Mu'tazilism

Mu'tazili (Arabic المعتزلة al-mu`tazilah ) is an extinct theological school of thought within Islam . It is also spelled Mu'tazilite , or Mu'tazilah .

Muʿtazilah ( Arabic المعتزلة al-muʿtazila ) is a distinct Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad during the 8th–10th centuries AD. It is still adopted by a small, dispersed minority of Muslim intellectuals. Adherents are usually not accepted by Sunni scholars due to the Mu'tazili belief that human reason is more reliable than tradition . Because of this belief, Mu'tazilis tend to interpret passages of the Qur'an farther from their literal meanings than other Muslims, a practice frowned upon by many Sunni scholars. Some claim the theology of the Mu'tazilis concerning the nature of God has been influenced by Shi'a Islam .

Muʿtazila ( al-muʿtazilah ) is a rationalist school of Islamic theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad , both now in Iraq , during the 8th to the 10th centuries. The adherents of the Muʿtazili school, known as Muʿtazilites , are best known for rejecting the doctrine of the Qur'an as uncreated and co-eternal with God , asserting that if the Quran is the word of God, he logically "must have preceded his own speech". The philosophical speculation of the Muʿtazilites centre on the concepts of divine justice ( Al-'adl ) and divine unity ( Tawhid ). The school worked to resolve the theological " problem of evil ": how to reconcile the justice of an all-powerful God with the reality of evil in the world, in accordance to the guidance of the Quran. Mu'tazilites reasoned that, since God is believed to be just and wise, and since he cannot command what is contrary to reason or act with disregard for the welfare of His creatures, evil must be regarded as something that stems from errors in human acts, arising from man's divinely bestowed free will . Muʿtazilites believe that good and evil are not always determined by revealed scripture or interpretation of scripture, but they are rational categories that could be "established through unaided reason"; because knowledge is derived from reason; reason, alongside scripture, was the "final arbiter" in distinguishing right from wrong. This part alone made them the enemy of those who follow the Hadith (by far the majority of Muslims today, including all Sunni and Shia sects). The Muʿtazili school of Kalam considered the injunctions of God to be accessible to rational thought and inquiry and that reason, not "sacred precedent", is the effective means to determine what is just and religiously obligatory. The movement reached its political height during the Abbasid Caliphate during the mihna , the period of religious persecution instituted by the 'Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun in AD 833 in which religious scholars (such as Sunnis and Shias ) were punished, imprisoned, or even killed unless they conformed to Muʿtazila doctrine. The policy lasted for fifteen years (833–848 CE) as it continued through the reigns of al-Ma'mun's immediate successors, al-Mu'tasim and al-Wathiq , and two years of al-Mutawakkil who reversed it in 848 (or possibly 851). In contemporary Salafi jihadism , the epithet or supposed allegations of being a Muʿtazilite have sometimes been used between rival groups as a means of denouncing their credibility. The Qur'an: an introduction . 2008, page 203 Kadri, Sadakat (2012). A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). Almost all authorities agree that the speculation of the Muʿtazilah centeres around the two crucial concepts of divine justice and unity, of which they claim to be the exclusive, genuine exponents. A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). The early Muslim theologians had naturally been unanimous in denying that God could be unjust, but the problem of reconciling the justice of God and the glaring reality of evil in the world does not appear to have disturbed them particularly. And it was precisely this problem that became, from Wasil's time on the crucial issue with which the Muʿtazilah and their adversaries grappled.... Religion and Politics Under the Early ?Abbasids: The Emergence of the Proto-Sunni Elite . The North African "Institute for the Faith Brigades" denounced Bin Laden 's "misguided errors" and accused Abu Hafs al Mawritani , a leading figure in Al-Qaeda 's juridicial committee, of being a Muʿtazilite. Liam 'Strategist and doctrinarian jihadis' in: Fault Lines in Global Jihad: Organizational, Strategic, and Ideological Fissures , ed.

Rationalist school of Islamic theology Not to be confused with Mutualism . Mu'tazilism ( al-muʿtazilah ) was a theological movement that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad . Its adherents, the Mu'tazila or Mu'tazilites , were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents after the death of the third caliph , Uthman . By the 10th century the term al-muʿtazilah had come to refer to a distinctive Islamic school of speculative theology ( kalām ). This school of theology was founded by Wasil ibn Ata . The later Mu'tazila school developed an Islamic type of rationalism , partly influenced by Ancient Greek philosophy , based around three fundamental principles: the oneness ( Tawhid ) and justice ( Al-'adl ) of God , human freedom of action, and the creation of the Quran . The Muʿtazilites are best known for rejecting the doctrine of the Quran as uncreated and co-eternal with God , asserting that if the Quran is the literal word of God, he logically "must have preceded his own speech". This went against the orthodox Sunni position (followed by the Ashʿarī , Māturīdī and the Traditionalist (Athari) schools ) which argued that with God being all-knowing, his knowledge of the Quran must have been eternal, hence uncreated just like him. The school also worked to resolve the theological " problem of evil ", arguing that since God is just and wise, he cannot command what is contrary to reason or act with disregard for the welfare of His creatures; consequently evil must be regarded as something that stems from errors in human acts, arising from man's divinely bestowed free will . The Mu'tazila opposed secular rationalism, but believed that human intelligence and reason allowed Man to understand religious principles; that good and evil are rational categories that could be "established through unaided reason ". The movement reached its political height during the Abbasid Caliphate during the " mihna ", an 18-year period (833–851 CE) of religious persecution instituted by the 'Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun where religious scholars were punished, imprisoned, or even killed unless they conformed to Muʿtazila doctrine, until it was reversed by al-Mutawakkil . "Different views on human freedom – Mu'tazilites and Asharites – Authority in Islam – GCSE Religious Studies Revision – OCR" . A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). Almost all authorities agree that the speculation of the Muʿtazilah centers around the two crucial concepts of divine justice and unity, of which they claim to be the exclusive, genuine exponents. The Qur'an: an introduction . 2008, page 203 Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Islamic philosophy and theology : an extended survey . OCLC 13360530 . : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link ) Fakhry, Majid (1983). A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). The early Muslim theologians had naturally been unanimous in denying that God could be unjust, but the problem of reconciling the justice of God and the glaring reality of evil in the world does not appear to have disturbed them particularly. And it was precisely this problem that became, from Wasil's time on the crucial issue with which the Muʿtazilah and their adversaries grappled.... Religion and Politics Under the Early ?Abbasids: The Emergence of the Proto-Sunni Elite .

Early Islamic rationalist theological sect Mu'tazilism ( Arabic : المعتزلة , romanized : al-muʿtazila , singular Arabic : معتزلي , romanized : muʿtazilī ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad . Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents after the death of the third caliph , Uthman . By the 10th century the term al-muʿtazilah had come to refer to a distinctive Islamic school of speculative theology ( kalām ). This school of theology was founded by Wasil ibn Ata . The later Mu'tazila school developed an Islamic type of rationalism , partly influenced by ancient Greek philosophy , based around three fundamental principles: the oneness ( Tawhid ) and justice ( Al-'adl ) of God , human freedom of action, and the creation of the Quran . The Mu'tazilites are best known for rejecting the doctrine of the Quran as uncreated and co-eternal with God , asserting that if the Quran is the literal word of God, he logically "must have preceded his own speech". This went against a common Sunni position (followed by the Ashʿarī and Māturīdī ) which argued that with God being all-knowing, his knowledge of the Quran must have been eternal, hence uncreated just like him. The school also worked to resolve the theological " problem of evil ", arguing that since God is just and wise, he cannot command what is contrary to reason or act with disregard for the welfare of His creatures; consequently evil must be regarded as something that stems from errors in human acts, arising from man's divinely bestowed free will . The Mu'tazila opposed secular rationalism, but believed that human intelligence and reason allowed Man to understand religious principles; that good and evil are rational categories that could be "established through reason ". The movement reached its political height during the Abbasid Caliphate during the " mihna ", an 18-year period (833–851 CE) of religious persecution instituted by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun where Sunni scholars were punished, imprisoned, or even killed unless they conformed to Mu'tazila doctrine, until it was reversed by al-Mutawakkil . The Aghlabids (800–909 CE) also adhered to Mu'tazilism, which they imposed as the state doctrine of Ifriqiya . Similarly, the leading elite figures of the Graeco-Arabic translation movement during the reign of the Umayyad caliph of Córdoba al-Hakam II (r. 961–976) were followers of the Mu'tazila. Mu'tazilism also flourished to some extent during the rule of the Buyids (934–1062 CE) in Iraq and Persia . "Different views on human freedom – Mu'tazilites and Asharites – Authority in Islam – GCSE Religious Studies Revision – OCR" . A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). Almost all authorities agree that the speculation of the Muʿtazilah centers around the two crucial concepts of divine justice and unity, of which they claim to be the exclusive, genuine exponents. The Qur'an: an introduction . 2008, page 203 Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Islamic philosophy and theology : an extended survey . OCLC 13360530 . : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link ) Fakhry, Majid (1983). A History of Islamic Philosophy (second ed.). The early Muslim theologians had naturally been unanimous in denying that God could be unjust, but the problem of reconciling the justice of God and the glaring reality of evil in the world does not appear to have disturbed them particularly. And it was precisely this problem that became, from Wasil's time on the crucial issue with which the Muʿtazilah and their adversaries grappled.... Religion and Politics Under the Early ?Abbasids: The Emergence of the Proto-Sunni Elite . A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period .