# Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari

Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (Arabic: أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ, romanized: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī; 874–936 CE) was an Arab Muslim theologian known for being the eponymous founder of the Ash'ari school of kalam in Sunnism.
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. He primarily opposed the Mu'tazili theologians on God's eternal attributes and Quranic createdness. On the other hand, the Hanbalis and traditionists were opposed to the use of philosophy or speculative theology, and condemned any theological debate altogether.
Al-Ash'ari established a middle way between the doctrines of the aforementioned schools, based both on theological rationalism (kalam) and the interpretation of the Quran and Sunna. His school eventually became the predominant school of theological thought within Sunni Islam. By contrast, Shia Muslims do not accept his theological beliefs, as his works also involved refuting Shia Islam.

## Biography

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī was born in Basra, Iraq, and was a descendant of Abū Mūsa al-Ashʿarī, who belonged to the first generation of Muhammad's closest companions (ṣaḥāba). As a young man he studied under al-Jubba'i, a renowned teacher of Muʿtazilite theology and philosophy.
According to the traditional account, al-Ashʿarī remained a Muʿtazilite theologian until his 40th year, when he allegedly saw the Islamic prophet Muhammad in his dreams three times during the month of Ramaḍān. The first time, Muhammad told him to support what was narrated from himself, that is, the prophetic traditions (ḥadīth). Al-Ashʿarī became worried, as he had numerous strong proofs contradictory to the prophetic traditions. After 10 days, he saw Muhammad again: Muhammad reiterated that he should support the ḥadīth. Subsequently, al-Ashʿarī forsook kalām (dialectical theology) and started following the ḥadīth alone. On the 27th night of Ramaḍān, he saw Muhammad for the last time. Muhammad told him that he had not commanded him to forsake kalām, but only to support the traditions narrated from himself. Thereupon, al-Ashʿarī started to advocate in favor of the authority of the ḥadīth reports, finding proofs for these that he said he had not read in any books.
After this experience, he left the Muʿtazilite school and became one of its most distinguished opponents, using the philosophical methods he had learned from them in order to refute their theological doctrine. Then, al-Ashʿarī spent the remaining years of his life engaged in developing his views and in composing polemics and arguments against his former Muʿtazilite colleagues. Al-Ashʿarī wrote more than 90 works during his lifetime, little of which have survived to the present day.

## Views

Part of a series on :
Ash'arism :
Rock carved with al-'Aqida al-Murshida by Ibn Tumart :
Background :
Sunni Islam
Kullabiyya
Ahl al-Ra'y
Kalam :
Eminent scholars
3rd AH/9th AD
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 324/936)
Ibn Khafif (d. 371/982)
4th AH/10th AD
Al-Baqillani (d. 403/1013)
Ibn Furak (d. 406/1015)
Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini (d. 418/1027)
'Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429/1037)
Abu 'Imran al-Fasi (d. 430/1038-9)
Abu Dharr al-Harawi (d. 434/1043)
Al-Mawardi (d. 450/1058)
Al-Bayhaqi (d. 458/1066)
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463/1071)
Al-Qushayri (d. 465/1072)
Abu al-Walid al-Baji (d. 474/1081)
Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi (d. 476/1083)
Al-Juwayni (d. 478/1085)
5th AH/11th AD
Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (d. 502/1108)
Al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111)
Abu al-Qasim al-Ansari (d. 511 or 512/1117-19)
Ibn 'Aqil (d. 513/1119)
Ibn Rushd al-Jadd (d. 520/1126)
Al-Mazari (d. 536/1141)
Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (d. 543/1148)
Al-Qadi 'Iyad (d. 544/1149)
Al-Shahrastani (d. 548/1153)
Ibn 'Asakir (d. 571/1176)
Ahmad al-Rifa'i (d. 578/1182)
6th AH/12th AD
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606/1209)
Ibn al-Athir (d. 630/ 1233)
Sayf al-Din al-Amidi (d. 631/1233)
Ibn al-Hajib (d. 646/1248)
'Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam (d. 660/1262)
Al-Qurtubi (d. 671/1272)
Al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277)
Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (d. 684/1285)
Al-Baydawi (d. c. 685/1286)
Ibn al-Nafis (d. 687/1288)
7th AH/13th AD
Ibn Daqiq al-'Id (d. 702/1302)
Ibn 'Ata' Allah (d. 709/1309)
Safi al-Din al-Hindi (d. 715/1315)
Ibn Juzayy (d. 741/1340)
Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati (d. 745/1344)
Taqi al-Din al-Subki (d. 756/1355)
'Adud al-Din al-'Iji (d. 757/1355)
Taj al-Din al-Subki (d. 771/1370)
Shams al-Din al-Kirmani (d. 786/1384)
Al-Taftazani (d. 793/1390)
Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (d. 794/1392)
8th AH/14th AD
Ibn 'Arafa (d. 803/1401)
Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini (d. 805/1405)
Zain al-Din al-'Iraqi (d. 806/1404)
Nur al-Din al-Haythami (d. 807/1404-5)
Ibn Khaldun (d. 808/1406)
Al-Sharif al-Jurjani (d. 816/1413)
Ibn al-Jazari (d. 833/1429)
Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 852/1449)
Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli (d. 864/1459)
'Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi (d. 875/1470)
Ahmad Zarruq (d. 899/1493)
9th AH/15th AD
Al-Sakhawi (d. 902/1497)
Jalal al-Din al-Dawani (d. 907/1501 or 908/1502)
Al-Suyuti (d. 911/1505)
Al-Qastallani (d. 923/1517)
Zakariyya al-Ansari (d. 926/1520)
Al-Sha'rani (d. 973/1565)
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974/1567)
Al-Khatib al-Shirbini (d. 977/1570)
10th AH/16th AD
Ibn 'Ashir (d. 1040/1631)
Ahmad al-Maqqari (d. 1041/1632)
Ibrahim al-Laqqani (d. 1041/1631)
Muhammad Mayyara (d. 1072/1662)
11th AH/17th AD
Al-Hasan al-Yusi (d. 1102/1691)
Muhammad al-Zurqani (d. 1122/1710)
'Abdallah ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad (d. 1132/1720)
Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (d. 1176/1762)
12th AH/18th AD
Ahmad al-Dardir (d. 1204/1786)
Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba (d. 1224/1809)
Ibn Kiran (d. 1227/1812)
Ahmad al-Tijani (d. 1230/1815)
Ibrahim al-Bajuri (d. 1276/1859-60)
Muhammad 'Ilish (d. 1299/1882)
13th AH/19th AD
Ahmad Zayni Dahlan (d. 1304/1886)
Yusuf al-Nabhani (d. 1350/1931)
Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (d. 1379/1960)
Muhammad al-'Arabi al-Tabbani (d. 1390/1970)
Muhammad al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur (d. 1393/1973)
14th AH/20th AD
Muhammad Mitwalli al-Sha'rawi (d. 1419/1998)
Muhammad 'Alawi al-Maliki (d. 1425/2004)
'Abdullah al-Harari (d. 1429/2008)
Nuh al-Qudah (d. 1432/2010)
Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti (d. 1434/2013)
Wahbah al-Zuhayli (d. 1436/2015)
Muhammad 'Ali al-Sabuni (d. 1442/2021) :
Theological works
Istihsan al-Khawd fi 'Ilm al-Kalam
Mujarrad Maqalat al-Ash'ari
Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari
Al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya
Sharh al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya
Al-Insaf
Al-Irshad
Al-Iqtisad
Tahafut al-Falasifa
Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat
Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya
Al-Farq bayn al-Firaq
Al-Milal wa al-Nihal
Asas al-Taqdis
Daf' Shubah al-Tashbih
Lubab al-Muhassal
Al-Murshid al-Mu'een
Jawharat al-Tawhid :
Institutions
Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari Center
Al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad
Al-Azhar University
Al-Qarawiyyin University
Al-Zaytuna Mosque
Umayyad Mosque
Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyya
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
Islamic Education Movement
International Islamic University Malaysia :
Events
2016 International Islamic Conference :
Related groups
Classic
Maturidis
Sufis
Ahl al-Hadith
Modern
Al-Ahbash
Deobandis
Barelvis :
Islam portal
Category :
vte :
After leaving the Muʿtazila school, and joining the side of traditionalist theologians al-Ash'ari formulated the theology of Sunni Islam through Kalam and the usage of the Qur'an and Sunnah, following in the footsteps of Ibn Kullab and confirming the methods of other traditionalists such as Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal a century earlier. He was followed in this by a large number of distinguished scholars of Sunni Islam, many of whom belonged to the Shafi'i school of law. The most famous of these are Abu al-Hasan al-Bahili [ar], al-Baqillani, al-Juwayni, al-Nawawi, al-Ghazali and al-Razi. Thus Al-Ash'ari's school became, together with the Maturidi, the main schools reflecting the beliefs of the Sunnah. He is also known to have directly taught the Sufi Ibn Khafif.
In line with Sunni tradition (Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jama’ah), al-Ash'ari held the view that a Muslim should not be considered an unbeliever on account of a sin even if it were an enormity such as drinking wine or theft. This opposed the position held by the Khawarij. Al-Ash'ari also believed it impermissible to violently oppose a leader even if he were openly disobedient to the commands of the sacred law.
Al-Ash'ari spent much of his works opposing the views of the Muʿtazila school. In particular, he rebutted them for believing that the Qur'an was created and that deeds are done by people of their own accord through their direct creation of them. He also rebutted the Muʿtazili school for denying that Allah can hear, see and has speech. Al-Ash’ari confirmed all these attributes stating that they differ from the hearing, seeing and speech of the creation.
He was also noted for his teachings on atomism.

## Legacy

The 18th century Islamic scholar Shah Waliullah stated:
    A Mujadid appears at the end of every century: The Mujadid of the first century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah, Umar bin Abdul Aziz. The Mujadid of the second century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah Muhammad Idrees Shaafi. The Mujadid of the third century was the Imam of Ahlul Sunnah, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari. The Mujadid of the fourth century was Abu Abdullah Hakim Nishapuri.
Earlier major scholars also held positive views of al-Ash'ari and his efforts, among them Qadi Iyad and Taj al-Din al-Subki.
According to scholar Jonathan A.C. Brown, although "the Ash'ari school of theology is often called the Sunni 'orthodoxy,' "the original ahl al-hadith, early Sunni creed from which Ash'arism evolved has continued to thrive alongside it as a rival Sunni 'orthodoxy' as well." According to Brown this competing orthodoxy exists in the form of the "Hanbali über-Sunni orthodoxy".

## Works

The Ash'ari scholar Ibn Furak numbers Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's works at 300, and the biographer Ibn Khallikan at 55; Ibn Asāker gives the titles of 93 of them, but only a handful of these works, in the fields of heresiography and theology, have survived. The three main ones are:
* Risalat Istihsan al-Khawd fi 'Ilm al-Kalam (Treatise on the Appropriateness of Inquiry in the Science of Kalam)
* Risalat Ila Ahl Ath Taghr (Letter in which he confirmed the consensus of the pious predecessors)
* Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa Ikhtilaf al-Musallin (The Treatises/Teachings of the Muslims and the Differences of the Prayerful/Worshippers), an encyclopaedia of deviated Islamic sects. It comprises not only an account of the Islamic sects but also an examination of problems in kalām, or scholastic theology, and the Names and Attributes of Allah; the greater part of this works seems to have been completed before his conversion from the Muʿtaziltes.
* Al-Luma'
* Al-Luma' fi al-Radd 'ala Ahl al-Zaygh wa al-Bida' (The Gleams/Illuminations on the Refutation of the People of Deviation/Perversity and Heresies), a slim volume.
* Al-Luma' al-Kabir (The Major Book of Sparks), a preliminary to Idah al-Burhan and, together with the Luma' al-Saghir, the last work composed by al-Ash'ari according to Shaykh 'Isa al-Humyari.
* Al-Luma' al-Saghir (The Minor Book of Sparks), a preliminary to al-Luma' al-Kabir.
* Al-Ibana 'an Usul al-Diyana [ar] (The Elucidation of the Fundamentals of Religion), though the authenticity of this book has been disputed by several scholars.