.
Self Assessment Exercise
Who were the Ksniyyah/MukhtariyyahShah? Expose their heretical beliefs.

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3. 3. The Agha Khniyyah:
The founder of this sect, Hasan a `s-Saba was born in Rayy in the 5th Century
A.H. He emerged in India and was accused of working for the Fatimids by the vizier of
Malik Shah. He thus fled to Alamut in Qazwin where he founded a well-fortified
location, training disciples and spreading Btiniyyah doctrines. He succeeded in raising
strong followership and became influential in the region. He established beautiful
gardens to entice neghbouring people. He induced them to smoke weeds (Hashsh) and
his followers were notorious as Hashshshn. Sultan Malik Shah sent a large army to
fight them when they became dangerous but they resisted and assassinated his vizier; and
this act possibly led the Europeans to call them the Assassins. They remained a strong
force in their location until the Mongol warriors under their Commander Holako
massacred them. The sects followers in Shm also played prominent role in fighting the
Crusaders. alhu `d-Dn, the Ayyubid had to fight them till they surrender when the
Muslims also were not safe from their danger. Members scattered all over Syria, Persia,
Oman, Zanzibar and India. They were called Khojas in India and they accepted Agha
Khan of Bombay as their titular head because Agha Khan himself took Ismil, the
seventh Imm as his ancestor.
In the Bahrain the Btiniyyah were known as al-Qarmiah (the Qarmatians), a
word derived from the name of their leader Hamdn Qarmat, an Iraqi national who claim
to have got the ability to read the stars. In 890 C.E., he built a residence near Kufah
which he called Daru `l-Muhjirn i.e. Abode of Emigrants. When his sub-sect grew
large they became dangerous to the inhabitant of Hijz, Shm and Irq. In 930 C.E. the
Qarmatians entered Makkah and carried away the Black Stone and kept it in their
custody for twenty years. It was only returned at the order of the Fatimid Caliph Al32

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Mansr. The Ismils of Persia, India, Zanzibar, Tanganyika, Oman and the ArabGulf
now are btins. The descendants of Agha Khn in India who regards himself a
descendant of Hasan al-aba is their acknowledged leader. They are now in peaceful
and cordial relations with Muslims.
Self Assessment Exercise
Would you regard the Aghakhniyyah a heterodox or orthodox Shiite Muslims? Trace
their origins briefly and give reasons for your view.
3. 4. The Durz :
The Durz sect was named after Muhammad ibn Isml Durz (d. 411 A.H.); but
the adherents call themselves Muwahhidn (Unitarians). It is a sub-sect which emerged
during the reign of al-Hkim bi Amrillah who claimed divinity, and whom Muhammad
Durz visited in 408 A.H. He later sojourned in Shm concentrating his propaganda on
behalf of the ruler among the Jews and the Christians.
The major doctrine of the Durz is divinity of their ruler and his Second coming
at the end of time. The sub-sect has recently published a book entitled Mas-hafu `dDurz (The Durz Scripture) in which attempt is made to imitate the Qur`n as did
Musaylimah in the past. It is a recent publication but the authour attempt to ascribe it to
some early Durz Imams; he was however exposed by some modern words. The Durz
reside today in Lebanon, Baniyas and Mountains of the Hurn Hill usually called
DurzMountains.
3. 5. The Bhoras
The name Bhoras, an ancient Indian word meaning Traders, derives for this
Isml sub-sect because its early adherents were converts among the Hindu Traders.
The sub-sect has its center in India, Pakistan and Southern Yemen. Their main doctrine
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is the divinity of their Imm. They maintain special places for their alt, which they call
Jamiu Khnah. They pray for the Ismaliyyah hidden Imm from among the
descendants of Al-Tayyib b. al-mir and are thus like idolaters. They take Kabah to be
symbol of their Imm. Two of their scriptures containing biographies of their
Propagandists and some of their aphorisms are Daimu `l-Islm and Al-Haqiq.

Self Assessment Exercise

Trace the origins of the Durz and the Bhoras. Would you regard them as heterodox or
orthodox Shiite Muslims? Give reasons for your view.

3. 6. Al-Nuayriyyah(the Nuayrs)
The founder of Nuayriyyah was Muhammad ibn Nuayr al-Numayr a follower
of al-Hasan al-Askr, the eleventh of the Ithn Ashariyyah Imms. After the death of
Hasan, he first claimed to be his Bb (Representative of his son). He then claimed to be
an apostle and a prophet sent by God. He later disapproved the Immate of al-Hasan and
his son and claimed transfiguration and incarnation and made prohibited practices
permissible for his followers. He died in 260 A.H.
The real propagandist and author of the Nuayriyyah doctrines was al-Hasan ibn
Hamdn al-Khusayb (260-346 A.H.) He stayed in Baghdad and moved from one place to
another until he settled finally in Syria in the city of Halab. Later, al-Ladhiqiyyah, on the
mountain known by the name of the sub-sect became their main center.
The belief of the Nuayrs:
1. The pivot of Nuayriyyah doctrine is the divinity of Al. They argue that this is
not unreasonable. Good, represented by Jibril, appeared in form of man; while
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evil, represented by devil appeared in form of man; so also is Jin, it appeared in
form of man and spoke in mans tongue; hence their belief that God appeared in
form of man and Al was God incarnate. No doubt, it is a faulty analogy and an
absurdity that Allah, the Creator incarnated in His creature. He, the Almighty has
said : laisa kamithlihi shayun (Nothing is like him).
2. The Nusairiyyah also believe that Al is higher in rank than the Prophet. They
argue that Allah gave Al exclusive knowledge of the secret whereas the Prophet
was only judging the apparent. They fabricated traditions and created events in
support of this doctrine of theirs. God is exalted above their claim.
3. They created a Trinity of Al, the Meaning, as the Ultimate Secret (Allah?);
Muhammad, the Name, as the Manifest Picture; and Salmn al-Faris as the Bb
(Gate to the Meaning). Ayin, Mm and Sn are made to symbolize this
Code/Combination. This idea seems to be influence of Christian Trinity on the
sub-sect or some ancient Syrian pagan belief which made the trio of Sun, Moon
and Heaven divine and worshipped them.
4. They believe in Transfiguration or Transmigration of Souls from one body to
another. If the soul is righteous it then goes to the Sun, Planet or God; but if it is
devilish it enters the body of a woman or devilish person or dirty animals like pig
or monkey. One of their theologians explains the idea as meaning that the Faithful
transmigrates seven times before taking his place among the stars; and that if a
man dies devilish, he is born again Christian or Muslim until he is purified and
cleansed of his sins. Those who disbelieve in divinity of Al are born again in
form of dogs, camels, donkeys or sheep. Thus, neither resurrection nor
accountability will take place hereafter; punishment or reward, paradise or hell are
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in this world.
5. They reproach and curse the ahbah, some fs and scholars of Jurisprudence
and all their opponents. Such people benefit from Al`s providence and worship
other than him. They praise Ibnu Maljam, the murderer of Al, for separating
Al, the divine, from Al, the human.
They constitute ten percent of the Syrian population today and are also found in
Southern Turkey and Aka district in Lebanon.

Self Assessment Exercise

Who was the real propagandist of the Nuayriyyah? Discuss their beliefs.

4.0: CONCLUSION
From the foregoing it may be concluded that many obnoxious characters among
converts to Islam and others who under the pretext of love for Ahl al-Bayt have exploited
Shiism. They have introduced their former doctrines into it. Such characters include
Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and Indians; and those who wanted to carve independent
Kingdom or State for themselves.
That fire will not burn a Shiite, for instance, was that of the Jews when they say :
lan tamassan `l-nru ill ayman madudt. The doctrines of Rajah (Expected
Mahdi) and Second Coming of an Imm and Incarnation are Christians. Under the cover
of Shiism, transfiguration of souls found among the Brahamas and the Magians found its
way. Number Seven enjoys divine importance in the Isml system as it does among
the old Pythagorians who divided natural phenomena into seven: viz; Allah, Intellect,
Soul, Al-Hayula, Form, Time and Place.
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5.0 SUMMARY
This Unit treats the Sabaiyyah, Mukhtariyyyah, AghaKhaniyyah, Nuayriyyah
and the Durz as constituting heretical groups based on doctrines not only extraneous to
Islam but also blasphemous and outrageous.
6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. Enumerate the extremist Shiites. Give a detailed account of the Nuayrs.
2. Discuss the doctrines that make Muslims to regard some Shiites as heretics and
extremists.
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) Louis Massignon (1936), art. Nusairi in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Leiden, E. J. Brill,
vol. iii
(2) W. M. Watt (1962). Islamic Survey, Series 1, Islamic Philosophy and Theology.
Edimburgh, University Press.
(3) Hasan Sayyid Mutawalli (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhid; vols 1-5, Cairo,
Al-Azhar Colleges Press.
(4) Saheed Ismaeel (n. d.), The Difference between the Shiites and the Majority of Muslim
Scholars, an Eng. trans. of Al-Khilf bayna `l-Sh cah wa Jumhur al-cUlam al-Muslimn
WAMY, Riyadh n.d.
(5) Sharif, M. M. (1963). A History of Muslim Philosophy, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden,
Germany 1963, vol. 1.
(6) Jal, Ahmad Muhammad, Dirsah c ani `l-Firaq wa Trkh al-Muslimn (A Study of
Muslim Sects and Muslim History), King Faisal Establishment, Riyadh 1408 /1988
(7) Ahmed, A. F. (2006), Shah. in the Encyclopaedia of the Arts (ed.)
http://www.cardinetnigeria.com/lasu/arts publications/index.html Vol. 10
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Section 2 pp. 135-146

MODULE 3 AL MUTAZILAH AND AL ASHARIYYAH )

(the Mutazilites and the Asharites)
Unit 1: TheEmergence of the Mutazilites and Their Fundamental Doctrines
Unit 2: The Prominent Mutazilites and More of their Views.
Unit 3: Asharism and Its Fundamental Doctrines
Unit 4: Biography of al-Ashari and His Short Creed
Unit 1: The Emergence of the Mutazilah and their Fundamental Principles

CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1 Origin of the Mutazilah and their Fundamental Principles
3.2 The Mu tazilah and the Principle of Divine Unity
3.3 Divine Justice (Free will and Predestination)
3. 4 The Promise of Reward and the Threat of Punishment (Divine Justice)
3. 5 The State between the States of Belief and Unbelief.
3.6. To Order the doing of right and Forbid the doing of Wrong.
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
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1. 0. INTRODUCTION
The Mutazilah were a movement in Islam which placed the use of reason over
revelation on religious matters. Although it was during the time of Hasan al-Bar that
Mutazilism (thorough going ratioalization of Islamic beliefs came to the lime-light the
origin of the use of reasoning in religious pursuits can be traced back to an earlier date.
The Ahlu `l-Suffah (People of the Platform i.e.in the Mosque of the Prophet in Madina)
who had been ealier mentioned could be cited as example. When needed, they tried to
work out religious doctrines in the light of reason. Perhaps the report that the Prophet
Muhammad (S) once met some Companions arguing on the issue of Qadar and
discouraged them refers to them. These were the people who prepared the ground for the
school of Mutazilism. The Kharijites and the Shiites are other examples. Although these
two sects came into prominence with marked political reasons, they also had theological
beliefs. Meanwhile, what is Mutazilism and who were the Mutazilites? Come along for
the answer.
2.0. OBJECTIVES
After you have gone through this unit you should be able to
(i) define Mutazilism
(ii) trace origin of the Mutazilah movement.
(iii) enumerate the fundamental doctrines of the Mutazilites
(iv) discuss them critically.

3.0: MAIN CONTENTS

3. 1. Origin of the Mutazilah and their Fundamental Principles
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The school of the Qadarites discussed in Modul Two Unit One could be regarded
as the real founders of Mutazilism. Like the Kharijites and Shiites it had its foundation in
the political development of the day. The first man who dared proclaim doctrines of the
Qadarites was Mabad al-Juhani. He lived in the early days of Umayyads cruelty,
relentless persecution of opponents and ruthless blood-shedding.
Historians report that Mabad al-Juhani with Ata ibn Yaseer, one of his
companions came one day to the celebrated Hasan al-Basri and said: O Abu Said, these
rulers shed blood of the Muslims and commit grievous sins and say their work are by the
decree of Allah. To this Hasan replied: The enemies of God! they are liars.
Thus the first doctrine laid down by the early Mutazilites was: Man is
accountable for his own evil doings; these should not be ascribed to God. You have
come across this under discussion on the doctrine of qadar of the Qadarites.Hence the the
designation Qadarites given to the early Mutaziltes who for the same reason were also
called the Adalites, that is, the holders of the justice of God. For justice of God can be
vouch safe only by holding man responsible for his actions. Mabad al-Juhani preached
this doctrine publicly and was therefore put to death by Hajjj in 80/699 under orders of
caliph Abdu `l-Malik.
After Mabad al-Juhan, it was a Copt named Ghayln Dimashq, who
promulgated similar views. He further added that it was incumbent on every Muslim to
urge people to do right actions and to check them from doing wrong. This addition by
Ghayln overtly interfered with and threatened the maintenance of the Umayyad rule. As
a consequence he met his death at the hands of Hishm ibn Malik soon after his
ascendancy to the Caliphal seat in 105/723.
The deaths of Mabad and Ghayln put life into their cause. Their teachings
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became current and exerted an ever-growing influence. Thousands of people came to
subscribe to the Mutazilite views and outlook.
At this time two great personages born in the same year 80/699 appeared like two
stars on the horizon of Mutazilism. These two were Wil bn At and Amr bn
Ubayd. Both of them were the pupils of Hasan al-Bar who used to give his lectures in
the great mosque of Barah.
One day when Hasan was busy discussing some problems with his pupils,
someone came to him with a question regarding the conflicting standpoints of the
Murjiites and the Waidites. The first held that the perpetrator of a grave sin should be
reckoned as a Muslim and not labeled a Kfir (unbeliever) and that his case should be left
to God . The second, laying more emphasis on the threats in the Qurn, maintained that
the committer of a mortal sin, having ipso facto deviated from the right path, could not
possibly be considered a Mmin (believer). Before Hasan could give a reply, either Wil
or Amr broke out with the assertion of a middle position, i.e. such a one was neither a
believer nor an unbeliever. Hasan took it ill and said: itazalaann (i.e. he has seceded
from us). So Wil and Amr left the circle of the master, went to another corner of the
mosque and began teaching their own views. Those who gathered around them came to
be known as the Mutazilah the Mutazilites.
Mutazilism was essentially a movement to interpret the dogmas of religion in terms
of reason. The Mutazilites were mostly independent thinkers and had quite
individualistic views with regard to various religious and philosophical problems. We
shall consider here some of their fundamental doctrines. Abu al-Husayn al-Khayyat, a
great Mutazilite authority, gave five fundamental principles which one claiming to be a
Mutazilite must subscribe to in their entirety.
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These are:
(1) Divine unity (a`t-Tawhd).
(2) Divine justice (al-adl).
(3) The promise of reward and the threat of punishment (al-wad wal-wad).
(4) The state between states of belief and unbelief (al-manzilah bayn al-manzilatayn).
(5) To order the doing of right and to prohibit the doing or wrong (al-amr bil-marf
wa `n-nahyan al-munkar).
Self Assessment Exercise
Define Mutazilism and trace the origin of the movement.
3. 2. The Mutazilah and the Principle of Divine Unity
The doctrines of Divine Unity and Divine Justice are more central to the Mutazilites
than the rest of them; hence they preferred the ascription Ahlu `t-Tawhd wa `l-Adl (the
people of unity and justice) for themselves. Specifically, they raised the following four
issues, each of which has important bearing on the problem of divine unity:
(a) Relation of the attributes of God with His Essence.
(b) Created-ness or Uncreated-ness of the Holy Qurn.
(c) Possibility of Vision of God (the Beatific Vision)
(d) Interpretation of the anthropomorphic verses of the Qurn.
(A) Relation of the attributes of God with His Essence.
The Mutazilites explained the divine attributes such as the knowing, the
powerful, the living and so on and so forth, as referring to His Being; and not that He
possesses the qualities of knowledge, power, life, etc., apart from His essence.
The fear to them was that should the qualities be considered as entities apart from the
Divine Being that certainly would amount to polytheism because it will amount to
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plurality of eternals.
Thus the Mutazilites reduced God to an absolute unity divested of all qualities.
The orthodox, on the other hand, look for nothing less than a personal God.
This whole problem of the relation of Gods attributes with His essence is entirely
above human reason: revelation alone is to guide us.
(B) Created-ness and Uncreated-ness of the Qurn.
To the generality of the Muslims the Qurn is the word of God revealed to the
holy Prophet. Thus the Qurn is also called the divine speech or the speech of God (i.e.
Kalam Allah). Pious Muslims further hold that the Qurn is uncreated and has existed
from eternity with God; its revelation to the Prophet, of course, was peasce-meal as
occasions demanded.
The Mutazilites very strongly denied the eternity of the Qurn on the plea that
God alone is eternal. According to them, those who believed in the uncreated-ness of the
Qurn and make it co-eternal with God take unto themselves two gods and hence are
polytheists.
Self Assessment Exercise
Relate the implications of the Mutazilites principles of divine unity to the attributes of
God and the concept of the eternity of the Qurn .
(C) Possibility of the Beatific Vision of God.
Abu `l-Hudhayl and the majority of other Mutazilites maintained: We would see
God only with our minds eye, i.e. we would know Him only through the heart.
The proofs they provided in support of their view on the impossibility of vision of God
may be summed up under the following heads:
Proof from the Qurn.
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(i) Vision comprehendeth Him not but He comprehendeth all vision (Q.vi. 103)
The verse, according to them, is of general application and means that the
physical eyes see God neither in this world nor in the next.
(ii) In reply to Moses supplication: My Lord, show me Thyself so that I may
gaze upon Thee (Q.vii. 143), God said with an emphatic negation: Thou wilt
not see Me.
(iii) They asked a greater thing of Moses than that; for they said: Show us Allah
manifestly; a storm of lighting seized them for their wrongdoing (iv. 153)
Had the people of Moses asked for a possible thing from God, they would not
have been called wrongdoers and would not have been consequently
overtaken by the storm of lightning.
Proof from the Optical Sciences
The Mutazilites maintained that the following conditions were necessary in order
to see a thing:
(i) One must possess sound sight.
(ii) The objects to be seen must be in front or opposite to the eye just as a
thing to be reflected in a mirror must need to be opposite it.
(iii) It must not be too distant from the eye.
(iv) It must not be too near the eye either.
(v) It must not be too fine to be looked at, i.e. it must be a coloured object or
one sufficiently coarse.
In the opinion of the Mutazilites, since God as an object of vision does not satisfy
the relevant conditions mentioned above, He cannot be seen with bodily eyes.
Proof from the adth.
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As for the saying ascribed to the holy Prophet: You will see your Lord as you see
the full moon while you will not disagree amongst yourself in regard to His vision
(Tirmidhi), the Mutazilites hold that the tradition in question is of the category of ahd
and not that of Mutawtir, i.e. it comes only through a single channel of transmitters and
as such is not acceptable when in conflict with an explicit verse of the Qurn such as :
Vision comprehends Him not but He comprehends vision. (vi.103). They, on the other
hand, alluded to a saying of ishah according to which she questioned even the Prophet
having seen God here in this world: He who says the Prophet saw God in person tells a
lie (Bukhr).
Self Assessment Execise
As a corollary from their principle of divine unity the Mutazilites denied the Beatific
Vision. State their arguments.
(D)Interpretation of the Anthropomorphic Verses of the Qurn
In the Holy Qurn we find many anthropomorphic expressions about God such
as the following:
(i) So glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things
(Q.34:83).
(ii) That which I have created with My hands (Q.38:75)
(iii) Which swims forth under Our eyes (Q.54:14)
(iv) And the contenance of thy Lord would abide full of majesty and glory
(Q.55:27).
(v) The Merciful God has seated himself on His throne (Q.20:5).
(vi) Thou shall see the angels circling the throne uttering the praises of
their Lord (Q.39:75).
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As may be expected an inference may be gathered easily from their view of the
beatific vision, the Mutazilites naturally interpreted the anthropomorphic statements in
the Holy Qurn such as the face, the hand and the eyes of God or His sitting upon the
throne as merely metaphorical expressions. They repudiated literalism of all types in
order to maintain the pure unity of God. The Mutazilites hence applied the principle of
interpretation (tawl) of the verses of the holy Qurn. The Mutazilites also denied the
Prophets Ascension to the heavens in the physical sense.
Self Assessment Execise
The Mutazilites attitude towards the Anthropomorphic Verses of the Qurn was
negative. Expatiate on this statement.
3. 3 Divine Justice (Free will and Predestination)
The orthodox maintain that there can be no necessity for God even to do justice.
He is absolutely free in what He does. Good and evil have their nature by Gods will and
man can know them only through Gods injunctions and commands.
The Mutazilites opposed this view by holding that good and evil can be known
through reasoning.
Al-Nazzam, in particular, taught that God can do nothing to a creature either in this
world or in the next that would not be for the creautres own good and as justice may
demand. He does not even have power to do it. It is important to note that according to
the Holy Qurn , God is essentially just and righteous.
Verses of the Holy Qurn quoted by the Mu tazilites to support their views are
as the following :
(i) God is not unjust to His servants (Q.12:10; 40: 31).
(ii) Lo, Allah is never unjust to mankind in anything (Q.10:44).
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(iii) God truly will not wrong anybody the weight of an atom and if there be any
deed He will repay it (Q.21:47).
(iv) They further maintained that The Holy Qurn says: God does not impose (any
task) on the soul but to the extent of its capacity. (Q.2:286).
68
Thus like the Qadarites, both mans freedom and Gods justice must go together.
Man should be considered responsible for his actions; otherwise God will not be justified
in punishing the sinners.
Self Assessment Execise
Articulate the stands of the Mutazilites as against those of the Orthodox in regards to
divine justice.
3. 4 The Promise of Reward and the Threat of the Punishment
This doctrine is related to that of divine justice. Since God is just, He should punish
the sinners and reward the virtuous in life after death. Has not God himself given the
promise of reward and the threat of punishment in the holy Qurn?
(1) Allah has promised the believers, men and women, Gardens (Q.9:72).
(2) And lo! The wicked verily will be in hell (Q.82:14).
(3) Whosoever does an atoms weight of good will see it and whosoever does an
atoms weight of evil will see it (Q.99: 7-8).
The Mutazilites maintain that it is obligatory on God to reward the virtuous and
punish the wicked and that He cannot do otherwise. Contrary to this, the Orthodox
and particularly the Asharites believe that reward and punishment are entirely Gods
grace. He can reward whom He wills and punish whom He wills. It is certain, that He
will favour the righteous and punish the wicked as He has promised to do so; but no
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consideration can bind His discretion and compel Him to do this or that. To impose
compulsion on Him is to reduce Him to a dependent being or even to a machine,
which must move and act without any choice of its own. There will be no difference
between God and a courts majistrate whose decisions are guided by a penal code if
He is compelled to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked.
On the other hand, according to the Mutazilites, the Qurnic promise of reward
and threats of punishment cannot go unfulfilled; otherwise Gods truthfulness
becomes doubtful. God never changes His words and so it is given in the Holy
Qurn: There is no changing in the words of Allah (Q.10:64).
The Orthodox agrees with the Mutzilites that the virtuous will go to paradise and
the wicket to hell. But, according to the Mutazilites, the conclusion is necessary and
irresistible. According to the Orthodox, it is only conditional and probable. God is
absolutely free to do what He wills. The orthodox insists that, should He so will the
virtuous might go to hell or, at least, the wicked to paradise. According to the Mu
tazilites, Gods justice would in that case be unpredictable and His justice would
loose all meaning.
Self Assessment Exercise
Explain Mutazilites view of divine promise of rewards and theats of punishment.
3. 5 The State between the States of Belief and Unbelief.
This doctrine, the acceptance of which gave the very name to the Mutazilites,
was more political than theological in nature. The Mutazilites formulated it to express
their perception of the Umayyads who were then rulers of the Muslim nation. They
submitted that as soon as a Man commits a mortal sin he neither remains a believer
nor becomes an unbeliever; but occupies a middle position (manzilah baynamanzilatayn).
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Should he die without repentance, he would be condemned to hell-fire, with the only
difference that the punishment inflicted upon him would be less severe than that inflicted on
an unbeliever. They based this doctrine also on the authority of the Qurn and the adth.
Is he who is a believer like him who is an evildoer? They are not alike (Q.32:18) Again the
holy Prophet is reported to have said: He who is not against a mortal sin has no faith, nor
is he an unbeliever,
Self-Assessment Exercise
The doctrine of manzilah bayna manzilatayn gave birth to Mutazilism. Explain the
doctrine briefly.
3. 6 To Order the doing of right and forbid the doing of Wrong.
This doctrine belongs to the practical theology of the Mutazilites. The orthodox
also admit the need to urge people to do good and to check them from doing wrong.
But the Muatazilites considered this incumbent upon every Muslim (farn ayn, i.e. a
duty obligatory on the individual. The orthodox on the other hand, holds that it is only
a fard kifayah, i.e. it would suffice if someone carried out this injunction on behalf of
the community.
Because of this doctrine the Mutazilites deemedit necessary to spread their creed
not only I words but also though this was quite contrary to the spirit of Islam- by
force of state authority, under the glorious patronage of al-Mamn, this doctrine of
the Mutazilites led to the institution of inquisition minah against all those who did
not subscribe to their religious view, particularly that of the createdness of the
Qurn.
Al-Mamn issued a letter of authority to all the Qns of the State to test the
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beliefs of officials with regard to the created-ness of the Qurn. The Caliph ordered
that the penalty of death should be inflicted upon those who even refused to take the
test. This naturally led to very strong feeling against Mutazilism and was
consequently one of the reasons for its downfall.
Self-Assessment Exercise
Discuss the extent to which to order the doing of right and forbid the doing of evil is
fundamental in Mutazilism.

4.0: CONCLUSION
According to the Mutazilites, both reason and revelation are the criteria of
knowledge; and therefore they must be in proper harmony. In the event of any
inconsistency, revelation should be tested by reason. Thus the Mutazilites lay
emphasis upon reason than revelation. Religion in their opinion, should be based on
logical truth so as to become universally acceptable.
5.0: SUMMARY
The Mutazilites believed that God's attributes are identical with His essence.The
face, hands and eyes of God; and His settling on His Throne should be taken in
metaphorical senses. Man has free-will and he is the author of his actions. He will be
rewarded according to the merits of his deeds; and punished according to their demerits.
They denied the possibility of the Beatific Vision of God. They agree with the idea of
intercession of the Prophet on behalf of the guilty Muslims on the Day of Judgment.
6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. Specify the four issues raised by the Mutazlites, each of which has important

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bearing on the problem of divine unity; then present the issue of Beatific Vision
in detail.
2. Below are two theological issues in the Qurn ; Write notes on the position of
the Mutazilites on them.
(i) The promise of reward and the threat of the punishment
(ii) To order the doing of right and forbid the doing of wrong.
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) The Holy Qur'n with English Translation.
(2) al-Jmiu `-a: Hadith Collection of al-Bukhr
(3) D. B. MacDonald (1903). Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and
Constitutional Theory, London, English trans. of Muhammad al-Fudalis Creed,
Kifyat al-Awm fi Ilmi `l-Kalm, 1903, pp. 315-351
(4) A. J. Wensick (1932). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development,
CambridgeUniversity Press.
(5) W. M. Watt (1948). Free Will and Predestination in Early Islam, London, Luzac,
(6) M. Saeed Sheikh (n.d.). Studies in MuslimPhilosophy , Pakistan, Kashmiri Bazaar
Lahore.
(7) Hasan Sayyid Mutawall (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhd; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press.

Unit 2 : The Prominent Mutazilah and More of Their Views

CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
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3.0: Main Contents
3.1. Wil ibn al-A ( d. 753 A.D.)
3.2. Abu `l-Hudhayl al -`Allf (d. 857 A.D)
3.3 Ibrahim ibn Sayyar A `n-Nazzm (d. c. 835-845 A.D.)
3.4 Amr ibn Bar (called al-Jhiz (d. c. 868 or 877 A.D)
3.5 Bishr-Ibn-Mutamir (d. 848 A.D.)
3.6 Abu Al Al-Jubb (b. 235/849)
3. 7. More of the Mutazilite Beliefs
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
1. 0. INTRODUCTION
The renowned Mutazilites were Wil ibn al-A ( d. 753 A.D.), Abu `l-Hudhayl
al -`Allf (d. 857 A.D), A `n-Nazzm (d. c. 835-845 A.D.), al-Jhiz (d. c. 868 or 877
A.D), Bishr-Ibn-Mutamir (d. 848 A.D.) , Mu ammar ibn Abbd, A `s-Sulam,
Thummah ibn al-Ashras, Abu Al Al-Jubb (b. 235/849). The details of their views
are discussed in this unit.
3.0. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit you will be able to
(i) identify the renowned Mutazilites
(ii) state the theological views of each of them
(iii) appraise the validity of such view-points.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
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3. 1. Wil ibn al-A ( d. 753 A.D.}
Wil ibn A was a Persian disciple of al-Hasan al-Bar. He differed from his
teacher as to the question whether a believer, after he had committed a kabrah (major
sin), still deserved to be called a believer. Wil held that such a person could neither be
called a believer nor an unbeliever but should be regarded as occupying a middle position
between the two, (manzilah bayna manzilatayn). He withdrew to a corner of the mosque
to expound his own views to his fellow students. His teacher, al-Hasan al-Bar remarked,
'itazala an. (He has decamped or seceded from us). Consequent of this remark he is
called Mutazilite and his school Mutazilism. His other views are that :
1. The attributes of God cannot be considered to be separate from His essence.
2. Prophet Muhammad was the author of the Qurn under divine influences.
3. Reason is the criterion of knowledge and it is higher than tradition and revelation.
4. Man has free will; so he is responsible for his actions.
5. God is just and cannot act arbitrarily.
6. The Muslim who commits a grave sin occupies a position between that of infidel
and a Muslim.
7. Right and wrong cannot be referred to the will of God.
8. The Muslims who fought on the side of Al and those who stood against him
cannot both be right as was suggested by some theologians. One party must be
wrong and the other must be right.
Self Assessment Exercise
Who was Wil ibn al-? Enumerate his theological views.
3. 2. Abu `l-Hudhayl al -`Allf (d. 857 A.D)
He lived about a hundred years. He is considered as one of the greatest scholars of the
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earliest Mutazilite thinkers. He was gifted with art of delivering speech through which
he converted many non-Muslims to Islam. He wrote many works but most of them are
lost. He differed from other Mutazillites including his teacher Wil ibn A in a number
of disputed points. His views in brief are:
1. He recognizes Divine Attributes as not in the essence of God but as identical with
His essence.
2. Gods will to create is creation. His will is not external to Him as He is absolute
Unity. His will to create is quite distinct and different from the will of created
objects.
3. Man has free will but only in this world. He has no activities either in hell or
heaven in the hereafter. Everything there shall be done by the divine decree. Thus
man is not free in the next world to come.
4. The world has a beginning and must have an end. All motions must come to a
close of everlasting rest.
5, Man is mortal, he must die in definite hour; he cannot avoid death.
6. Man is rational, it is his duty to reflect and know God, Those who fail to do so
deserve punishment.
7. Divine mercy protects men and women from committing sins.
8. Mans knowledge comes to him from God; partly through revelation and partly
through the light of Nature.

Self Assessment Exercise

Discuss the contributions of Abu `l-Hudhayl al -`Allf as a prominent Mutazilite.

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3. 3. Ibrahim ibn Sayyar An-Nazzm (d. c. 835-845 A.D.)
Abu Isq Ibrahim ibn Sayyr called al-Nazzm was a renowned theologian,
philosopher, and prolific author. He was brought up at Bara but spent the latter part of
his life at Baghdad where he died. He was one of the most interesting figures in the
culture of the Abbasid period. He studied under Abu `l-Hudhyl al-Allf and afterwards
established his own independent school. God cannot be compared to anything; He is
above everything .The office of the prophet is not restricted to any nation but open to all.
His views, in brief, are:
1. God cannot do evil because He Himself is not evil. Evil is repugnant with His
nature. He can do only that which He knows to be best for His creatures. He can
do only good things in this world as well as in the next world.
2. By the act of mental reflection and self-study man can know God and distinguish
between what is right and what is wrong without seeking help from revelation.
3. Creation is an act performed once and for all but various specimens are being
manifested in time. Thus every thing to be in future exists hidden in nature.
4. Reason helps us to attain the knowledge of God and morality.
5. The miracle of the Qur'n lies in its teaching and not in its beauty of style.

Self Assaeement Exercise

Write what you know about Ibrahim ibn Sayyr A`n-Nazzm and his theological views.

3.4. Amr ibn Bar (called al-Jiz (d. c. 868 or 877 A.D)
Jiz real name was Amr ibn Bar. He was one of the leading pupils of alNazzm. His teacher described him as the encyclopedic Jiz of al-Basra. He was a great
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littrateur, philosopher, theologian and a writer of repute. The orthodox Muslims
regarded him a freethinker.
He did not believe in speculative deduction. His system was empirical and it was
mainly based on experiment and historical facts. His views in brief, are:
1. He believed matter to be eternal. (i.e. World has no beginning)
2. God has no form. So His knowledge is impossible to attain by man.
3. God is good and just. He cannot be the cause of evils.
4. Good and evil are connected with the man. Man is responsible for good and evil.
5. A Muslim who is not intellectually developed to reflect on God and His creation
and yet believes God as his creator and follows His prophet is not to blame.

Self Assessment Exercise

Who was al-Jiz? Highlight his Mutazilite doctrines.

3. 5. Bishr-Ibn-Mutamir (d. 848 A.D.)

Bishr ibn Mutamir discussed mainly the problem of free will. Man has free will and
he is responsible for his action. But if he is forced to act in a certain way against his own
will how he is going to be held responsible was a grave question with Bishr. He gave a
good deal of thought over the question determining the moral value of action. The world
is a place of soul-making. The presence of evils and suffering does not imply God
inability in the making of a better world. God could have made a better world but he did
not. Freedom of will necessitated a world like this. God created the universe with a
definite purpose. So, He has given man free will and revelation. There are two ways open
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to man: good and evil. He can choose either of the two by exercise of his free will. Thus,
the presence of evil provides man with a chance of self-development and soul-making.
His views are:
1. The infant should not be punished, as they cannot make use of free will.
2. The infidel should be held responsible for their activities as they are endowed
with the faculty of reason.
3. There are laws of nature and man should discover them by exercising reason.
4. Man who could not meet a prophet or did not get any chance to have any
knowledge of revelation is not unfit to lead a peaceful life provided that he
follows the light of nature.
Self Assessment Exercise
Elaborate the statement Bishr ibn Mutamir discussed mainly the problem of free will.

3.6. Ab Ali Al-Jubb (b. 235/849)

Ab Al al-Jubb was born in 235/849 at Jubba, a town in Khuzistan. He
belonged to the later Mutazilites. He was the teacher of Abu `l-Hasan al-Ashar with
whom he had discussion in respect of the Theory of the Salutary; that the wise will
always do what is salutary (al-al wa `l-ala) and good, and that Gods wisdom
always keeps in view what is salutary for His servant; therefore He cannot be cruel to
them. He cannot bring to effect evil deeds. He cannot renounce that which is salutary.
He cannot ask His servants to do that which is impossible.
Another report says that al-Jubb asked Imm al-Ashar about the meaning of
obedience to which the Imm replied that obedience is assent to a command and then
asked for al-Jubb `s own opinion in the matter. Al-Jubb said: the essence of
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obedience is agreement to the will, and whoever fulfills the will of another, obeys
him. The Imm answered; according to this, one must conclude that God is
obedient to His servant if He fulfils his will. Holding this view is blasphemous. For if
God is obedient to His servant, then He must be subject to him, but God is above this.
Further, al-Jubb was of the opinion that the names of God are subject to the
regular rules of grammar. He therefore considered it possible to derive a name for
Him from every deed which He performs contrary to the view of the majority that the
attributes of God are tawqf (i.e. restricted to the testamentary ones). On this, Imam
al-Ashar said: according to this view, God should be named the producer of
pregnancy in women; because he creates pregnancy. This heresy of yours is worse
than that of the Christians in calling God the father of Jesus, even though they do not
hold that He produced pregnancy in Mary.
The following are other notable views of al-Jubb:
1. Like other Mutazilites, he denies the Divine Attributes which subsists besides his
essence. Neither does he believe in states as proposed by his son, i. e. to say that
God is all-hearing and all-seeing really means that God is alife and there is no
defect of any kind in Him.. The attributes of hearing and seeing in God originate
at the time of the origination of what is seen and what is heard.
2. He regards the world as originated and the will of God as the cause of its being
originated. Like other Mutazilites he also thought that the will of God too is
something originated.
3. The speech of God is composed of letters and sounds and God creates it in
somebody. The speaker is He Himself and not the body in which it subsists. The
Speech is necessarily something originated. Therefore the speech of God is a
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thing originated and not eternal.
4. He denies the beatific vision; for that is impossible because whatever is not
physical cannot fulfill the condition of vision.
5. He equally agrees with other Mutazilites regarding the knowledge of good and
evil, and the destiny of those who commit grave sins. With them, he holds that
man is the author of his own actions and that it lies in his power to produce good
or evil or commit sins and wrong and that it is compulsory for God to punish the
sinner and reward the obedient.
6. In the matter of Imamate, al-Jubb supports the belief of the Sunns viz: the
appointment of an Imm is to be founded on the consensus.

Self Assessment Exercise

Where does al-Jubb agree or differ from other Mutazillah?

3. 7. More of Beliefs of the Mutazilah

The following is the summary of some more beliefs of the Mutazilites:
(3) Denial of punishment and reward to be meted out to the dead in the grave and the
questioning by Angel Munkar and Nakr.
(ii) Denial of the indication of the Day of Judgement; Gog and Magog (Yjj and Mjj)
and of the appearance of the anti-christ (al-Mas al Dajjh)
(iii) Some Mutazilites believe in the concrete reality of balance (al-Mzn) for weighing
actions on the Day of Judgment. Some say that it is impossible for it to be a reality
and think that mention made in the Qurn of the Mzn means only that full justice
will be done on the day of judgment.
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(iv) The Mutzilites also deny the existence of the recording angels called kirman
ktibn in the Holy Qurn. The reason they gave for this is that God is well aware
of all the deeds of His servants.Thus the recording Angels are dispensable.
(v) The Mutazilites also denied the physical existence of (al-awn) the pond and
(a` irt) the bridge. Further, they will not admit that paradise and hell exist now but
they will exist on the Judgement Day.
(vi) They deny the miracles of saints; for if admitted, they would be mixed up with those
of the prophets and cause confusion.
(vii) The Mutazilites also denied the ascension (al-mrj) of the prophet of Islam
because its proof is based on a testimony of individual traditions which cannot
necessitate any act or belief; but they do not deny the Holy prophets night journey
from Mecca to Jerusalem (al-Isr).
(viii) As Divine decree cannot be altered, supplications served no purpose for one gains
nothing by them because if the objects for which prayers are offered is in conformity
with destiny it is needless to ask for it. And if the object conflicts with destiny it is
impossible to secure.
(ix) They recognized, the possibility of resurrection of the body, as well as paradise and
its sensuous pleasure, and Hell and its bodily torments.

Self Assessment Exercise

List some theological views of the Mutazillah which appear to be at variant to disagree
with general Islamic creeds.
4.0: CONCLUSION
The Mutzilites were a group of rationalists who judged all Islamic beliefs by reason.
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They hardly realized the fact that reason like any other faculty with which man is
endowed has its limitations and cannot be expected to comprehend reality in all its
details.
Meanwhile the Mutazilites deemed it necessary to spread their creed by force of state
authority, under the glorious patronage of al-Mamn. This led to the institution of
inquisition mihnah byAl-Mamn issued a letter of authority to all the Qds of the state to
test the beliefs of officials with regard to the created-ness of the Qurn. The Caliph
commanded that the penalty of death should be inflicted upon those who even refused to
take the test. This naturally led to very strong feeling against Mutazilism and was
consequently one of the reasons for its downfall.
5.0: SUMMARY
By the middle of the 3rd hijrah century corresponding to middle of the 9th in the
Christian era many Mutazilites had become prominent. Their inquiries in which they
gave preference to reason over revelation cut across theological issues such as God and
His Attributes, predestination and freewill, Eternity and Createdness of the world and the
Qurn , Consequence of grave sin and Miracle. They also touched on doctrines relating
to belief in the unseen and what happens in life after death.

6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. Write short notes on the following two Mutazilites and their roles in the development
of Islamic theology.
(i) Wil ibn al-A ( d. 753 A.D.} (ii) Abu Ali Al-Jubb (b. 235/849)
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2. Give a profile of the following Mu tazilah
(i) Abu `l-Hudhayl al -`Allf (d. 857 A.D)
(ii) Ibrahim ibn Sayyr An-Nazzm (d. c. 835-845 A.D.)
(iii) Amr ibn Bahr (called al-Jhiz (d. c. 868 or 877 A.D)
3. Enumerate with brief explanations some creedal issues upheld by orthodox Muslims but
denied by the Mu tazilah
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) The Holy Qur'n with English Translation.
(2) A. J. Wensick (1932). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development,
CambridgeUniversity Press.
(3) W. M. Watt (1948). Free Will and Predestination in Early Islam, London, Luzac,
(4) M. Saeed Sheikh (n.d.). Studies in MuslimPhilosophy , Pakistan, Kashmiri Bazaar
Lahore.
(5) Hasan Sayyid Mutawall (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhd; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press.

Unit 3: Ash'arism and Its Fundamental Doctrines

CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
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2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.0: Main Contents
3.1 Origin and Fundamental Principles of al-Ash'ariyyah
3.2 Attributes of God and Their Relation with His Essence
3.3 Created-ness or Uncreated-ness of the Holy Qurn
3.4 Possibility of the Beatific Vision.
3.5 Gods Seating Himself upon the Throne
3.6. Free Will
4.0 Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
7.0: References/Further Readings
1. 0. INTRODUCTION
Ash'arism is the name of a theological school of thought in Islam that surfaced
during the 4th -5th /10th 11th centuries. It was an effort not only to purge Islam of all
non-Islamic elements which had quietly crept into it but also to harmonize the theological
teachings of the religion. It laid the foundation of Sunnism (Orthodoxy) putting divine
revelation above reason. Its origin and fundamental doctrines are presented for you in this
Unit.

4.0. OBJECTIVES
After you have gone through this unit you should be able to
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(v) define Asharism
(vi) trace origin of the Ash arites movement.
(vii) enumerate the fundamental doctrines of the Ash arites
(viii) discuss them critically.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
3. 1. Origin and Fundamental Principles of al-Ash'ariyyah (Ash'arism)
Asharism is a departure from a system of purely rationalistic theology to reliance
upon the word of God (Qurn ), the Tradition (adth) and the usage (Sunnah) of the
pracvtice of the Holy Prophet and the pattern of life of early Muslim Ummah (salaf).
At first, it was only a gradual and unconscious shifting of attitude. Afterwards the
tendency of human mind to ascribe broad movements to single men asserted itself and the
whole was attributed to the name of Abu `l-Hasan Al bn Isml al-Ashar (d.c.
330/945). It is true that with his efforts the change became generally felt, but it had
already been long in progress. As a matter of fact, many schools of theology, similar to
that of al-Ashar, arose simultaneously in different countries, e.g. the Zahirites' school in
Spain, the Taw's school in Egypt, and al-Mturids school in Samarqanda.
Al-Ashar's School superseded them all and flourished because it had among its
adherents and exponents such able thinkers as al-Bqiln, Imm al-Haramayn, AlGhazzl, Fakhru `d-Dn a`r-Rz, etc, etc.
The fundamental doctrines in which the Asharites vehemently refuted the
Mu 'tazilites may be summed up as follows:
(1) Gods attributes are real and separate entities from him.
(2) The Glorious Qurn is uncreated; i. e. eternal;
(3) Possibility of the Beatific Vision.
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(4) God's seating himself on the Throne.
(5) Freedom of will.
(6) Divine law/Revelation is the way to acquisition of compulsory knowledge.
(7) The world is originated not eternal.
(8) Faith is conviction; work is only complimentary to faith.
(9) God is not compelled to do anything
(10) Reward and Punishment, sending of Messengers and Beatific vision of
Divine Being are in the category of possible matters.
(11) God wills good and evil.
(12) Non - voluntary deeds of man are in accordance with qan and qadar.
(13) God creates mans voluntary deeds.
(14) Only Prophets are infallible.
(15) The questioning, joy and punishment in the grave are real.
(16) Resurrection will be both in body and soul.
(17) Intercession for the grave sinners are real.
(18) Paradise and Hell exist perpetually.
(19) Imamate is not an essential pillar of Religion.
We hereby give the Ash'arites' arguments on some of the principles in some details.

Self Assessment Exercise

Give a brief account of the origin of Asharism and enumerate its fundamental doctrines.

3.2 Attributes of God and Their Relation with His Essence

(i) The Asharites admitted that God has qualities but with the qualifications of
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mukhlafah lil-hawdith and bil kayfa wal tashbih, i. e. the qualities and attributes
ascribed to God must be understood to be inapplicable to human beings and so we should
'not ask how and draw comparisons'. Terms used for human beings must have quite
different meaning when applied to God. God's attributes not only defer to those of
mankind in degree but they defer in their whole nature. Expressions or ideas regarding
God should be divested of all human elements, according to the Asharite principle of
tanzh.
(ii) Al-Ash ar is reported to have refuted Abu `l-Hudhayl Allf's identification
of God's attributes with His essence in the following manner: Abu `l-Hudhayl Allf says
that God's knowledge is God, and so he makes God knowledge. He must be asked to
invoke knowledge instead of God, both being identical, and say in his prayers: "O
knowledge, forgive me". He made this remark in all seriousness.
Self Assessment Exercise
Discuss the Asharites view on the relation between the attributes of God and His
essence.
3. 3. Createdness or Uncreatedness of the Holy Qurn
(i) The Orthodox Asharites very strongly upheld the eternity and the uncreatedness
of the Qurn . They based their view, not on Jewish or Christian doctrine of the
Logos, as some of the Orientalists and even the Mutazilites have alleged, but on the
verses of the holy Qurn such as:
(a) The command is God's first and last' (Q.30. 4), that is the command which
indeed is through God's word (Kalm Allah) is eternal and uncreated.
(b) Are not the creation and the command His?' (Q.5:5). They say: Here God
speaks of the command as something other than the act of creation which, according to
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the Ash'arites, implies that God's command does not belong to the category of created
things. Further, God's command, by its very nature, is through His word or His speech;
hence kalm Allah or the Qur'n is uncreated.
(c) God says: 'Our word to a thing when we intend it is only that We say to it,
"Be" and it is (kun fayakn) . Al-Ash'ar argued, if the Qur'n were supposed to be
created, 'the word 'Be' must have been uttered to it before it could have come to
existence. If God should say 'Be" to the Qur'n which is itself the 'word of God' a word
will be said to another word. From the very logic of this position it would become
necessary that a word should be uttered to another word for the latter to come into being.
Thus one word would depend on another and the other upon next and so on and so forth
to an infinite regression which, according to the Ash'arites, is unthinkable and impossible.
Thus by reducing supposition to an absurdity, they claimed to have proved that the
Qurn is uncreated.
(ii) The Mutazilites made the allegation that the Asharites, by preaching the
doctrine of the uncreatedness of the Qurn , were advocating the Christian idea of Logos
and tripping into shirk, i. e. polytheism. They argued that, should Asharites insist upon
the uncreatedness of the Qur'n they would make it co-eternal with God and thus teach
that He has His partner co-existent with Him from eternity.
Interestingly enough, the Asharites made a similar charge against the Mu
tazilites and called them 'the polytheists of the first order. They argued that whosoever
insists on the created-ness of the Qur'n comes very close to favouring the view of the
infidels that the Qur'n was a product of Prophet's own mind. The Asharites alluded to a
verse of the holy Qur'n in which God has spoken of the polytheists' belief about the
Qur'n that 'it is merely the word of a mortal' (Q.74: 25).
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Self Assessment Exercise

Examine the polemics between the Asharites and the Mutazilites on the problem of the
eternity of the Qurn.

3.4 Possibility of the Beatific Vision.

The Asharites advanced the following proofs in support of their view about the
possibility of Beatific Vision even in the physical sense.
(A) Proof from the Qur'n. References were made to the following verses of the
Qur'n in support of their position:
(i) That day will faces be splendid, looking towards their Lord (Q.75: 22, 23).
The possibility of Beatific Vision is clearly indicated herein, according to the
Ash arites, as a gift which would be granted by God to the people of Paradise on the Day
of Resurrection.
(ii) He Moses said: O my Lord, show me thyself so that I may gaze upon Thee (Q. 7:143)
Al-Ash'ar contended that had the vision of God been impossible of realization,
Moses would not have asked for it. Moses was an Apostle of God and thus free from sin
or gross error. How could he ask for an absurd and impossible thing?
(B) Proof from the adth. The Asharites called the attention of the Mutazilites to
the following saying of the Prophet in which, in reply to a question about the possibility
of seeing God on the Day of Resurrection, he is reported to have said: "You will see your
Lord as you see the full moon while you will not disagree among yourselves"
(C) Proof from Logic. The logical arguments in favour of Beatific Vision are listed
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below:
(i) God can show us every thing that exists. Therefore he can show himself to us.
(ii) He who sees things sees himself. God sees things. Therefore God sees himself.
(iii) He who sees himself can make himself seen. God sees Himself. Therefore He can
make Himself seen.
(iv) The Highest good is realizable in the highest world. The Beatific Vision is the
highest good. Therefore Beatific Vision is realizable in the highest world.
Al-Ash'ar asserted that those who denied the Beatific Vision of God reduced God
to a mere philosophical abstraction and even to a nonentity.

Self Assessment Exercise

Explain the views of the Ash arites on the Beatific Vision.

3.5 God's Seating Himself upon the Throne.

From the following verses of the Qur'n it was quite clear to the Ash'arites that
God is seated on His throne high up in the heavens:
(i) The Merciful is seated on the throne (Q.20:4)
(ii) The good word rises up to Him (Q.35:11)
(iii) God took him (Jesus) up to Him (Q.4:156).
(iv) Hereafter shall they come up to Him (Q.19:95)
(v) What! Are you sure that He who is in the heaven will not cleave the earth
beneath you? (Q.67:16)
(vi) And thou shall see the Angels circling around the throne uttering the
praises of their Lord (Q.30:74-75)
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These verses of the Qur'n were further corroborated by a tradition of the Prophet
in which he is reported to have said that God descends every night to the lower heavens
and asks: Is there anyone who is to make a request? I am here to grant it to him. Is there
any one who asks for forgiveness? I am here to forgive him. This goes until dawn.
In addition to the above evidence from the Qur'n and the Hadth for Gods
seating Himself upon the throne al-Ash 'ar advanced the following argument: If God is at
all places as the Mu'tazilites have maintained, this would compel one to admit that God is
under the depths and the created beings are below Him. If this is true, He must be under
that above which He is and above that under which He is. Since this is a complete
absurdity, one cannot say that God is at all places.
Al-Ash 'ar attacked the Mu'tazilites and others who made use of allegorical
interpretations and asserted that God is at all places, by saying that if this interpretation
were true then it might be logically concluded that God is also in the womb of Mary.

Self Assessment Exercise

What are the doctrines of the Asharites on the Qurnic verse The Merciful (God) is
seated on His throne high up in the Heaven.

3.6 Free- Will

On the issue of free will the old orthodox position was absolutely fatalistic
(jabarism). The Mutazilites, following the principle of divine justice, made out a case for
mans free will. Al-Ash ar struck a middle course. Man cannot create any thing; God
is the only Creator; nor does mans power produce any effect on his actions at all. God
creates in His creature power (qudrah) and choice (ikhtiyr). Then He creates in him his
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actions corresponding to the power and choice thus created. According to al-Ash'ar,
though the action of the creature is created by God both as to its initiative and as to its
production yet it is acquired by the creature. Acquisition (kasb) corresponds to the
creatures power and choice previously created in him; he is only the locus (mahall) or
subject of his action. In this way al-Ash'ar is supposed to have accounted for free will
and made man responsible for his actions. For example he says, a man writes with a pen
on a piece of paper. God creates in his mind the will to write and at the same time He
grants him the power to write thus bringing about the apparent motion of the hand and the
pen and the appearance of the words on the paper. Thus the whole theory of acquisition
amounts to al-Ash'ar saying that the significance of mans freedom lies in his
consciousness of freedom in himself. Man gives assent to the works, which are
accomplished in him by God, and claims this as his own.

Self Assessment Exercise

Summarise the discussion on mans power and free will as taught by al-Ashar.

4.0: CONCLUSION
The whole of the third hijrah century was the era of powerful reaction to
Mutazilitesrationalist teachings. The Traditionalists adhered strictly to literal
interpretation of the Qur'n and refused to allow reasoning in-road to religious
docytrines. They even regarded any theological discussion as (bid'ah); Their reaction
against the Mutazilites went to such an extent that even the anthropomorphic verses of
the Qur'n were interpreted by them in a purely literal sense. For instance Gods settling
Himself upon His Throne is understood literally; the how of it is unknown, belief in it is
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obligatory and questioning about it is an innovation. Every dogma was to be believed in
without raising question how or why.
But such an attitude of blind faith could not be maintained for any length of time.
Islam, which is meant to be a Universal religion and a force, had to adapt itself to new
thoughts and new environments. So, there arose gradually a party from among the Ahlu
`s-Sunnah wa `l-Jama ah, the Traditionalists and the majority opinion (i.e. the orthodox
section of the Ummah) who realized the necessity of putting Islam on a solid ground by
advancing reasons for the traditional beliefs and defending beliefs against all sorts of
attacks, internal and external; and thus purging the Islamic faith of all the non-Islamic
elements that has crept into it. They founded the orthodox theology of Islam by using
kalm-the philosophical method, in order to meat the dialectical reasoning of the
Mu tazilites. These theologians who employed Kalm for the defense of their faith were
therefore known as Mutakallimun.
5.0: SUMMARY
Ash 'arism was the school of Ahlu `s- Sunnah wa 'l-Jam ah. It was begun almost
at the same time in different places of Muslim World; in Mesopotamia, by Al bn Isml
al-Ashar (d.circa 941-945 A. D.); in Egypt, by al-aw (d.942 A. D.); and in Muslim
East i. e. Iraq, Iran, Sind and Hind, by Mansr al-Mturid. Among these three al-Ash ar
was the most popular hero before whom Mutazilite system crumbled; and he came to be
known as the founder of the orthodox theology. The school founded by him was known
after him as al-Ash'ariyyah (Asharism).
6.0: TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. (i) Highlight the events that led to the emergence of Asharism.
(ii) Enumerate the fundamental doctrines of the theological school.
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2. Compare the views of the Mutazilites and the Asharites on Divine Unity or Divine
Justice.
3. Write notes on
(i) Attributes of God and Their Relation with His Essence
(ii) Gods seating Himself on the Throne
7.0: REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
(1) The Holy Qur'n with English Translation.
(2) A. J. Wensick (1932). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development,
CambridgeUniversity Press.
(3) W. M. Watt (1948). Free Will and Predestination in Early Islam, London, Luzac,
(4) M. Saeed Sheikh (n.d.). Studies in MuslimPhilosophy , Pakistan, Kashmiri Bazaar
Lahore.
(5) Hasan Sayyid Mutawall (1402/1983). Mudhakkiratu `t-Tawhd; vols 1-5, Cairo, AlAzhar Colleges Press.
Unit 4: Biography of al-Ashar and His Short Creed
CONTENTS
1.0: Introduction
2.0: Objectives
3.0: Main Contents
3.1: Short Biography of al-Ash'ar (330/945)
3. 2. Al-Ash'ars Muslim Catechism
4.0: Conclusion
5.0: Summary
6.0: Tutor Marked Assignment
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7.0: References/Further Readings
1.0: INTRODUCTION
As you have been told in the previous Unit, Ash'arism was attributed to the name of Abu
`l-Hasan Ali ibn Isml al-Ash'ar (d.c. 330/945). As it has also been indicated alMtrid and at-Tahw's schools of theology similar to that of al-Ash'ar arose at the
same time in Samarqanda and Egypt respectively. All the three produced treatises which
were been used as text books in schools. This Unit gives a biographical account of Imm
Abu `l-Hasan Al al-Ash'ar and a translation of his catechism as a sample of the
treatises of the Ahlu Sunnah wa `l-Jamah movement.
2.0: OBJECTIVES
Having digested this unit you would be able to
(i) identify three representatives of orthodox school of Islamic theology
(ii) give a biographical account of al-Ash'ar and sum up his treatise on the
Sunni creed.
3.0: MAIN CONTENTS
3. 1. Abu `l- Hasan Al al-Ash'ar:
His full name is Abu `l-Hasan Albn Isml al-Ashar a seventh generation
descendant of Abu Ms al-Ashar the reputable Companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
He was born in Barah in 260 a.h. In his early youth he was attending the sittings of
Traditionalists and Jurists but always with his tutor Abu Al al-Jubb taking lessons in
the Science of Islamic Creed ( 'ilmu al-Aq'id). As a disciple of al-Jubb, he became a
member of the Mutazilite's school and champion of Mutazilism. Because he was an
eloquent speaker while his mentor was only a good authour, he represented him at
discussion and debate forums on many occasions until he was forty.
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Al-Ash'ar then disagreed with his teacher on some issues such as the question of
a`-al wa`l-ala, which implies that it is incumbent on God to do what is in the best
interest of man and for which his tutor could not provide him with a convincing answer.
Al-Ash'ar came to al-Jubb' and presented the case of three brothers; one being
Godfearing,
another godless and a third having died as a child, and asked him as to what
would be their positions on the Resurrection. Al-Ash'ar thus boycotted the Mutazilites'
camp as his teacher was unable to give a satisfactory answer.
He secluded in his house for some time comparing the proofs of mutazilism with
other existing views. He then came out on a Friday and mounted the pulpit in the Central
Mosque of Basrah and declared: He who knows me knows who I am, and he who does
not know me let him know that I am Abu al-asan Al al-Ash'ar; I used to maintain that
the Qur'n is created, that eyes of men shall not see God and that the creatures create
their actions. Lo! I repent that I have been a Mutazil. I renounce these opinions and I
take the engagement to refute the Mutazilah and expose their infamy and turpitude." O
men: I have been away from you all these days because I compared notes and the proofs
were seen as balance and none carried weight above the other. Then I sought for guidance
from Allah and he guided me to what I have preserved in these my books. I have divested
myself of all the creeds I was holding as I am divesting myself from this cloth. He then
presented what he authored from the point of view of the Majority of Jurists and
Traditionists. Whatever might be the cause of al-Ash'ar's change, he became terribly in
earnest for the task set before himself when he changed.
Al-Ash'ar pursued his adversaries, the Mutazilah and all men of selfish interest
wherever they were found; spread the tentacles of his supporters to nooks and corners..
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Most scholars called him the Imm Ahlu `s-Sunnah wa `l-Jam'ah (Leader of the Sunnis
and Muslim Majority) because he accepted all the creeds contained in the Qur'n and the
Sunnah and approves apparent meaning of the seemingly ambiguous verses not
necessarily comparing God's Attributes and qualities with those of men.
The various groups of the people who read his books took him to be their leader,
ascribed themselves to his system. The followers of his system are popularly known by
the name al-Ash'irah. He died in 230 a. h.
Al-Ash'ar was reported to be a prolific writer being ascribed the authourship of
about three hundred books; but one of his biographers, Ibn Asakir, mentions only
nineyty-three of his works. Brockelmann, in his Gazetteer Arabischan Littrateur,
enumerates a few of these. Three that are in print and may be found on some Muslim
websites are: Al-Ibnah 'an Ul a`d-Diynah; A`r-Rislah fi Istisn al-Khawn fi 'lKalm and Maqlt al-Islmiyyn. The Maqlt has been said to be the most authentic
book on the views of different schools about religious dogmas and doctrines.

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