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Home , Bila Kayf, Kalam, Tashbih, Tawhid

Ors. H.M.A. TIHAMI, M.A. AL-ASH' ARI AND HIS CONCEPT OF

INTRODUCTION are as follows: Prophet , peace be 1. Qur'an, 112: 1-5: upon him, appeared in the history Say! He is . The One and Only. of society w.ith a zeal of God, the Eternal, . He be­ an icon�last who taught and getteth not. Nor He is Begotten. 1 preached that there is only One And there is non Like unto Him . supreme and absolute power and 2. Qur'an, 2:163: his commitment to the one Su­ And your God Is One God, There is preme power found ex-pression in no God But He, Most Gracious, the first aspect of Shahadah: "la Most Merciful2 ilaha ilia '' which means Ethimologically, tawhid is de· 'there is no god but Allah'. In this rived from the word ahadu witness we can see that there is or wahid which means that God first negation "la", the negation is one without a second, without of multiplicity of and any other co-eternal entity, of com­ then follows the affirmation "illa" plete supremacy, unrivaled, unop­ that Allah is the only God who posed, unequaled, and unchal­ deserves to be worshipped and to lenged. In the context of Islamic whom man finally is destined to , it is used to express the return. unity or oneness of Godhead3. Allah himself reveals the na­ Similarly, Muhammad 'Abduh had ture of tawhid in many verses in said that "the original meaning the holy Qur'an severe! of which of tawhid is the believe that God

Abdullah Yusuf , The Meaning of Glorious Qur'an: Text, Translation and Copmmentary, Vol. 2, (Cairo: Dar al-Kitab al- Masri, nd, 1983), p. 1806 . .2 Ibid. p. 63. 3 E. Dada Adelowo. "The Concept of Tawbid in " in The Islamic Quarterly. Vol. XXXV, No 1. (January, 1991), p.24.

49 is one in inalieanable clivinity."4 a descendant of one of the famous Actually, the word of tawhid is Companions of the Prophet, Abu non Qur'anic, but it is found in Musa al-Ash'ari. Before he stud­ and is inextricably inte­ ied theology under Abu 'Ali Mu­ grated with the formulations of hammad Ibn 'Abel al-Wahhab al­ Islamic faith5. In later time when Juba'i, a foremost Mutazilite the religious sciences developed in theologian, he had received the Islam, the particular discipline of usual Islamic education in Qur'an, ' al- was also called 'Ilm Traditions, Arabic philology and 8 al-Tawhid. Concerning this dis­ Shari'ah . In later time, although cipline 'Abduh further said: "The he was known as an ardent stu­ theology of Unity or tawhicl is the dent of Mu'tazibte theology and science that studies the and he gained a reputation as a bril­ attributes of Goel, the essential liant debater on the theology in and the possible affirmations the and wrote works in about Him, as well as the nega­ line with the rationalist tradition, tions that are necessary to make when he reached age forty, how­ relating to Him116 . It is in line ever, he moved to the traditional with this meaning of tawhid that Islamic theology. This is because this discussion go. he did not feel ·contend anymore to the answers given by his master Ash'ari's Life and Works to the questions on theology that he proposed9. Since then he tried Ash'ari whose complete name to solve his own problems and was Abu al-Hasan 'Ali Ibn Isma'il established a separate school of al- Ash'ari was born in Basrah in theology that is later on known 270 HI 873 AD,and died in Bagh­ 7 after his name, Ash'arism. dad in 330 H./ 941 AD . He was 4 Muhammad 'Abduh. The Theology of Unity. (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1966). p.29. 5 See Louis Gardet. "" in i, "encyclopedia of . Vol. 6. Edited by Mircea Eliade et al. (London: New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1987). p.28. and D.B. Macdonald. "Tawhid" in First Encyclopaediaof Islam. Vol. VIII . Edited by M. Th. Houtsma, et al. (Leiden, New York: E.J. Brill, 1987), p. 704. 6 Muhammad 'Abduh, Op cit. p.29. 7 There is about the exact birthdate of Ash'ari. The date which is applied in this paper is based on Tabyin Kidhb al-Muftari. written by lbn 'Asakir. 8 George F. Hourani. and Tradition in Islamic . (London, New York, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), p. 118. :al �cc YVotter c. Klein·� Introduction to Ah'°l�h·ori. Tin:: Elucirlation or Islam's Founrlation, pp. 26-27.

50 Henceforth al-Ash'ari is also 5. Al-lbanah 'an Usul al-Diy­ known as "the first initiator of anali (fhe Clear Statement the main school of Sunnitate on the Fundamental Elements 10 Kalam." of the ). A1-A5h'ari was a very prolific 6. Al-hathth 'ala al-Bahth (fhe theologiaH who wrote no less than Exhortation to Investigation). three hundred books. Among of these works, however, there are Several books, besides com­ only ninety-three books that have mentary on Qur'an, that be wrote been given their titles by Ibn b(lorG his convGrsion include Al­ 'Asakir Dimashqi. Even more, Mijiz (The Epitome); Al-'Amacl fi there are. only a few of them that al- Ru'yah (The Pillars Concerning can be preserv€d and enumerated God's Visibility); ldah al-Burhan by Brockelman 11. Below are (The Clarification of Demonstra­ given several of his most impor­ tion); and Al-Ajwibah al-Misriyah tant works which he composed 12 (The Egyptian Response) . after he ·�retired" from Mu'tazilite school: 1. Maqallat al-lslamiyyin (Theo­ The Concept of Ta w hid Ac­ logical Opinions of the Mus­ cording to al-Ash'ari lims). Ash'arism, which is often re­ 2. Risallah ila ahl al-Thaghr bi­ ferred as ahl wa al­ Bab al-Abwab (Epistle to the jamaah 13, raised in the history of people of the Frontier at Bab Islamic theology not merely as a al-Abwab). protest against the religious ra­ tionalism of the Mu'tazilites who 3. Al-Luma' (The Concise Re­ "held that reason is more funda­ marks). Al- mental than and is to 4. () be preferred to revelation," 14 but

10 W. Montgomery Watt. Islamic PtuYosophy and Theology. 2nd ed. (Edinburg: Edinburg Univer!iity Press, 1992), p.67. 1 1 M_Abdul Hye. "Ash'arism'" in A History or Muslim Philosophy. "Edited by M.M. Sharif. (Karachi: Royal Book Company, 1966). p. 223. 12 R.M. Frank. "al-Ash'an·· in The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. I. Edited by Mircea Eliade, et.al. (London, New York: McMillan Publishing Company, 1987), p.446. 13 See, R.M. Frank. "al-Ash' ari" in The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. I. Edited by Mircea Eliade, et.al. (London, New York: McMillan Publishing Company, 1987), p.449. and Muhammad 'Abduh. Op cit., p.36. 14 M.Abdul Hye. "Ash'arism" in A History of Muslim PhHosophy. Edited by M.M. Sharif.

51 it also emerged as opposition to it is provoked by the claims of a the extreme orthodox classes, par­ prophet, and that it is because of the ticularly the Zahirites, the Mujas­ rational validity of the prophet Mu­ simites, Muhaddithin, and the Ju­ hammad's basic teaching that one tists, all of which were whollyin must accept the entire revelation, in­ cluding those dogmas that can not be contradiction to the use of reason inferred on pure! y rational grounds in defending religious dogmas and and submit unconditionally to the condemned it as being innova­ d evme. I aw. .17 . tion 15. Henceforth, Ash'arism ex­ In line with this point of view, isted as an intermediary position al-Ash'ari in that, as between the two opposed schools stated again and again in the of thought. lnstead of rejecting Qur'an, God is one and the only. or blindly following "There is no God b es1·d es Him"113. revelation Ash'ari and his follow­ His being is eternal and uncon­ ers held that revelation is more ditioned; in His self and in His fundamental as the source of ul­ essential attributes, His nonex- timate and , and rea­ 19 istence IS. unposs1· "bl e . Agam·, son should merely confirm what 6 when al-Ash'ari discusses the at­ is given by revelation 1 . I 6, Rea­ tributes of God and their relation­ son therefore, should be subordi- ship with His , he has to nat�d to revelation and its face two extreme opposite groups function is none other than of . The frrst to rationalize faith in the group is that of holding tha God basic principles of Islam and � has all attributes as mentioned not to question the validity of in the holy Qur'an that are taken truth as embodied in the Qur'an in their literal sense Such a view and the Sunnah. Relating to this . of the God's attributes may lead R.M. Frank points out that al­ to an that im­ Ash'ari, the founder of the plies that God exists bodily. The Ash'arite school, holds that: Schools of this group include the " ... Theological inquiry is not origi­ Attributists or Sifatis, the Anthro- nated autonomously by the mind but

(Karachi: Royal Book Company, 1966), p. 231. 15 M. 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", p. 224. 16 M. 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", p. 231. . . . . 17 M 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", in The Encyclopedia of Rehg1on, Op cit., p. 447. 18 A�u'I Hasan • Ali lbn lsma'il al- Ash'ari. Al Jbanah 'an Usu/ a/-Diyanah, tr. Walter C. Kleon (Connecticut: American Oriental Society, 19401. p.31. 19 R.M. Frank, "Al- Ash'ary", p.450.

52 pomorphists or Mujassimin, and cause God's qualities and attrib­ the Comparers or Mushabbihin. utes are inapplicable to His crea­ The second group is the Mu'taz­ tures, mukhalafah lilhawaclith24. ilites who hold that "God is one, Therefore, we are not permitted eternal, unique, absolute Being, to ascribe any attribute to God having no touch of dualism in unless it is expressly so applied Him. His essence is self con­ in the Qur'an. tained. They believe that God According to al-Ash'ari God does not possess any attributes ,,20 who is not only one, unique, eter­ apartf rom H.1s essence. A ccor d · nal, Being but also who mg to M. 'Abdul Hye the is not a substance, not a body, Ash'arites, in fac�ng these two op­ not an accident, not limited to posite schools, maintained a view 21 any direction, and not in any space which reconciled them. In the ha� attributes in general. These words of Karen Amstrong "al­ God's attributes, according to al­ Ash'arii was trying to find a mid­ Ash'ari, are inherence eternally in dle course between deliberate ob· Him and are besides His es­ scurantism and extreme 25 22 sence . This means that God's rationglism " He does not reject attributes are not identical with the unity of God .as believed by His essence but they are also not the Mu'tazilites but be believes separated from it. Unlike Mu'taz­ that God possesses attributes. ilites who believe that it is by The attributes such as God's hand, His essence that God knows, eyes, sight, etc., however, should Ash' ari and his followers are of not be understood literally as the the opinion that Goel knows, wills, Sifatis do or to be interpreted hears, etc. not by His essence but 26 allegorically as the Mu'tazilites do. by His attributes . In al-Luma' But they are to be believed in al-Ash'ari says that: "Among of "bila kayfa," without asking how, the proofs that God is knowing and "bila ," without draw­ by a is the fact that 23 ing any comparison . This is be- I-Te must be knowing either by

20 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", p.226. 21 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", p.227. 22 Karen Amstrong. A History of God. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993), p.166. 23 AI-Ash'ari. Al lbanah. p.47. 24 M. Saeed . . (London: The Octagon Press, 1982).p. 15. 25 Al-Ash'ari. al-Maqalat. p.291 as cited by M. 'Abdul Hye, "Ash'arism", p.227. Z6 w. Montgomery Watt, The Formalive Period of Islamic ThoughC. (Edinburg: Edinburg University Press, 1973), p.316.

53 Himself or by a knowledge which group includes: Qidam which f cannot be Himself."27 To clariy means that Goel is before the be­ the relationship between God's es­ fore. He did not become. He al­ sence and His attributes in Ash'ari ways was; Baqa' which means that and his followers' point of view God is after the after, eternal. Muhammad 'Abdul Hye remarks: He always will be; Wahdaniyah "They, therefore, maintained that whjch means that God is 'unique, these attributes are, in one sense, in­ without partner, without resem­ cluded in and, in another sense, blance, the cause of all; Qiyam bi excluded from, the essence of God. Nafsihi which means that God is It is common knowledge that the selfoxistcnce, without any needs; Ash'arites contended that the es­ and Muhalafatuh hi-Hawadith sence, and attributes are two which means that God is the crea­ different things and they cannot be tor, bearing no resemblance to the otherwise in the case of God, the Su­ preme Being. The Ash'arites made created. The second one is Sifat a distinction between the meaning or wujudiyyah or existential attrib­ connotation of a thing and its reality. utes which is also called Si.fat So far as their meaning is concerned, 'aqliyyah or rational attributes. the attributes and of God are not the There are seven attributes of this same and as such the attributes are group i.e, 'llm or knowledge, in addition to the essence of God i.e, Qudrah or power, Iradah or will, they have different meanings. The Hayat or life , ' or heating meaning of dhat or essence is differ­ , Basr or seeing, and l(alam or ent from the meaning of different speech29. All of these essential attributes. God's essence, for in­ attributes are real and belong to stance, is not knowing or powerful or wise, but so far as their ultimate Goel from all . However, haqiqah or reality is concerned, the God's attributes of action or Si.fat attributes are inherent in the divine af alihi such as temporal , essence and hence are not something whose existences come into being quite different from or other than t'''= beacuse of God's creation word essence of God. "28 like "Be", are not eternal, but These attributes are classified corporeal and temporal. into two main groups. The first The tawhid accept no chan:fte group is Sifat salbiyyah. The or even the shadow of variation °

27 McCarthy, Richard J. The Theology of al-Ash'ari. (Beyrouth. lmpremirie Catholique, 1953), p.18. 28 M. 'Abdul Hye. "Ash'arism", p.228, 29 M. 'Abdul Hye. "Ash' arism", p. 227.

54 Therefore, al- Ash'ari again and Nafsiya constitutes the fir t; of again insists that although he be· the other five are negative or sal­ lieves that God has attributes but biya i.e. His existence, His being they are, as said earlier, not God from eternity and His subsisting nor are they other than He be­ for ever, His being deferent from cause He is essentially one. They things originated, His being inde-. subsist in the devine essense in pendent of substrate, and His be­ a manner totally unknown31 . Af. ing one. The other seven are. Ash'ari perhaps wants to return called al-Ma'ni which includes His to full-blooded God of the Qur'an. power, will, knowledge, life, bear­ He refuses to reduce God into a ing, sight and speech. The rest concept that could be discussed is called Ma'nawiya, nemety: His and analysed like any other hu­ being mighty, willing, knowing, man idea purely based on reason. living, hearing, seeing, and speak­ Henceforth, "al-Ash'ari insists that ing. Secondly, Musthil with re­ various eschatological matters gard to God are also twenty quali­ must be taken as they stand3? and ties. However, here the qualities not explained as metaphors" -. are those of counterparts of the Later on, al-Ash'ari's ideap re­ twenty mentioned in Wajib. Fi­ lating to the God's attributes are nally, Ja'iz with regard to God is that He creates all that is con· then developed by his followers. . . · 33 Some of them are in line with tmgent, or omits to create tt his and some are different from Whereas among the later are al­ him to some extent. Among of Baghdadi and al-Juwayni. They, the former is al-Sanusi who writes following Mu'tazilites' metaphori­ Urnm al-Barahin. According him cal interpretation, interpreted God's attributes are divided into "hand" as "power" and "face" as three groups; Wajib or what is "essence" or "existence", thus they both ignore Ash'ari's principle of compulsory, Mustahil or what is 34 absurd, and Ja'iz or what is con­ "' and "bila tashbih". tingent.Firstly, Wajib with regard However, the similar way of in­ to Goel are twenty. His self or terpretation tends to be taken by the other later Ash'arites.

30 Louis Gardet. "God in Islam", p.34. 31 Louis Gardet. "God in Islam", p.34. 32 W. Montgomery Watt. Islamic Philosophy and Theology. p. 66. 33 A.J. Wensinck. The Muslim : Its Genesis and Historical development. (London: Frank Cass & Co., Ltd., 1965). pp. 275- 276. 34 W.Montgomery Watt. "Ash'ariyya", p.696.

55 al-Hakim The Wise (2:129) The Other Attributes of God al-Wadud The Loving (11 :90) Although God's being is be­ al-Majid The Owner of (11 :73) al- O yond the grasp of human intelli­ The Witriess (4:79) genc, these attributes in addition al-Haq The Truth (22:6) The Most Strong to what have been discussed ear­ al-Qawi (22:74) lier known as His most beautiful al-Fattah The Judge (34:26) na�es (8:20), are known to be al-'Alim The All Knowing (34:26) al-Sarni' The All Hearing ( true and real as they are stated 3:38} in the Holy Qur'an. Those names al-Basir The All Seeing (3:15) 35 al-Latif The Subtle (6:104) and their sorces are as follows: al-Khabir The All Aware (34:1) al-Rahman The Beneficent (1 :2) al-Halim The Clement (17:44) al-Rahim The Merciful (1:2) al-Azim The Tremendous (2:225) al-Malik The Sovereign (59:23) al-Ghafur The All Forgiving (42:23) al-Qudus The Holy (59:23) al-Shakur The Responsive (35:34) al-Salam The Peace (59:23) al-'Ali The Sublime (2:225) al-Mu'min The Keeper of Faith (59:23) al-Kabir The Great (34:23) ai-Muhaymin The Guardian (59:2 3) al- The Guardian (11:57) al-'Aziz The Majestic (59:23) al-Hayyu The Alive (3:2) al-Jabbar The Compeller (59:23) al-Qayyum The Eternal (3:2) al-Mutakabbir The Superb (59:23) al-Qadir The Able (6:65) al-Khaliq The Creator (59:24) al-Hamid The Owner of Prais (22:64) al-Bari' The Shaper (59:24) al-Barr The Benign (52:28} The Gracious al-Hali (3:164) al-Muta'al The Exalted (13:9) al-Muhit The Surrounding (41:54) al-Tawwab The Accepter of Repen- al- The Protecting Friend (2:257) tance (9:104) al-Wahid The One (23:16) al-Mubin The Manifest (24:25) al-Muqtadir The Powerful (54:42) al-Musta'an The One Whose He� al-Muqit The Sustainer (4:85) to be Implored (21:112) al-Hasib The Reckoner (4:6) al-Warith The Inheritor (15:23) al-Karim The Bountiful (82:6) al-'Ahir The Last (57:3) al-Raqib 'J The Watchful (33:52) al- The Out\ltard (57:3) al-Qarib The Nigh (11 :61) al-Wali The Defender (13:11) al-Mujib The Responsive (11:61) al-Wakil The Trustee (4:81) al-Wasi' The All Embracing (2:247) al-Oahir The Omnipotent (6:18)

35 See Muhammad Ibrahim H.I. Surty. The Our'an and al-. (London: Ta Ha Publisher, 1990), pp. 109- 117.

56 al-Nasir The Helper (8:40) al-'Awwal The First (57:3) al-'Allam The Omniscient (5:109) al-Balin The Inward (57:3) al-Khallaq The Creator (15:86) al-Samad The The Eternally al-Mawla The Patron (3:40) Besought of All (112:2) al-A'la The Most High (87:1) al-Qadir The Mighty (16:70) All of these ninety-nine at­ al-Akram The Most Bounteous (96:3) tributes of God are proof of the al-Shakir The Responsive (2:158) 36 existence aad oneness of God . al-Hafiz The Protector (12:64) ln addition, it is believed in some al-Kafil The Surety (16:91) circles of that God al-Matin The Firm One (51 58) has Lhree thousand attributes or al-Ghalib The Predominant (12:21) names: one thousand He has re­ al-Qabid The Grasping (2:45) vealed to His , one He has al-Jalil The Glorious (55 27) revealed to His prophets; three al-Muhyi Y.ht: Giver of Live (30:50) hundred are in the · the al-Marni! The Giver of Death (7:28) psalm of David, three hundred al-Ba'ith The Awakener (22:7) are in the Torah; three hundred al-Baqi The Everlasting One (55:27) are in the Gospel; ninety-nine are al-Mubdi The Originator (85:13) m the Holy Qur'an. One, the al-Mannan The Gracious (19:47) name of His essence, He has kept al-Musawwir The Fashioner (59:24) for Himself and hidden m the al-Ghaffar The Ever Forgiving (71:10) Q uran. , 37 al-Qahhar The Almighty (13:16) al-Wahhab Thfl Bestower (3:8) al-Razzaq The Provider (51:58) CONCLUSION al-'Afw The Forgiving (4:149) Among the most prominent al-Ra'uf The Compassionate (2:143) Sunnite theologians in the earlier al-' The The Gatherer (3:9) times, Al-A,;;h'ari, whose influence al-Ghaniyy The Self Sufficient (2:263) is still felt strong especially among 38 al-Hadi The Guide (25 31) the Sunnites, appeared to be al-Nur The Light (24:35) the most important one. Imme- al-Badi' The Originator (2:117) diately 2fter his dl:lcisivQ dQcision al-Fatir The Creator (42:11) Lo :;ep,:ir,:He him�elf from Mu·taz­ al-Ghafir The Forgiver (40:37) ilite school in which he spent his al-Malik The Sovereign (54:55) first forty years he established al-Rabb The Sustainer (3:51) and developed his orthodox school al-Rafi' The Sublime (40:15) of theology from which he then al-Kafi The Sufficient One (39:36) criticized Mu'tazilites' doctrines.

57 On the problems of the Unity of fara'ini, al-Baghdadi, al-Razi, and God, he believed that God pos­ al-Ghazali. sesses attributes as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an besides the es· sence but he tends to safeguard against anthropomorphism. "God BIBLIOGRAPHY 'Abduh, Muhammad. The Theology of knows by of His attribute Unity. London: George Allen & Un­ of Knowledge, wills by virtue of win Ltd., 1966. His attribute of Will, etc. There Adelowo, E. Dada. "The Concept of are neither identical with His es· Tawhid in Islam" in The Islamic Ouartely. Vol. XXXV, No. 1. (Janu­ scnce nordiffercnt from it. They ary, 1991). are all real although we donot AI-Ash'ari, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali lbn lsma'il. 1136 know their "how . He is of the Al·lbanah 'an Usu/ a/-Diyanah. tr. opinion that by applying to all Walter C. Klein Connecticut: Ameri· attributes the principle of "bila can Oriental Society, 1940. kayf or bila tashbih" he could both Al··Faruqi, lsma'il Raji. Tawhid Its lmplica· tions for Thought and Life. Pennsyl· remain faithful to the literal vania: The International Institute of meaning of what the Qur'an af­ Islamic Thought, 1982. 37 firms . Al·Halveti, Sheikh Tosum Bayrak al·. The Most Beautiful Names. Ver· It seems that al-Ash'ari's con· mont: Thresold Books, 1985. cept of tawhid, especially the re· Amstrong, Karen. A History of God. New lationship between the eternity of York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. God's essence and His attributes, Fakhry, Majid. A History of Islamic Phi· is not clear. His principles may /osophy. Columbia: Columbia Uni­ versity Press, 1970. Frank, R.M. satisfy an orthodox believer, but "al-Ash'ari" in The Encyclopedia of they do not bring any comfort to Religion. Vol 1. Edited by Mircea a philosophic mind. Henceforth, Eliade, et al. London, New York: his ideas concerning this crucial Macmillan Publishers, 1987. ··•·····•·. "Ash'ariyah" in The Encyclopedia issue as well as the other ideas of Religion. Vol 1. Eddited by Mir· which mainly differ from tho. " of cea Eliade et al, London, New Yak: Mu'tazilites such as seeing of God, MacMillan Publisher, 1987. the createdness of Qur'an, etc. Hourani, George F. Reason and Tradition in were developed and elaborated by . Cambridge, Lon· don: Cambridge University Press, his followers such as Abu Sah 1985. al-Su'luki, Abu al·Hasan al·Bahili, Hye, M 'Abdul. "Ash'arism" in A History al-Baqillani, lbnu Furaak, al-ls- of Muslim Philosophy. Edited by M. 36 Fazlur Rahman. Islam. 2nd ed. (Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press, 1979), p.92. 37 Louis Gardet. "God in Islam", p.34.

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