Atharism

Athari ( Classical Arabic : أثري ; textualism ) is a school or movement of traditionalist Islamic scholars who reject Islamic "theology" ( kalam ) in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran . The name is derived from the Arabic word athar , literally meaning "remnant", and also referring to "narrations". Their disciples are called the Atharis. Atharis engage in an amodal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in Ta'wil (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to rationally conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone ( tafwid ). This theology was taken from exegesis of the Quran and statements of the early Muslims and later codified by a number of scholars including Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Qudamah . While adherents of the Athari school are usually of the Hanbali madhhab (school of fiqh ) they are not strictly identified with any particular madhhab . The Atharis can thus be described as a school or movement led by a contingent of scholars ( ulama ), typically Hanbalite or even Shafi'ite, that retained influence, or at the very least a shared sentiment and conception of piety, well beyond the limited range of Hanbalite communities. This body of scholars continued to reject theology in favor of strict textualism well after Ash'arism had infiltrated the Sunni schools of law. It is for these reasons that we must delineate the existence of a distinctly traditionalist, anti-theological movement, which defies strict identification with any particular madhhab , and therefore cannot be described as Hanbalite.

Traditionalist theology ( — al-Aṯharīya ) is a Islamic scholarly movement, originating in the late 8th century CE, who reject rationalistic Islamic theology ( kalam ) in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran and hadith . The name derives from "tradition" in its technical sense as a translation of the Arabic word hadith . It is also sometimes referred to by several other names . Adherents of traditionalist theology believe the zahir (literal, apparent) meaning of the Qur'an and the hadith are the sole authorities in matters of belief and law; and that the use of rational disputation is forbidden, even if in verifying the truth. They engage in a literal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in ta'wil (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an rationally, and believe that their realities should be consigned to God alone ( tafwid ). In essence, the text of the Qur'an and Hadith is accepted without asking "how" or " Bi-la kayfa ". Traditionalist theology emerged among hadith scholars who eventually coalesced into a movement called ahl al-hadith under the leadership of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (b. 780–d. 855). In matters of faith, they were pitted against Mu'tazilites and other theological currents, condemning many points of their doctrine as well as the rationalistic methods they used in defending them. In the tenth century al-Ash'ari and al-Maturidi found a middle ground between Mu'tazilite rationalism and Hanbalite literalism, using the rationalistic methods championed by Mu'tazilites to defend most tenets of the traditionalist doctrine. Although the mainly Hanbali scholars who rejected this synthesis were in the minority, their emotive, narrative-based approach to faith remained influential among the urban masses in some areas, particularly in Abbasid Baghdad . While Ash'arism and Maturidism are often called the Sunni "orthodoxy", traditionalist theology has thrived alongside it, laying rival claims to be the orthodox Sunni faith. In the modern era it has had a disproportionate impact on Islamic theology, having been appropriated by Wahhabi and other traditionalist Salafi currents and spread well beyond the confines of the Hanbali school of law. Abrahamov (2014) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFAbrahamov2014 ( help ) Halverson, Jeffry R. The Atharis can thus be described as a school or movement led by a contingent of scholars ( ulama ), typically Hanbalite or even Shafi'ite , which retained influence, or at the very least a shared sentiment and conception of piety, well beyond the limited range of Hanbalite communities. This body of scholars continued to reject theology in favor of strict textualism well after Ash'arism had infiltrated the Sunni schools of law. It is for these reasons that we must delineate the existence of a distinct traditionalist, anti-theological movement, which defies strict identification with any particular madhhab , and therefore cannot be described as Hanbalite.

School of theology in Sunni Islam For people named Athari, see Athari (surname) . Atharism ( Arabic : الأثرية , romanized : al-ʾAthariyya / al-aṯariyyah [æl ʔæθæˈrɪj.jæ] , "of athar ") is a school of theology in Sunni Islam which developed from circles of the Ahl al-Hadith , a group that rejected rationalistic theology in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran and the hadith . Adherents of Athari theology believe the zahir (apparent) meaning of the Quran and the hadith are the sole authorities in matters of aqida and Islamic jurisprudence ; and that the use of rational disputation is forbidden, even if in verifying the truth. Atharis oppose the use of metaphorical interpretation regarding the anthropomorphic descriptions and attributes of God ( ta'wil ) and do not attempt to conceptualize the meanings of the Quran by using philosophical principles since they believe that their realities should be consigned to God and Muhammad alone ( tafwid ). In essence, they assert that the literal meaning of the Quran and the ḥadīth must be accepted without a "how" (i.e. Athari theology emerged among hadith scholars who eventually coalesced into a movement called Ahl al-Ḥadīth under the leadership of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855). In matters of faith, they were pitted against Mu'tazilites and other theological Islamic currents and condemned many points of their doctrine as well as the extreme philosophical methods they used. Atharism is the school of theology used by Hanbalis . "Part I: Islamic Theologies during the Formative and the Early Middle period – Scripturalist and Traditionalist Theology" .