Author: "Abu Aisha"
Who are the Mu’tazila? (first part)
Preamble
In the second half of the first century of Hijri, after the religion of Islam achieved a great victory and after it came into contact with various nations and cultures, it faced three important and vital issues, which are: The issue of caliphate, the issue of the power of man to perform his actions and the issue of the negation of attributes; At the same time, which excommunicated every other Islamic sect and group, the religion of Etzal and Mu’tazila emerged by Wasil bin Ata, who had a different perspective and attitude.
This sect is considered one of the most important theological religions in Islam, which has played an important role in scientific, jurisprudential, political and other developments.
The Mu’tazila sect grew significantly during its last years. This group was formed following the events inside and outside the Islamic society and became one of the most prominent theological sects during the Abbasid Caliphate. In this article, we intend to introduce this sect, express its thoughts, ideas, and principles, and provide information about the elders, classes, and other names of the Mu’tazila sect.
The reason for the emergence of Mu’tazila
Mu’tazila and ‘Etzal are words that indicate seclusion, isolation, weakness and isolation.
It is stated in the dictionaries: (Izla, Yazla, Wazla, Faatzl, Vanzal, and Izla: He separated him, so he became one side and a corner) Other nations have disagreed on the issue of committing a major sin.
Mu’tazila is a group of Qadriyah. In their opinion, they separated from two misguided groups, which means Sunnis and Khawarijs. Mu’tazila are not the first group that distanced themselves from Islamic thought, but before them there were also groups such as Jahmiyyah and Qadriyah. It presented a complete religious order.
Mu’tazila is a school of intellectual thought that emerged from within the Sunni religious movement, this group put reason in the first place and made many efforts to express Islam and its beliefs in a rational form, which is not in any of its origins. It should not be in contradiction with the conditions of reason and logic. Some researchers in Islamic thought have considered Mu’tazila as one of the most important and oldest schools of thought in the passage of time.
Almost all the sources agree that the true founder of the ‘Itzal religion, after its preliminary and initial stage was completed by Qadriyah, are Wasil bin Ata and Amr bin Ubaid, who were born in 80 AH.
In its origin, their religion is older than Wasil bin Ata and Amr bin Ubaid, that is why many of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, including the caliphs of the Arbaah and Ahl al-Bayt, consider them to be the elders of their religion, Qazi Abdul Jabbar quoted from Ibn Yazdaz. He writes: “The first group of Mu’tazila were the companions of Muhammad, peace be upon him; Because they were very united and integrated with each other that some of them supported each other and considered them as their friends.
Opinion: The fact that they included the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because they were united and integrated with each other, is really a false and baseless reason that is never right to rely on. Because the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, were always united and united, and they were the best models for friendship and love, to the extent that Allah Almighty says about them: «أشداء على الكفار رحماء بينهم»
They are strict with the disbelievers and kind among themselves. Of course, some people have other theories, and their doubts have been answered in the same article in the division of Mu’tazila.
The designation of Mu’tazila
There are some sayings about the name Mu’tazila and why this group was called Mu’tazila. Some people say that the reason was Wasil bin Ata’s withdrawal from the Majlis of Imam Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, and the story is as follows:
One day a person came to Imam Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, and said: O Imam, in our time, a group has appeared who consider the perpetrators of major sins to be infidels, and to them, the major sin is disbelief, which expels a person from the circle of Islam, and this group is “Waydiyyah Khawarij”, and the other group (punishment) of the perpetrators of major sins is delayed. According to this group, major sins do not harm anyone despite faith, but actions, according to the religion of this group, are not a part of faith at all.
In spite of faith, sin does not harm anyone, just as obedience with disbelief does not benefit anyone, and they are the source of this Ummah, what are your decisions regarding this issue? Imam Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) thought about this issue for a moment and before answering, Wasil bin Ata (who was one of the students of Imam Hassan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him and used to attend his classes) said: In my opinion, he is guilty of a great sin. He is neither a complete believer nor a complete disbeliever, but he is in a position that is between the two positions, he is neither a believer nor a disbeliever.
After that, Wasil got up and approached one of the pillars of the mosque and repeated to himself what he had said to the members of the assembly of Imam Hassan Basri. Hazrat Hassan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Wasil distanced himself from us and took the path of retirement. It was from here that he and his companions were called Mu’tazilah.
The second statement: Some people believe that this group is called Mu’tazila because of the words of Jalil al-Qadr Qatadeh, may Allah have mercy on him: “What do the Mu’tazila do?” Usman Tavali narrates: I saw Qatada. He asked me: What made you come to us? Maybe the Mu’tazila prevented you from coming to us? I said: Yes
The third saying: Another group says: They are called Mu’tazila because they opposed the whole Ummah on the issue of the great sin.
The fourth saying: Some say: They were called Mu’tazila because of their political positions and views.
The fifth sentence:Master Ahmad Amin mentioned another name for this group in his book “Fajr al-Islam”, he says: This name was given to them by a group of Jews who had converted to Islam.
The author of the book Aaraa al-Mu’tazilah writes: After stating these words about the designation of ‘Itzaal and Mu’tazila, my opinion and my opinion about Rajeh’s saying is: The designation of ‘Itzaal at the time of ‘Itzaal and the distance of Wasil bin Ata and Amr bin Ubayd from the Majlis of Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him. and the reason for this is two things:
1. This is almost the unanimous opinion of all historians of the group.
２. The noble companions who stayed away from the sedition between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Mu’awiyah, may Allah be pleased with them, were not called Mu’tazila in the term meaning that we know the meaning of this word, but the literal meaning was meant there, this word is confirmed by this word. He says: The Mu’tazila we are discussing were called Mu’tazila because they separated and distanced themselves from the religion of Ahl al-Sunnat and the Jamaat and the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) who were the imams of Ahl al-Sunnat. – There are those who follow reason and not Sharia.
With what has been said, it is considered the mistake of those who included the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as one of the elders of the Mu’tazila; Because the Mu’tazila put ‘Etzaal as their religion and belief, based on its teachings and instructions, they worshiped the Almighty Allah and the Companions avoided that fitna, not because of their belief in ‘Etzaal, but because of their protection from sin and protection muslim blood.
So how is the comparison of these two issues correct with reason? While they themselves are rationalists and put reason as a standard in many things, to the extent that some scholars say: this group puts reason before text. Of course, where there is benefit, reason is also forgotten.
Mu’tazila classes
No Muslim has any doubt that the religion of Islam reached the stage of completion before the death of the Holy Prophet. Because Allah, the Exalted and Exalted, has clearly stated this issue in His Holy Word; Therefore, despite this, any new thing that appears in the belief after him, is considered heresy, misguidance and misguidance, and every misguidance and misguidance is also in the fire.
In any way, they should connect their elders to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in terms of lineage or their classes, and their goal is to state that their views and principles are not innovation, but have deep roots in the righteous predecessors, such as the Companions and Tabi’in, and at the same time, the principles and Their principles are the same principles that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions moved on.
Mu’tazila express their classes as follows:
The first floor: Hazrat Ali, Abu Bakr, Umar, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Masoud, Ibn Umar and Abu Al-Darda, may Allah Almighty bless them.
The second class: Hasan, Hussein, the children of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib “Ibn al-Hanafiyyah”, from the followers of Saeed ibn al-Musayyib, Tavus Yamani, Abu al-Aswad al-Dauli, may Allah have mercy on them.
The third class: Abu Hashem Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah and his brother Hassan bin Muhammad and from the descendants of Ali: Hassan bin Hassan and…
The fourth class: which begins with this group of the Mu’tazila religion in its theological meaning, and they include: Ghilan of Damascus, Wasil bin Ata Allah, Amr bin Obeid, Makhool bin Abdullah and Bashir al Rahal.
The fifth layer: This group is the companions and students of Wasil bin Ata, who sent them to the cities far and near to spread the religion of ‘Etzaal: Abu Omar, Uthman bin Khalid al-Tawil, Qasim bin Sadi, and… their number is large.
Of course, I am not sure about the text of my story. This is a book that mentions the classes of the Mu’tazila 10, and this will be based on what I mentioned here, with a Kurdish chain of transmission. Apparently, it is known that this class is not intended to take the Mu’tazila sect in view of the growing popularity of the school of thought regarding the music of Dad and Gurna Hamman. Such a statement of the strength of the Mu’tazila sect has long been established by Wasel ibn Ata’, Aghaz Jardid. This suspicion has developed completely in the question of the name of Mu’tazila.
Other names of Mu’tazila
The Mu’tazila group has many other names, which are briefly stated here:
1. Justice: because they believed in the justice and wisdom of Almighty Allah;
2. Unified: because they believed that there is no other past than Allah;
3. Delayed: because they shut down all the attributes of Allah Ta’ala;
4. Predestination: because they believed that a person’s destiny is at his own discretion;
5. Jahmia: Because the Mu’tazilah agreed with Jahmia in denying the vision, attributes and creation of the Qur’an;
6. Makhanith al-Khawarij: Because when the Kharijites believed in eternal rest in the fire for sinners, they called them infidels and fought with them, but the Mu’tazila believed that they were eternal in Hell, but they did not have the courage to call them infidels and continue to dare. They did not fight with them;
7. Al-Thanawiya: This is why they were called Al-Thanawiya; because they said that good is from Allah Almighty and evil is from a servant;
8. Vardiya: Because of this, they were called by this name; because they believed that believers do not enter hell, they only pass through it; because whoever enters the fire will not come out;
9. Al-Harqiyyah: The reason for this name is their saying: infidels burn only once;
10. Explanation: because they believed that heaven and hell will perish and be destroyed;
11. Muttazqa: Because they believed that Allah Almighty is everywhere;
12. Al-Qabriya: They were called by this name because of the denial of the torment of the grave.
The next question is, when did the Mu’tazilah live and their most brilliant period was during the time of which Abbasid caliph: Mu’tazilah was the dominant religion and ruler of the period of the three powerful Abbasid caliphs, Harun Rashid, Ma’mun and Mo’tasim. To the extent that some rulers cooperated with them, supported them and entrusted their government positions to them.
Mu’tazila elders and sheikhs
Since the Mu’tazila religion was an all-encompassing religion in its time and they made a lot of efforts to prove themselves in all areas.
This group had many leaders and elders. In the biography of Wasil bin Ata, we read that when he chose this path, he sent a countless number of his disciples to distant regions to propagate his religion. Below, we try to introduce some of the sheikhs and elders who were the most active among them from the reliable books. It is stated in the book “Philosophy of Mu’tazila”:
“The books written about the groups mention about twenty Mu’tazila leaders and sheikhs. The meaning of this statement is that all the Mu’tazila agreed on the five basic principles of their religion. Their differences were only in branches, and the difference of opinion in branches is not considered leaving the religion. Anyone who has made adjustments and changes in one of its branches or explained one of the principles in a different way is a sheikh and has formed a circle for himself and gathered followers and companions around him. This change and transformation shows that they have been trying to a great extent to have study groups for themselves and to train students and assistants, to express their thoughts and ideas to them.
Another point that we should mention here is that the Mu’tazila religion was not limited to one place, but they had influence in many cities and they were able to bring a large number of people to their side, although their first appearance was in Basra, but later it spread This sect spread and reached the corners of the Islamic world, it is stated in the book “Philosophy of Al-Mu’tazila”: “Atzal appeared for the first time in Basra and later its scope expanded and from there it reached Baghdad and in the corner of And it spread all around, of course, Basra and Baghdad were always their beating heart, in these two cities their main base was established, their foundation was strengthened and they flourished, that’s why we are satisfied with the statement of the famous sheikhs of these two cities:
Sheikhs of Basra:
The followers of Wasil bin Ata (died 131 AH, 748 AD) are called Wasiliya;The followers of Amr bin Ubaid (died 143 AH, 762 AD) are called Umriya;
The followers of Abi Hazil Alaf (died 235 AH, 845 AD) are called Haziliyyah;
The followers of Ibrahim Nizam (died 231 AH, 845 AD) are called Nizamiyyah;
The followers of Ali Aswari (contemporary of Nizam) are called Aswariyya;
The followers of Muammar bin Abbad Salmi (environs220 AH, 835 AD) are called Muamriyyah;
The followers of Hisham Qouti (died 200 and 128-815/732 AD) are called Hishamiya;
The followers of Ibad bin Suleiman (died 520 AH, 864 AD)
The followers of Omar ibn Jahiz (died 256 AH, 869 AD) are called Jahiziya;
The followers of Abi Yaqub Shaham (disciple of Abi Hazil who died between 228 and 233 AH, 842/847 AD) are called Shehamiya;
The followers of Ibn Ali Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab al-Jaba’i (died 303 AH, 905 AD) are called Jaba’iyya;
The followers of Abu Hashim Abdul Salam bin Al-Jaba’i (died 122 AH, 933 AD) are called Behshmiyah;
This was a long list of the names of Mu’tazila sheikhs and elders who were active in Basra, and each of them had a special group for themselves, who followed him and acted on issues according to the style of their sheikh. Because the majority of Basra sheikhs were told; Here, it is appropriate to mention the Sheikhs of Baghdad. Because it was already mentioned that these two cities were the biggest base and beating heart of the Mu’tazila, their medicine.
Sheikh of Baghdad:
The followers of Bishr bin Mu’tamar – the founder of this branch – (died 210 AH, 825 AD) are called Bushriyeh;
The followers of Abi Musa Mardar (died 226 AH, 841 AD) are called Mardariyah;
Followers of Jafar bin Harb (died 226 AH);
The followers of Jafar bin Mubasher (died 234 AH, 849 AD) are called Jafariyah;
The followers of Thamama bin Ashras (died 213 AH, 828) are called Thamamiyyah;
The followers of Abi al-Hussein Khayat (died 290 AH, 902 AD) are called Khayatiya;
The followers of Abi al-Qasim ibn Muhammad Balkhi Kaabi (died 319 AH, 931 AD) are called Kaabiyyah;
The followers of Muhammad bin Abd Allah Askafi (died 240 AH, 854 AD) are called Askafiyya.
In addition to these twenty people, there are a large number of Mu’tazila sheikhs and elders that Khayat mentioned in his book, although they did not have a special circle; But they tried to stabilize the religion and its strength and explained the thoughts and ideas of their teachers. of course, due to lack of space in this article, we will not mention their names here.
Owner of al-Farq between al-Farq writes: “The Mu’tazila sect had 22 sects that considered every other sect to be infidels, however, they all cooperated in some cases.”
The author of the book “Mazhab Al-Mu’tazilah Man Al-Kalam Ili Al-Falsafa” writes the reason why this religion originated in Basra and Baghdad and grew there: “Because there was intellectual and cultural activity in this region and maybe This was a kind of cooperation and contribution for the political conflict against the Umayyad rule; [Mu’tazila] A group that was directly related to the Qadiriya movement and was considered one of the sources of Mu’tazila, after that, ‘Etzaal penetrated from its place of establishment to Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, which attracted thinkers and philosophers; Because now Baghdad was a place of scientific and cultural vitality that the Abbasid caliphs encouraged.”
In the end, I would like to point out: Although this group attributes itself to the Companions, Ahl al-Bayt, and Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and proves their origin from the beginning of Islam, it should be known that this relationship is not correct and many scholars They have denied this ratio and have different types of expressions for each of these hermits.
Another point that can be discussed here is that some writers write: Western writers are influenced by some opinions and ideas of Mu’tazila scholars, especially the part that is related to reason, even to the extent that one of these writers in The book itself clearly states that today, in addition to the problems that have arisen and the violence, extremism and extremism of some groups, there is a strong need for Mu’tazila’s rationality to solve the problems. The issue of reason and its difference, as well as the perception of Ahl, Jamaat and Mu’tazila about reason, will be explained in detail in the future parts of this article. Inshallah
Continues…
