Atharism
Sunni school of Islamic theology / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Atharism or Atharī theology ([æl ʔæθæˈrɪj.jæ]; Arabic: الأثرية, romanized: al-Athariyya), otherwise referred to as Traditionalist theology or Scripturalist theology, is one of the main Sunni schools of Islamic theology which is more strict in adherence to the Quran and Sunnah.[lower-alpha 1] it emerged as a school of theology in the late 8th century CE from the scholarly circles of Ahl al-Hadith, an early Islamic religious movement that rejected the formulation of Islamic doctrine derived from rationalistic Islamic theology (kalām) in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran and the ḥadīth.[1][2] The name derives from "tradition" in its technical sense as a translation of the Arabic word athar.[1] Its adherents are referred to by several names such as "Ahl al-Athar", "Ahl al-Hadith", etc.[3][4][5]
Adherents of Atharī theology believe the zahir (literal) meaning of the Quran and the ḥadīth are the sole authorities in matters of belief (ʿaqīdah) and law (fiqh);[1] and that the use of rational disputation is forbidden, even if in verifying the truth.[6] Atharīs oppose the use of metaphorical interpretation regarding the anthropomorphic descriptions and attributes of God (ta'wil) and do not attempt to conceptualize the meanings of the Quran rationally[7] since they believe that their realities should be consigned to God alone (tafwid).[8] In essence, they assert that the literal meaning of the Quran and the ḥadīth must be accepted without a "how" (i.e. "Bi-la kayfa").
Atharī theology emerged among hadith scholars who eventually coalesced into a movement called Ahl al-Ḥadīth under the leadership of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855).[9][lower-alpha 2] In matters of faith, they were pitted against Muʿtazilites and other theological Islamic currents and condemned many points of their doctrine as well as the extreme rationalistic methods they used.[9] In the 10th century, al-Ashʿarī and al-Māturīdī found a middle ground between Muʿtazilite rationalism and Hanbalite literalism, using the rationalistic methods championed by Muʿtazilites to defend most tenets of the Atharī doctrine.[10] Although the mainly Hanbali scholars who rejected that synthesis were in the minority, their emotive, narrative-based approach to faith remained influential among the urban masses in some areas of the Muslim world, particularly in Abbasid Baghdad.[11]
Ashʿarism and Māturīdism are often regarded as the creeds of Sunni "orthodoxy", but Atharī theology has thrived alongside it by laying rival claims to be the orthodox Sunni faith.[12] In the modern era it has had a disproportionate impact on Islamic theology, having been appropriated by Wahhabi and other traditionalist Salafi currents, and spread well beyond the confines of the Hanbali school of jurisprudence.[13]