al-Muḥāsibī () was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

philosopher, and considered to be the founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy, and a teacher of the Sufi masters

Junayd al-Baghdadi Junayd of Baghdad (; 830–910) was a Persian 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 impo ...

and

Sirri Saqti Abū al-Ḥasan Sarī (al-Sirrī) b. al-Mughallis al-Saqaṭī (867CE) also known as Sirri Saqti (Arabic:سری سقطی) was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one o ...

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

Anazzah Anizah or Anazah ( ar, عنزة, ʻanizah, 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 m ...

tribe. He was born in

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...

in about 781. ''Muhasibi'' means self-inspection/audit. It was his characteristic property. He was a founder of Sufi doctrine, and influenced many subsequent theologians, such as

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. 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. Despite the affluent lifestyle available to him, he retained an ascetic quality from Al-Hasan al-Basri. The Sufis of his time has taken on certain practices, such as wearing woolen clothing, reciting the Qur'an at night, and limiting 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 ( muhasabah) in anticipation of the Day of Judgement was his proposed method for developing awareness of the inner self and purifying the heart. Al-Muhasibi later joined a group of scholars of theology, led by Abdullah ibn Kullāb (died 855). They criticized the

Jahmis Jahmī ( ar, جهمي) was a pejorative term used by early Islamic scholars to refer to the followers of Jahm ibn Safwan (d. 128/746). The four schools of jurisprudence (''fiqh'') reject the Jahmi belief and the fourth Imam, Ahmad ibn Hanbal was ...

Mu'tazilis Muʿtazila ( ar, المعتزلة ', English: "Those Who Withdraw, or Stand Apart", and who called themselves ''Ahl al-ʿAdl wa al-Tawḥīd'', English: "Party of ivineJustice and Oneness f God); was an Islamic group that appeared in early Islamic ...

, and

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 t ...

. 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 (kalam Allah) and its realization: God is eternally speaking (mutakallim), but he can only be mukallim, addressing Himself to somebody, if this addressee exists. In 848 (or possibly 851), the caliph al-Mutawakkil ended the Mihna, and, two years later, banned the Mu'tazilites' theology. In ''al-Khalwa'', in 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:Harith Al-Muhasibi Shafi'is Kullabis Sunni Sufis Sunni imams Sunni Muslim scholars 9th-century Muslim theologians Sufi teachers Writers from Baghdad 8th-century Arabs 9th-century Arabs 781 births 857 deaths

Life

See also

References

Further reading

External links