Al-Hath 'ala al-Bahth (), better known as Risalat Istihsan al-Khawd fi 'Ilm al-Kalam () is a brief

treatise A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...

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 ...

theologian

Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (; 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 ...

(d. 324/935), in which he defends the use of

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 ...

(speculative or

dialectical Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the c ...

theology) and its

rational Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reason. In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do, or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an ...

methods, and discusses the antagonism between nazar (consideration) and

taqlid ''Taqlid'' (, " imitation") is an Islamic term denoting the conformity of one person to the teaching of another. The person who performs ''taqlid'' is termed ''muqallid''. The definite meaning of the term varies depending on context and age. Cla ...

(in this context means “blind imitation” or following the opinion and practice of others unquestionably, without due inquiry). Unlike ultra-traditionalists, al-Ash'ari considered

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

, inquiry or argument, and use of the tools of

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

, sense and

reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

in religious matters, including the matter of the doctrines of the faith as permissible, citing evidences from the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

and the

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

that supports and endorses dialectical rational thinking,

logical reasoning Logical reasoning is a mind, mental Action (philosophy), activity that aims to arrive at a Logical consequence, conclusion in a Rigour, rigorous way. It happens in the form of inferences or arguments by starting from a set of premises and reason ...

, and critical examination and analysis in

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 ...

Content

In this work, al-Ash'ari reflected himself as opposed to the ultra-traditionalists, literalists or fundamentalists (probably some of those associated with the

Hanbali school The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and traditio ...

), and described them as being ignorant, unable to rationalize or inquire into religious matters, and inclined to blind imitation of authority. Beginning with a widespread critique of systematic theological reflection, the text responds from several perspectives to “objections” posed by opponents of kalām, offering a concise summary of one major systematic theological method. Al-Ash'ari defended kalam and mutakallimun (dialectic theologians), which means he gave strong recommendation on reason. To him, the basic principles, the objectives, and the method of kalam were generally present in the Qur'an and traditions. Al-Ash'ari emphasized that Qur'an and

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

never neglect the role of reason and allow speculative thinking (nazar) and rational inference to be implemented.

Translation

The treatise was translated into English in 1953 by and published under the title o
The Theology of al-Ashʻarī: The Arabic Texts of al-Ashʻarī's Kitāb al-Luma' and Risālat Istiḥsān al-Khawḍ fi 'Ilm al-Kalām

Exposition

Samir al-Qadi, a student of 'Abdullah al-Harari, wrote a commentary on the treatise, entitled
Idah al-Maram min Risalat al-Ash'ari al-Imam
' (). First published in 2017 in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

by Dar al-Mashari'.

Reception and influence

Al-Bayhaqi Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Khusrawjirdī al-Bayhaqī (, 994–1066), also known as Imām al-Bayhaqī, was a Sunni scholar widely known for being the foremost leading hadith master in his age, leading authority in th ...

(d. 458/1066) frequently quotes al-Ash'ari in

al-Asma' wa al-Sifat ''Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat'' (), is a major classic of Islamic theology authored by Al-Bayhaqi. It was said such a book had never existed like this before and for this reason the author was considered a pioneer in this field. Content Al-Bayhaqi was ...

. He apparently narrated from al-Ash'ari's treatise ''Istihsan al-Khawd fi 'Ilm al-Kalam'' ("The Endorsement of the Study of Dialectic Theology").

Notes

References

External links

Risalat Istihsan al-Khawd fi 'Ilm al-Kalam
on Goodreads.com
el-HAS ale’l-BAHS
on

İslâm Ansiklopedisi The (İA) () is a Turkish academic encyclopedia for Islamic studies published by Presidency of Religious Affairs. History The decision to begin the encyclopedia project was made at the 1st Turkish Publications Congress in Ankara on 2–5 Ma ...

*
Exposition of al-Ash'ari's Treatise by Sheikh Samir al-Qadi
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{Authority control Books by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari Kalam Logic literature Ash'ari literature Sunni literature Islamic theology books