Kalām in the crossfire: A historical survey of the legitimacy of the study of theology within the Sunni school of Islam

Nafiseh F Moghaddas,Sayyid M Yazdani

doi:10.4102/hts.v77i4.6917

Abstract

The aim of this article is to briefly introduce and to examine the views of the founders of the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (namely, Abū Hanīfa Nuʻmān ibn Thābit, Mālik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfʻī, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal) and that of their renowned students and followers, regarding the legitimacy of engaging in the study of Islamic doctrinal beliefs or Kalām. Different, and often conflicting, views have been postulated on this matter. Some Sunni thinkers have condemned the pursuit of theology as an act of heresy and denounced its practitioners as apostates. Other Sunni thinkers have extolled this discipline as the noblest of sciences whose learning and teaching are, at least under certain circumstances, incumbent. This fundamental dispute regarding the legitimacy of the discipline of theology has resulted in a rather contentious and opaque scholarly environment. In addition to the inherent importance of the discipline of theology as such, the significance of this dispute is compounded by the impact that the attitude one adopts toward this discipline can have on the development of the intellectual and rational aspects of Islam. A negative attitude toward theology, for example, can hamper the application of rational elements to Islamic doctrine. Our focus in this article is on analysing the views of the leading thinkers and jurists of the Sunni school and investigating the most authoritative sources of doctrinal tradition within this major denomination of Islam. Our study leads us to conclude that the disapproving views of the preeminent Sunni figures should be construed, not as a denunciation of the discipline of theology per se, but as a refutation of certain theological principles and persuasions that are viewed as incompatible with orthodox Islamic faith. In addition to and preceding that conclusion, this article provides a survey of the literature concerning the views of Muslim scholars on the legitimacy of Kalām. After categorising these views into the two opposite camps of Kalam’s legitimacy and illegitimacy, the article then proceeds to evaluate and critically analyse them, and to resolve some of their initial incompatibilities.Contribution: The article sheds new light on the historical development of the discipline of theology within the Sunni schools of Islam. This is a little-studied and often overlooked subject that can help in attaining a better understanding of how this critical field within religious studies has emerged into its present form.

Highlights

The branch of traditional religious studies in Islam that deals with religious belief and doctrine is designated as kalām, but it is referred to by such other descriptive titles as: al-fiqh al-akbar (‘the greatest knowledge’), ʻilm al-tawḥīd (‘the science of divine unity’), ʻilm uṣūl al-dīn (‘the science of the principles of faith’),ʻilm sharīat (‘the science of the path of faith’), andaqlīyāt (‘the rational principles’)
The aim of this article is to analyse the views of Muslim thinkers regarding the legitimacy or illegitimacy, of the study of Kalām, and why its practitioners have been denounced as heretics and apostates by some major Muslim figures
As the application of the term kalām to the discipline responsible for defending the articles of Islamic faith was first popularised by the Mutazilah, the designation mutikallim was used by the members of the Ahl al-Ḥadīth movement to refer exclusively to Mutazilī theologians

Summary

Introduction

The branch of traditional religious studies in Islam that deals with religious belief and doctrine is designated as kalām, but it is referred to by such other descriptive titles as: al-fiqh al-akbar (‘the greatest knowledge’), ʻilm al-tawḥīd (‘the science of divine unity’) (see Taftāzānī 1401 AH, 1:6), ʻilm uṣūl al-dīn (‘the science of the principles of faith’) (see Ibn Athīr Jazarī 1400 AH, 3:161),ʻilm sharīat (‘the science of the path of faith’), andaqlīyāt (‘the rational principles’) (see Ibn Taymīyah 1425 AH, 19:307). Shahrastānī claimed that the use of the appellation kalām to designate this discipline was first employed by Mutazilī theologians (Shahrastānī 1404 AH, 1:30). The function of this discipline consists of proving and articulating the principal doctrines of faith – including postulating the facts that constitute the believer’s knowledge of God, shedding light on how obedience to God can be manifested, expounding on the nature of divine prophecy and the character of God’s prophets – and defending the ‘boundaries’ of faith against the criticisms posed by disbelieving sceptics (see Muẓaffar 1422 AH, 1:19). The views of the representatives of each side will be discussed below

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion