Thumama (Thumamah) ibn Ashras (died 828 CE/212-213 AH) (), also known as Abu Maʿn al-Numayri () was a

Mu'tazila 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 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 ...

during the era of the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

, the third Islamic caliphate.

Life

Thumama ibn Ashras was of

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 ...

descent. He served under an influential family during the Abbasid era, the

Barmakids The Barmakids ( ''Barmakiyân''; ''al-Barāmikah''Harold Bailey, 1943. "Iranica" BSOAS 11: p. 2. India - Department of Archaeology, and V. S. Mirashi (ed.), ''Inscriptions of the Kalachuri-Chedi Era'' vol. 4 of ''Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum' ...

, and was arrested when they fell from favour in 802 CE. His reputation was sufficiently restored by around the year 807 CE that Harun al-Ras̲h̲d had him join his expedition to

Khorasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West and Central Asia that encompasses western and no ...

. Alon describes ibn Ashras as the 'court theologian' of

Al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

; Nawas reckons him a 'prominent Mu'tazilite'. Al-Ma'mun hoped to make him

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

, but ibn Ashras declined, apparently because the position of vizier was a target of controversy at the time; the caliph later reportedly gave ibn Ashras 300,000

dirhams The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivision in Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Tajikistan. It was historicall ...

to express his appreciation for ibn Ashras's services at court.

Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid al-Ahwal Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid al-Ahwal was a military leader and administrator during the Abbasid Caliphate. He is known for leading an Abbasid army that conquered the Principality of Ushrusana in 822. This military campaign resulted in the capture of Ka ...

, named vizier in ibn Ashras's place, called ibn Ashras the 'only one' at court 'without an official title'. An ancient report suggests that ibn Ashras had convinced Al-Ma'mun to adopt Mu'tazila theology. Another report, in ''History of Baghdad'' by

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit ibn Aḥmad ibn Māhdī al-Shāfiʿī, commonly known as al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī () or "the lecturer from Baghdad" (10 May 1002 – 5 September 1071; 392 AH-463 AH), was a Sunni Muslim scholar known ...

, states that ibn Ashras disparaged

Abu-l-'Atahiya Abū al-ʻAtāhiyya (; 748–828), full name Abu Ishaq Isma'il ibn al-Qasim ibn Suwayd Al-Anzi (), was one of the principal Arab poets of the early Islamic era, a prolific ''muwallad'' poet of ascetics who ranked with Bashshār and Abū Nuwās, ...

in a meeting before Al-Ma'mun, when the poet Atahiya had challenged ibn Ashras to defend Mu'tazila doctrine on the origin of human action. At one point, ibn Ashras was held captive by Turks. He was treated so well during his imprisonment, however, that he grew to favour Turkish mercenaries.

Doctrines

Unlike many theologians of the time, ibn Ashras did not write a large number of treatises. Accordingly, his religious views survive mainly in reports from conversations and debates he had with other figures of the time, including Yahya ibn Aktham, with whom he discussed

free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...

. Ibn Ashras taught that nonbelievers need not be blameworthy for their unbelief unless they explicitly rejected revelation. He argued that love occurs 'when the essences of souls have mingled through the bond of likeness'.

References

Sources

* * * Mu'tazilites 828 deaths Year of birth unknown 9th-century Arab people 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Courtiers from the Abbasid Caliphate {{Islam-theologian-stub