Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa Ikhtilaf al-Musallin () is one of the main heresiographical works of early Islamic sects written by the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

scholar Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 324/935), the eponym of the Ash'ari theological school. Most likely, al-Ash'ari wrote this book following the

Mu'tazili 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 ...

theologian (d. 319/931) in his book with the same title (Maqalat al-Islamiyyin). Therefore, it was probably written during his Mu'tazili period and then modified; thus it may incorporate parts which he wrote earlier when he was still a Mu'tazili. However, according to al-Dhahabi (d.748/1348), this book was written in his last years, which indicates tolerance with Islamic sects, because

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

contains them.

Content

Al-Ash'ari first gives an objective account of the views of the Muslim sects; then he gives the views of non-Muslim sects and of the

philosophers Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on ...

; and finally he gives a critical discussion of the attributes and the names of God. It is in two parts, the first a short account of the historical origins of

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in Islam and a long patient listing of the major groups of his day, and the second a thematic tabulation of the various questions debated among Muslim intellectuals. Al-Ash'ari's Maqalat does not contain criticism to any notable degree. As its title indicates, all those who are included in the work are regarded as

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and 'those who pray', and so the work is a somewhat impartial survey rather than an appraisal of correct and incorrect doctrines. It serves as a

handbook A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference. The term originally applied to a small or portable book containing information useful for its owner, but the ''Oxford Eng ...

of theological views that might aid the reader in knowing what particular sects and individuals thought, and then what range of opinions was offered on the various questions debated within

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Reception and influence

This work became a model for similar works produced afterward, such as '' al-Farq bayna al-Firaq'' by 'Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429/1037), ' by (d. 471/1078), '' al-Milal wa al-Nihal'' by al-Shahrastani (d. 548/1153), and ''I'tiqadat Firaq al-Muslimin wa al-Mushrikin'' by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606/1210). Ahmad al-Tayyib, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, highly praised the book by saying that it has several words that deserve to be written in gold water.

Notes

* Al-Ash'ari also composed a lost and little-known work, entitled ''Maqalat Ghayr al-Islamiyyin'' (The Teachings of Non-Muslims).

References

Encyclopedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

Maqalat al-Islamiyyin
— Goodreads.com
MAKĀLÂTÜ’l-İSLÂMİYYÎN
— İslâm Ansiklopedisi {{Authority control Books by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari Sunni literature Ash'ari literature Heresy Historiography of Islam Islamic belief and doctrine Islamic studies books

Content

Reception and influence

Notes

See also

References

External links