ImamAshariRepudiatingAsharism?

ImamAshari
Repudiating
Asharism

Question2
TheSalafisclaimthatAbulHasanAshariformulatedtheAsharitenets
ofIslamicfaith(aqida)whilehewasbetweentheMutazilaandAhlal
Sunna,andthathelaterrefutedhisformulationsandjoinedAhlal
SunnaintheHanbalimadhhabbeforehedied.Isthereanytruthinthis?
Theysayhislastbook,alIbana,containstherefutations.Ifnot,how
canIproveittothesepeople?Theyalsosaythathehadaseconddream
inwhichtheProphet(Allahblesshimandgivehimpeace)appearedto
himandtoldhimthathisAsharipositionswerewrong!
Answer
TheAsharischoolandMaturidischoolshaverepresentedtheaqidaortenetsofbeliefofthemajority
ofSunniMuslimsformorethanathousandyearsjustastheHanafi,Maliki,Shafii,andHanbalischoolshave
representedtheshariaorSacredLawforthemajorityofSunniMuslimsforthisperiod.Thoseagainstthese
twotraditionalschoolsoftenetsoffaitharepeopleofbida,definedinafatwaorformallegalopinionbyImam
IbnHajarHaytamiaswhoeverisuponotherthanthepathofAhlalSunnawalJamaa,AhlalSunnawal
JamaameaningthefollowersofSheikhAbulHasanAshariandAbuMansurMaturidi,thetwoImamsofAhl
alSunna(Haytami,alFatawaalhadithiyya,280).Inthepast,suchcontraventions,asidefromMutazilites,
Shiites,andpurelysectarianmovements,wereconfinedtoahandfulofmainlyHanbalis,whoseboneof
contentionwiththetwotraditionalschoolswasthatneitherhadanythingtodowiththeirliteralist,
anthropomorphicunderstandingofAllahMostHigh,whichtheypromotedbyallmeansattheirdisposal.
Inanswertoyourquestion,theclaimsthatImamAbulHasanAshari(d.324/936)repudiatedhisownpositions
arenotnew,buthavebeencirculatedbytheseHanbalisforalongtime,afactthatcompelledthehadithmaster
(hafiz)IbnAsakirtocarefullyinvestigatethisquestion,andthesanads(chainsofnarrators)fortheattribution
oftheserepudiationstoAshari.Theresultsofhisresearchfurnishedprobablythebestintellectualbiographyof
Asharieverdone,abookthatrebutstheseclaimsthoroughlyanduniquivocally,calledTabyinkadhibal
muftarifimanusibailaalImamalAshari[Onshowingtheuntruthoftheliars,concerningwhathasbeen
ascribedtoImamAshari],thatprovesthatthereareliarsinallthesanadsthatimputethistoImamAshari.The
bookisinprint,andwhoeverwouldlikethedetailsshouldreadit.
ImamAsharisalIbanaanusulaldiyana[Theclarificationofthebasesofthereligion]wasnothislastbook,
butratheramongthefirstafterhebrokewithMutazilism.ImamKawtharistates:

TheIbanawasauthoredatthefirstofhisreturnfromMutazilitethought,andwasbywayoftryingto
induce[n:theHanbaliliteralist]Barbahari(d.328/940)toembracethetenetsoffaithofAhlalSunna.
Whoeverbelievesittobethelastofhisbooksbelievessomethingthatispatentlyfalse.Moreover,penafter
penoftheanthropomorphistshashadfreedisposalofthetextparticularlyafterthestrife(fitna)thattook
placeinBaghdad[n:afterA.H.323,whenHanbalis(thedisciplesofBarbahari)gainedtheupperhandin
Baghdad,MuslimsoftheShafiimadhhabwerebeaten,andanthropomorphismbecamethefaith(aqida)of
theday(IbnAthir:alKamalfialtarikh,7.114)]sothatwhatisintheworkthatcontradictstheexplicit
positionstransmittedfromAsharibyhisowndisciples,andtheirdisciples,cannotbereliedupon(alSayfal
saqil,108).

Thisisborneoutbyhadithmaster(hafiz)DhahabiinhisSiyaralamalnubala(15.90),aswellasIbn
AsakirsTabyinkadhibalmuftari.Asforseeingdreams,dreamsmaywarmtheheart,buttheyarenotaproof
foreitherIslamiclawortenetsoffaith.InhisintroductiontoIbnAsakirswork,Kawtharinotesthatthe
anthropomorphistsaretheoneswhoseemtoneedthis[relatingofdreams]:whenunabletoprovetheirpoint
whileawake,theygotosleep,tofindtheproofstheyarelookingforwhileasleep,tofilltheirbookswiththem
(Tabyinkadhibalmuftari(2122).
Inrelationtoyourquestionsingeneral,itisnoteworthythatSaudiArabiahasprintedanddistributed
worldwidethousandsofcopiesofaSalafibookcalledManhajalAshairafialaqida[Themethodologyofthe
Asharisintenetsoffaith]byoneSafarHawali,aprofessoratUmmalQuraUniversityinMecca.Itascribesto
theAsharischoolthemisrepresentationstypicalofthatpartoftheworld,identifyingtheschoolwiththe
positionsofhereticalsectsliketheJahmiyya,theQadriyya,Murjiites,andsoon,andcontainsanumberofthe
thingsyouaskedabouttheAsharis,soIwouldguessthisisthemisinformationthatyourEnglishSalafisare
goingupon.OnecanfindthedetailsinHasanSaqqafsrecentrebuttaloftheworkentitledTahniaalsadiqal
mahbub,wanaylalsururalmatlub,bimaghazalaSafaralmaghlub[Thegreetingofthebelovedfriend,and
attainmentofhappinesssought,inaffectionatediscoursewithSafarthedefeated].IhaveheardthatHawalihas
sincemovedonfromhispositions,thoughIdonotknowthedetails.
SaqqafalsotalksinhisworkaboutthebogusHanbalirepentancesofvariousAshariImamssuchasAshari,
Juwayni,andGhazali,thatdontappearintheirbooksbuthaveratherreachedusbysanadseachcontaining
anantiAshariortwo,asisalsocorroboratedbyIbnSubkiinhisTabaqatalShafiiyyaalkubra[Thegreater
compendiumofthesuccessivegenerationsofShafiischolars]underthebiographicalentriesoneachofthese
scholars.
FromthewiderperspectiveofIslamiclaw,theseforgeriesarerathermeaningless,sinceaMuslimmaynot
believeintheIslamicfaith(aqida)ofAhlalSunnamerelybecausehisImamhassaidit,butratherbecausehe
sincerelybelievesitisthetruth.Scholarssaythatitisnotlegallyvalidtofollowqualifiedscholarship(taqlid)in
tenetsofIslamicfaith(asopposedtorulingsofIslamiclaw)unlessonehasfullconvictionofthesetenetsof
faithfromonesownheartwhichiswhytheytellusthatonesfaith(iman)bytaqlidinsuchtenetsisonly
legallyvalidonconditionthatifonesImamweretoceasebelievingsomethingofthem,onewouldnot.Sothe
forgerieswouldseemtohavelittlescholarlyrelevance,otherthantoshowthelengthstowhichtheirperpetrators

werewillingtogo.