Abstract
Understanding the socio-cultural identity of contemporary North Africa (Maghreb) and the background of much of its political development should not be held away from its religious, theological and juristic history. The reason being that neglect of the religious history of the region only obscures our vision of the real driving forces shaping much of today’s religious and cultural progress in the Maghreb. This study examines the historical stages and characteristics of the Ash‘arite intellectual development in the Maghreb while exploring factors contributing to the shaping of its intellectual unity. The scope of this inquiry is to examine the historical and intellectual evolution of Asharism in the Maghreb; some of its profound implications on society, religious instruction, and eventually the political history of the region will also be inspected. This research touches on fundamental evolutionary stages in the formation and consolidation of Ash‘arism in the Maghreb, each of which exerts socio-political implications on the region while also reflecting the intellectual, political and cultural interaction with the Muslim East. This research is instrumental to the understanding of the efforts made by respective governments in the Maghreb to strengthen Ash‘arism to preserve viable and sustainable unity between Muslims in the region. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3p291
Highlights
The rise of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash‘ari (874-936) in the fourth century represents a turning point in the historical development of religious and intellectual unity for Muslims; it is so perhaps because of the volatile intellectual life, following the conflicts arising between the Hijazi ‘Alawites and the Levantine Umayyad
Öarir is known for his theolgocal treatise entitled ‘al-tanbih wa al-irshad fi ‘ilm al-i‘tiqad’, a didactic poetry in more than one thousand and six hundred verses on the Ash‘arite theology written in a simple style for children and beginners (Harakat, II: 321)
Perhaps the only remaining exception are the ‘Ibadites who could withstand the infiltration of pan-Maghreb Ash‘arism. Ash‘arism readily tolerated their presence so long the socio-religious identity and hierarchy of Maghrib
Summary
The rise of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash‘ari (874-936) in the fourth century represents a turning point in the historical development of religious and intellectual unity for Muslims; it is so perhaps because of the volatile intellectual life, following the conflicts arising between the Hijazi ‘Alawites and the Levantine Umayyad. This study does not strictly follow a chronological historical sequence leading to the birth of Ash‘arism as most of these incidents are known in current academic research (al-‘Urwi 1994; Saghir 2005; al-Idrisi; al-Tumami 2004) Instead, it chooses to discuss the main characteristics of Ash‘arism which spread throughout the Islamic world. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d.1209) on the other hand intergrated philosophy and logic with scholastic theology; his work reflects the nature of the period during which the Islamic philosophy was at its peak This forced Ash‘arite scholars to engage with the philosophical issues and problems so as to address inquiries of philosophy (Ibn Khaldun 2004)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
