Sharhul Aqaid
Author : Sa'ad al-Din Masud ibn Umar ibn Abd Allah al-Taftazani
Translated to English by : Muhammad Sajeer Bukhari
The Rise of the Mu'tazilah School of Thought
ومعظم خلافياته مع الفرق الإسلامية. خصوصا المعتزلة لأنهم أول فرقة أسسوا قواعد الخلاف لما ورد به ظاهر السنة، وجرى عليه جماعة من الصحابة رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين فى باب العقائد. وذلك أن رئيسهم «واصل بن عطاء» اعتزل عن مجلس «الحسن البصري» رحمه الله ليقرر أن مرتكب الكبيرة ليس بمؤمن ولا كافر، ويثبت المنزلة بين المنزلتين. فقال الحسن: قد اعتزل عنا، فسموا المعتزلة. وهم سموا أنفسهم «أصحاب العدل والتوحيد» لقولهم بوجوب ثواب المطيع وعقاب العاصي على الله تعالى ، ونفى الصفات القديمة عنه.
Most of disagreements of the Kalam Science were with Islamic sects, especially the Mu'tazilah, as they were the first sect to establish the principles of disagreement with what was explicitly stated in the Sunnah and practiced by the community of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) in matters of belief. This is because their leader, Wasil ibn Ata, withdrew (separated) himself from the council of Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) to assert that the perpetrator of a major sin is neither a believer nor an infidel, and to establish the intermediate ground between the two positions. So Hasan al-Basri said, "He has withdrawn (separated) himself from us," so they were called the Mu'tazilah (literally the Withdrawers). They called themselves "The People of Justice and Unity" because of their assertion that it is obligatory for Allah, the Almighty to reward the obedient and punish the disobedient, and their denial of the eternal attributes of Allah, the Almighty.
The Debate Between Imam al-Ash'ari and al-Jubba'i
ثم انهم توغلوا فى علم الكلام، وتشبثوا بأذيال الفلاسفة فى كثير من الأصول، وشاع مذهبهم فيما بين الناس، الى أن قال الشيخ «أبو الحسن الأشعري» لأستاذه «أبى على الجبائى»: ما تقول فى ثلاثة اخوة مات أحدهم مطيعا، والآخر عاصيا، والثالث صغيرا؟ فقال : إن الأول يثاب بالجنة. والثانى يعاقب بالنار. والثالث لا يثاب ولا يعاقب. قال الأشعري: فإن قال الثالث: يا رب لم أمتنى صغيرا، وما أبقيتني إلى أن أكبر فأؤمن بك وأطيعك فأدخل الجنة؟ (ماذا يقول الرب تعالى؟) فقال: يقول الرب انى كنت أعلم منك أنك إن كبرت لعصيت فدخلت النار، فكان الأصلح لك أن تموت صغيرا. قال الأشعرى: فان قال الثانى: يا رب لم لم تمتنى صغيرا لئلا أعصى فلا أدخل النار؟ فماذا يقول الرب؟ فبهت الجبائى. وترك الأشعرى مذهبه، واشتغل هو ومن تبعه بابطال رأى المعتزلة، واثبات ما وردت به السنة، ومضى عليه الجماعة. فسموا أهل السنة والجماعة.
Thereafter, they delved into theology and clung to the coattails of philosophers in many of the fundamentals. Their doctrine became widespread among people until Sheikh Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari said to his teacher Abu Ali al-Jubba'i, "What do you say about three brothers, one of whom died obedient, the other disobedient, and the third young?" He said, "The first will be rewarded with Paradise. The second will be punished with Hell. The third will neither be rewarded nor punished." Al-Ash'ari said, "If the third says, 'O Lord, why did You cause me to die young and not keep me alive until I grew up, believed in You, and obeyed You, so that I would enter Paradise? What does Allah, the Almighty say?" He said, "Allah, the Almighty says, 'I knew that if you had grown up, you would have disobeyed and entered Hell, so it was better for you to die young.'" Al-Ash'ari said, "What if the second says, 'O Lord, why did You not let me die young so that I would not disobey and enter Hell?' What does the Lord, the Almighty say?" Al-Jubba'i was left speechless. Al-Ash'ari abandoned his doctrine and he and his followers devoted themselves to refuting the views of the Mu'tazilah and affirming what the Sunnah conveyed and what the majority upheld. Thus, they were called Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (the People of the Sunnah and the Community).
ثم لما نقلت الفلسفة الى العربية وخاض فيها الاسلاميون حاولوا الرد على الفلاسفة فيما خالفوا فيه الشريعة، فخلطوا بالكلام كثيرا من الفلسفة، ليتحققوا مقاصدها فيتمكنوا من ابطالها. وهلم جرا الى أن أدرجوا فيه معظم الطبيعيات والالهيات، وخاضوا فى الرياضيات حتى كاد لا يتميز عن الفلسفة، لولا اشتماله على السمعيات. وهذا هو كلام المتأخرين.
Then, when philosophy was translated into Arabic and Muslims delved into it, they attempted to refute the philosophers in what they contradicted with the Sharia. So they mixed a lot of philosophy into theology in order to understand its purposes and be able to refute it. And so on until they included in it most of the natural sciences and metaphysics, and delved into mathematics until theology almost became indistinguishable from philosophy, except for its inclusion of the revealed teachings. This is the Kalam Science of the later scholars.
وبالجملة هو أشرف العلوم لكونه أساس الأحكام الشرعية، ورئيس العلوم الدينية، وكون معلوماته: العقائد الاسلامية. وغايته الفوز بالسعادات الدينية والدنيوية، وبراهينه: الحجج القطعية المؤيد أكثرها بالأدلة السمعية. وما نقل عن بعض السلف من الطعن فيه، والمنع عنه، فانما هو للمتعصب فى الدين، والقاصر عن تحصيل اليقين، والقاصد افساد عقائد المسلمين، والخائض فيما لا يفتقر إليه من غوامض المتفلسفين. والا فكيف يتصور المنع عما هو أصل الواجبات، وأساس المشروعات.
In a nutshell, it is the noblest of sciences because it is the foundation of Sharia rulings, the foremost of religious sciences, and its subject matter is of Islamic beliefs. Its ultimate goal is to attain both religious and worldly happiness, and its proofs are definitive arguments, most of which are supported by auditory evidence. As for what has been reported from some of the predecessors [the Salaf] of criticizing and forbidding it, it is only for those who are bigoted in religion, who are unable to attain certainty, who intend to corrupt the beliefs of Muslims, and who delve into what they do not necessary from the mysteries of the philosophers. Otherwise, how can it be conceivable to prohibit something that is the very root of obligatory duties and the foundation of legislated matters?