Al-Muḥāsibī () (781–857 CE) was a Muslim

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

. He is considered to be the founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy which combined

Kalam ''Ilm al-kalam'' or ''ilm al-lahut'', often shortened to ''kalam'', is the scholastic, speculative, or rational study of Islamic theology ('' aqida''). It can also be defined as the science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic fai ...

and

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, and a teacher of the Sufi masters

Junayd al-Baghdadi Junayd of Baghdad (; ) was a mystic and one of the most famous of the early Islamic saints. He is a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many Sufi orders. Junayd taught in Baghdad throughout his lifetime and was an important figure in t ...

and

Sirri Saqti Sari ibn al-Mughallis al-Saqati ( was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one of the first to present Sufism (tasawwuf) in a systematic way. He was also a friend of Bis ...

. His full name is Abu Abdullah Harith bin Asad bin Abdullah al-Anizi al-Basri, and he hailed from the Arab

Anazzah Anizah or Anazah (, Najdi pronunciation: ) is an Arabian tribe in the Arabian Peninsula, Upper Mesopotamia, and the Levant. Genealogy and origins Anizah's existence as an autonomous tribal group, like many prominent modern tribes, predates ...

tribe. He was born in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

in about 781. ''Muhasibi'' means self-inspection or audit. He was a founder of what later became the mainstream Sufi doctrine, and influenced many subsequent theologians, such as

al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...

. The author of approximately 200 works, he wrote about theology and ''Tasawwuf'' (Sufism), among them ''Kitab al-Khalwa'' and ''Kitab al-Ri`aya li-huquq Allah'' ("Obeying God's Permits").

Life

His parents left Basra for Baghdad shortly after his birth, perhaps inclined to the economic opportunities in the new capital. His father became wealthy, though al-Muhasibi refused it due to his fathers belief in the createdness of the Quran. Despite the affluent lifestyle available to him, he retained an ascetic quality influenced by al-Hasan al-Basri. The Sufis of his time had taken on certain practices, such as wearing woolen clothing, reciting the Qur'an at night, and limited the kind and quantity of food eaten. He saw that Sufi practices can help control the passions, but can also result in other problems like hypocrisy and pride. When outward piety becomes a part of one's image, it can mask hidden problems with the ego. Both the inner and outward states must be rectified. Constant self-examination in anticipation of the

Day of Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

was his proposed method for developing an awareness of the inner self and purifying the heart. Al-Muhasibi was a student of

al-Shafi'i Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...

before he moved to Egypt. Al-Muhasibi later joined a group of scholars of theology, led by Abdullah ibn Kullāb (died 855) and al-Karibisi. They criticized the

Jahmis Jahmism (), is a term used by Islamic scholars to refer to the followers of the doctrines of Jahm bin Safwan (d. 128/746). The Jahmiyya particularly came to be remembered for advocating for the denial or negation of God's divine attributes (known ...

Mu'tazilis Mu'tazilism (, singular ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad. Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents ...

, and the

Anthropomorphists Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

. The Mu'tazilis argued that the Qur'an was created, while Ibn Kullab argued against the createdness of the Qur'an by introducing a distinction between the speech of God and its realization: God is eternally speaking, but he can only be addressing Himself to somebody, if this addressee exists. In 848 (or possibly 851), the caliph

al-Mutawakkil Ja'far ibn al-Mu'tasim, Muḥammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (); March 82211 December 861, commonly known by his laqab, regnal name al-Mutawwakil ala Allah (), was the tenth Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid caliph, rul ...

ended the

Mihna The Mihna () was a period of religious persecution instituted by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun in 833 in which Sunni scholars were punished, imprisoned, or even killed unless they conformed to Mu'tazilite doctrine. The policy lasted for eighteen y ...

(a period of religious and ideological persecution) and two years later, banned the Mu'tazilites' theology. In his book, the ''al-Khalwa'', on a discourse on fear and hope: :Know that the first thing that corrects you and helps you correct others is renouncing this world. For renunciation is attained by realisation, and consideration is attained by reflection. For if you think of this world, you will not find it worth sacrificing your soul and faith for it. But you will find your soul worthier of honour by ridiculing this world. This world is abhorred of God almighty and the messengers. It is an abode of affliction and a station of foolishness. Be on your guard from it.Translated in Suleiman Ali Mourad, ''Early Islam between myth and history'' (Brill, 2006), 128; from ''Khalwa'', 24.

References

External links

Mu'atabah an-Nafs by Harith al-Muhasibi

al-Ri'ayah Li'Huquq-il-lah by Harith al-Muhasibi
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhasibi Shafi'is Kullabis Sunni Sufis Sunni imams Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 9th-century Muslim theologians Sufi teachers Writers from Baghdad 8th-century Arab people 9th-century Arab people 781 births 857 deaths

Life

See also

References

Further reading

External links