Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari
Muslim theologian (874–936) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari[lower-alpha 1] (Arabic: أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ, romanized: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī; 874–936 CE) was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist of the Shafi'i school, exegete, reformer, and scholastic theologian known for being the eponymous founder of the Ash'ari school of Islamic theology.[1][2][3][4][5]
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari | |
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أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ | |
Title |
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Personal | |
Born | 874 CE (260 AH) Basra, Abbasid Caliphate |
Died | 936 CE (324 AH; aged 62–63) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate |
Religion | Islam |
Era | Islamic Golden Age (Abbasid era) |
Region | Abbasid Caliphate |
Denomination | Sunni |
School | Shafi'i |
Main interest(s) | |
Notable idea(s) | Ash'arism |
Notable work(s) |
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Arabic name | |
Personal (Ism) | ʿAlī عَلِيّ |
Patronymic (Nasab) | Ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Isḥāq ٱبْن إِسْمَاعِيل بْن إِسْحَاق |
Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū al-Ḥasan أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن |
Toponymic (Nisba) | Al-Ashʿarī ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ |
Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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Influenced
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Al-Ash'ari was notable for taking an intermediary position between the two diametrically opposed schools of Islamic theology prevalent at the time: Atharism and Mu'tazilism.[1][2][4] He primarily opposed the Mu'tazili theologians who advocated the use of rationalism in theological debate and believed the Quran was created, as opposed to uncreated.[1][4] On the other hand, the Hanbalis and traditionists were opposed to the use of philosophy or speculative theology, and condemned any theological debate altogether.[1][4][6]
Al-Ash'ari established a middle way between the doctrines of the aforementioned schools, based both on reliance on the sacred scriptures of Islam and theological rationalism concerning free will and attributes of God.[1][2][4][7] His school eventually became the predominant school of theological thought within Sunni Islam.[3][4][8][9][10] By contrast, Shia Muslims do not accept his theological beliefs, as his works also involved refuting Shia Islam.