Atharism

Athari (Classical Arabic: أثري), ("textualism"), is a suposed third school or movement of traditionalist Islamic scholars who reject Islamic "theology" (kalam) in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran, but it never existed. The wahabi to justify their new aquida, invented this supposed story of third school.

For the Atharis, the "clear" meaning of the Qur'an and especially the prophetic traditions have sole authority in matters of belief, as well as law, and to engage in rational disputation, even if one arrives at the truth, is absolutely forbidden.^[1] Atharis engage in an amodal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in Ta'wil (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to rationally conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone (tafwid).^[2] This theology was taken from exegesis of the Quran and statements of the early Muslims and later codified by a number of scholars including Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Qudamah. Atharism is anthropotheism.

Founders

Atharism originally traced back and attributed to Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Barbahari who deviated from the creed of the early Muslims. While ach'arism and Maturidism are the true schools of thaought and trace back to the four Scholars, Athari can't be the third school. It hadn't any followers, no books.

Later on,Ibn Qudama al Maqdasi came to be the highly regarded upholder of Atharism. He harshly rebuked theology as one of the worst of all heresies. He characterized it's partisans, it's theologians, as innovators and heretics who had betrayed and deviated from the simple and pious faith. He writes: "The theologians are intensely hated in this world, and they will be tortured in the next. None among them will prosper, nor will he succeed in following the right direction...".^[3]

The American scholar Suhaib Webb, mentioned the essential texts of the Athari creed in his website^[4] where he mentioned;

The most important Athari texts are of Ibn taymiyya and Ibn abdel Waheb.

Definitions

Jeffry R. Halverson describes the essence of Atharism as a "rejection of the formulation of the articles of belief through rational discourse known as kalam, or theology, in favor of strict unquestioning adherence to the outward meanings of the Qur'an, traditions, and the way of the salaf."^[5]

Beliefs

On the Qur'an

The Atharis believe that every part of the Qur'an is uncreated (ghayr makhluq).^[6]^[7] It is reported that Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said that: "The Qur'an is God's Speech, which He expressed; it is uncreated. He who claims the opposite is a Jahmite, an infidel. And he who says, "The Qur'an is God's Speech," and stops there without adding "uncreated," speaks even more abominably than the former.".^[8]

On Kalam and Human Reason

For the Athari movement, the validity of human reason is severely limited, and rational proofs can neither be trusted nor relied upon in matters of belief, thus making kalam a blameworthy innovation.^[9] Rational proofs, unless they are Qur'anic in origin are considered non-existent and wholly invalid.^[10] Historically, the rejection of rational contemplation developed into a set of doctrines that were quite distinct from those of the Sunni theologians. These distinctly Athari doctrines were then propagated in the form of creedal statements.^[10]

Examples of Atharis who wrote books against the use of kalam and human reason include Khwaja Abdullah Ansari and Ibn Qudama.^[11]

On the Attributes of God

The Athari's staunchly affirm the existence of the Attributes of God and considered all of these to be equally eternal. They leave the verses of the Qur'an in question as well as the related ahadith simply as they are, accepting the poetical statements just as they occurred, without applying much reason either to criticize or expand upon them.^[12] According to Athari's, the real meanings of the Attributes of God should be consigned to God Alone (tafwid).^[13] According to this method, one should adhere to the sacred text of the Qur'an and believe that it is the truth without trying to explain it through figurative explanation.^[14]

Ahmed Ibn Hanbal reportedly stated that "His Attributes proceed from Him and are His own, we do not go beyond the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet and his Companions; nor do we know the how of these, save by the acknowledgement of the Apostle and the confirmation of the Qur'an".^[15]

Abu Hanifah puts the matter succinctly: "All His qualities are different from those of creatures. He knoweth, but not in the way of our knowledge; He is mighty, but not in the way of our power; He seeth, but not in the way of our seeing; He speaketh, but not in the way of our speaking; He Heareth, but not in the way of our hearing. We speak by means of organs and letters, Allah speaks without instruments and letters. Letters are created but the speech of Allah is uncreated."^[12]

He also declares that: "Allah is [a] thing, not as other things but in the sense of positive existence; without body, without substance, without accidents."^[12]

Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi stated that: "For we have no need to know the meaning which Allah intended by His attributes; no course of action is intended by them, nor is there any obligation attached to them. It is possible to believe in them without the knowledge of their intended sense."^[16]

Anthropomorphism was common for the Athari scholars like Ibn al-Jawzi. Athari scholars did espouse extreme Anthropomorphic views, but they vary sometimes.^[17]

On Iman (faith)

The Athari's hold that Iman (faith) increases and decreases in correlation with the performance of prescribed rituals and duties, such as the five daily prayers.^[18]^[19] They believe that Iman (faith) resides in the heart, in the utterance of the tongue, and in the action of the limbs.^[8]

Iman is defined by Atharis as being composed of six key pillars. These being;

Belief in Allah
His Angels
His Messengers
His Books
The Last Day
Divine pre-ordainment good or bad ^[20]^{[full citation needed]}

References

^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36.
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36-37.
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 38
^ "Suhaib! Where do you stand? What kind of Muslim are you?". suhaibwebb.com.
^ Halverson, Jeffry R. (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and ... Palgrave Macmillan. p. 43. ... The essences of the Athari movement remains the same, namely, a shared rejection of the formulation of the articles of belief through rational discourse known as kalam, or theology, in favor of strict unquestioning adherence to the outward meanings of the Qur'an, traditions, and the way of the salaf.
^ A. R. Agwan, N. K. Singh, Encyclopedia of the Holy Qur'an, ISBN 8187746009, p 678
^ Christopher Melchert, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Oneworld Publ., 2006, p 154
^ ^a ^b Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 41
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36
^ ^a ^b Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 39
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 37.
^ ^a ^b ^c Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Anthropomorphic Depictions of God: The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable, p 573. ISBN 1565645758
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36-37
^ Binyāmîn Abrahamov, Anthropomorphism and Interpretation of the Qur'an in the Theology of Al-Qasim Ibn Ibrahim: Kitab Al-Mustarshid (Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science). ISBN 9004104089, p 6.
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 42
^ David Waines, An Introduction to Islam, ISBN 0521539064. p 122
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 40.
^ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 20
^ Herbert W. Mason, Humaniora Islamica, Volume 1, p 123.
^ Ibn Taymiyya, Book of Faith

[1] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36.

[2] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36-37.

[3] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 38

[4] "Suhaib! Where do you stand? What kind of Muslim are you?". suhaibwebb.com.

[halverson-5] Halverson, Jeffry R. (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and ... Palgrave Macmillan. p. 43. ... The essences of the Athari movement remains the same, namely, a shared rejection of the formulation of the articles of belief through rational discourse known as kalam, or theology, in favor of strict unquestioning adherence to the outward meanings of the Qur'an, traditions, and the way of the salaf.

[6] A. R. Agwan, N. K. Singh, Encyclopedia of the Holy Qur'an, ISBN 8187746009, p 678

[7] Christopher Melchert, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Oneworld Publ., 2006, p 154

[Jeffry_R._Halverson_p_41-8] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 41

[9] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36

[Jeffry_R._Halverson_p_39-10] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 39

[11] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 37.

[Zulfiqar_Ali_Shah_p_573-12] Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Anthropomorphic Depictions of God: The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable, p 573. ISBN 1565645758

[13] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36-37

[14] Binyāmîn Abrahamov, Anthropomorphism and Interpretation of the Qur'an in the Theology of Al-Qasim Ibn Ibrahim: Kitab Al-Mustarshid (Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science). ISBN 9004104089, p 6.

[15] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 42

[16] David Waines, An Introduction to Islam, ISBN 0521539064. p 122

[17] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 40.

[18] Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 20

[19] Herbert W. Mason, Humaniora Islamica, Volume 1, p 123.

[20] Ibn Taymiyya, Book of Faith

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