The Mu’tazila relied on the subordination of reason to religious texts (the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace). For this reason, they interpreted the strong verses to align with their reasoning and their ideas about the five principles. Subsequently, they rejected Ahad hadiths and also Mutawatir hadiths when they were in conflict with their intellect.
Accordingly, the Mu’tazila either interpreted or denied all elements that conflicted with their rational perspectives. The truth is that the Mu’tazila turned to interpretation in order to create harmony between their rational views and the authenticity of the definitive Qur’anic texts. According to the Mu’tazila, reason is the source of knowledge; therefore, they do not accept anything unless their intellect concurs with the text. For this reason, some people argue that they permit the interpretation of the Qur’an and its meanings in such a way that their reasoning substantiates it.
We discuss below some of the verses that are not in harmony with the Mu’tazila’s viewpoint and that have been justified and interpreted:
For example, the verse: «ختم الله علی قلوبهم وعلی سمعهم وعلی أبصارهم غشاوة ولهم عذاب عظیم» Translation: “Allah has put a seal on their hearts and on their ears and a veil over their vision, and they have a terrible punishment [ahead].”
Imam Beyzawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states in his interpretation of this verse: “The opinions and ideas of the Mu’tazila were troubled in the interpretation of this verse. They mentioned several ways to interpret it, and subsequently, he quotes seven types of interpretation and justification from their words, which seem to be based on their parameters. This ending is considered as their nature, or it is actually the act of the devil or an infidel. However, because it was issued by the power of Allah Almighty, it is attributed to Him as the cause of the act. Alternatively, the meaning of this ending pertains to the hereafter…”
Moreover, they interpreted the verse «وکلم الله موسی تکلیما,» which does not align with their beliefs, positing that in this verse the majestic word “Allah” is assigned according to the object, and the name “Moses” is raised according to the effect—by this, they completely nullified the attribute of speech.
From their perspective, they took a dismissive approach towards the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and ignored its significance. They underestimated the benefit of learning hadith and warned against it, condemning its scholars and arguing that lying in hadith is permissible! [The Mutawatir reports according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa Jama’ah are those whose authenticity has been definitively proven; because this type of report has conditions that make the possibility of falsehood nearly impossible, while the Mu’tazila believe that intellectual proof is sufficient to reject reports].
However, regarding Ahad hadith [a hadith that does not meet the conditions of a Mutawatir hadith], they do not reach a consensus on its truth or falsity [even though it may be of the highest level of authenticity and both Bukhari and Muslim agree on its correctness]. Some of the Mu’tazila do not argue with it at all concerning religious matters, while some do not believe in the hadith when it contradicts reason, and other groups refrain from mentioning it, particularly regarding matters of belief. Issues in which the Mu’tazila have rejected Ahad hadiths include the attributes of Allah Almighty, the vision of Allah Almighty in the Hereafter, the creation of benefits for His servants, the ruling on committing major sins, the issue of intercession, the punishment of the grave, and other topics.
It goes without saying that we have explained these issues in detail previously; only some of these matters remain, which we will express in future sections, Allah willing.
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