Ibadhism, The Cinderella of Islam (Chapter 6, Part2)

CHAPTER 6 (Part 2)

ALLAH’S ATTRIBUTES &

OTHER DOCTRINAL ISSUES

God’s Attributes

Does God have anthropomorphic attributes (human features)? The Ibadhi’s reply is negative. Their understanding of the attributes of God differ from that of some other Islamic schools, again, due to the difference in the methods of interpretation of certain Qur'anic verses. Some of the other sects apply literal interpretation in cases where figurative method is suitable as we shall see. Thus in Suratu Taha (20), ayah 39, Allah after relating to Nabii Musa (Moses) the story of how, when he was a baby, he was placed in a chest and the chest was put in a river, ended by saying:-

وألقت عليك محبة مني ولتصنع على عيني

The verse has been literally translated as follows:-

“And I endued you with love from me, in order that you may be brought up under My Eye”.

                                                                   (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

          Ustadh Abdullah Yusuf Ali after translating the ayah in the same way as above went on to explain it further in the footnote no.2560 that “Allah’s special providence (i.e. God’s special care) looked after him (Nabii Musa) in bringing his mother to him”. In other words, Abdullah Yusuf Ali interprets the phrase, “under my eyes” in the verse to mean, “under God’s special care”. We must not forget that the Pharaoh had issued instruction for all male Israel babies born in Egypt to be killed, so for Nabii Musa to survive or be saved, he needed God’s special providence and protection. The Ibadhis agree with Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s interpretation but some Islamic sects construe the phrase “under my eyes” literally to mean that God has eyes (though not like human eyes) which interpretation we totally reject. Again in Suratul Qamar (54) Ayah l4, Allah talks about Noah’s Ark (Nabii Nuh’s ship)

تجري بأعيننا لمن كان كفر

“(The ship) floating under Our Eyes: a reward for him who had been rejected”! (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

But Abdullah Yusuf Ali has explained it this way:-

“She floats under Our Eyes (and care): a recompense to one who had been rejected”.

The latter translation conforms with the Ibadhi’s understanding that Allah’s eye means His care. This metaphorical translation is based on the opinions of such Sahabas and Tabi’in as Ibn Abbas, Al-Hassan, Al-Dhahak and others (See part III, Section 30 of Musnad Rabi’i).

          Now let us see how the word يد which has appeared in several verses in the Qur'an has been literally and wrongly interpreted as “hand”. In Suratul Fat’h (48), verse l0 reads as under:-

"إن الذين يبايعونك إنما يبايعون الله يد الله فوق أيديهم فمن نكث فإنما ينكث على نفسه ومن أوفى بما عاهد عليه الله فسيؤتيه أجرا عظيما"

Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan have translated the verse as follows:-

“Verily those who give pledge to you (O Muhammad SAW) they are giving pledge to Allah. The Hand of Allah is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks it only to his own harm and whosoever fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah, He will bestow on him a great reward”.

The Almighty after using the clause, “The Hand of Allah is over their hands”, metaphorically He then goes on to explain it at the end of the same ayah to mean, “and whosoever fulfils what he had covenanted with Allah, He will bestow on him a great reward”.

Therefore the original words in the verse,

يد الله فوق أيديهم

do not prove that God has a hand but mean He will bestow a great reward to those who fulfill their pledge to the Prophet. Further details of the great reward which Allah would bestow on those who would fulfill their pledges are given in ayahs 18-20 of the same Sura, that is, Suratul Fat’h (48). In Suratu Sad (38) we come to the following verse (75):-

(Allah) said: “O Iblis what prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I have created with Both My Hands”.

                                                                   (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

“One”, in the verse, refers to Adam.

Ibadhis have adopted the interpretation given by the Sahaba, Ibn Abbas to the word بيدي in the ayah, to mean with My Power and Skill and have rejected the literal interpretation of the word in the sense of with Both My Hands. The Ibadhi’s figurative interpretation is supported by ayah 59 of Suratul Imran (3) where Allah says

"إن مثل عيسى عند الله كمثل أدم خلقه من تراب ثم قال له كن فيكون"

“Verily the likeness of Isa before Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!’ and he was.” (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan)

In other words God created Prophet Isa (Jesus) in the same way as He created Adam. He created him from dust and then said to him: “Be” and he was. Allah did not say that he created him with both His Hands as was alleged in S.38 V.75 above. So when Allah wants to create something He does not create it with both his Hands as a potter does. He merely says “Be!” and it is. Allah has said the same thing in Ayah 40 Suratu An-Nahl (l6):-

"إنما قولنا لشيء إذا أردناه أن نقول له كن فيكون"

“Verily! Our word unto a thing when We intend it, is only that We say unto it: ‘Be’ – and it is”.                     (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

          In Arabic, as in other languages, a word may have several meanings, some of them literal, others metaphorical. For example the word يد means “hand”, but it also means power, control or help. Thus the Arabs say:-

How long a person would live is in the power of God = الأعمار بيد الله

Under his control = تحت يده

God’s help goes with the group (instead of individuals) = يد الله مع الجماعة

The matter is not in my authority = ليس الأمر بيدي

          In all these examples, and there are several others, the word يد has not been used to mean ‘hand’ in its literal sense. In the same way, in the Qur'an some words like عين وساق و وجه (eye, leg, face) have been applied in their figurative meanings. It is also alleged that Allah has legs and the following verse no.42 of Suratul Qalam (68) is presented as a proof of it:-

"يوم يكشف عن ساق ويدعون الى السجود فلا يستطيعون"

which is literally translated as follows:-

“(Remember) the Day when the Shin shall be laid bare (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) and they shall be called to prostrate themselves (to Allah), but they (hypocrites) shall not be able to do so”.

                                                     (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Abdullah Yusuf Ali after translating يوم يكشف عن ساق as “The Day that the Shin shall be laid bare” he explains it further to mean “when men are confronted with the stark reality of the Day of Judgment”. In other words he does not seem to agree with the literal translation. The literal interpretation is strange because the words يوم يكشف عن ساق form an Arabic expression (عبارة خاصة) which is employed in the following contexts:

كشفت الحرب عن ساقها

to mean the war was violent or flared up; it has nothing to do with legs. Ibn Abbas, the Holy Prophet’s cousin is reported to have explained the expression:

يوم يكشف عن ساق يعني عن الأمر الشديد

“The Day when things will be difficult”.

These interpretations of Ibn Abbas agree with the explanation given by Abdullah Yusuf Ali above. It is also alleged that Allah has a Face and the following verses are cited in support of the claim:-

ولله المشرق والمغرب فأينما تولوا فثم وجه الله (البقرة آية 115)

which is translated literally as follows:-

“And to Allah belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn there is Allah’s Face”.                                      (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).

And in Ayah 88 of Suratul Qassas (28) Allah says:-

كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه

which Dr. Hilal and Dr. Khan have translated this way:-

“Everything will perish save His Face”.

          If we are to accept these literal translations as right, one might as well ask, if “everything will perish except Allah’s Face”, then what about His Hands and Legs? Will they also perish since only the Face will remain? There is no doubt that these literal translations lead us to blasphemous conclusions. So the Ibadhis reject them and construe the word “Face” to mean God Himself. The Ibadhi interpretation of the word وجهه to mean “himself” has been unwittingly supported by the above – mentioned translators when they came to translate ayah 125 of Suratu Nnisaa (S.4) figuratively as follows:-

"ومن أحسن دينا ممن أسلم وجهه لله وهو محسن وأتبع ملة إبراهيم حنيفا"

“Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in faith?”                                                               (Abdul1ah Yusuf Ali).

while Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan translate وجهه to mean “his face (himself)”. Thus the translators have thus interpreted the wordوجهه   metaphorically in the same way as the lbadhis have done in previous ayahs. This is the explanation given by Ibn Abbas when he was asked about the following verse:-

"ويبقى وجه ربك ذو الجلال والإكرام" (سورة الرحمن 55 آية 27)

He explained that everything will perish except Allah Himself.

(Hadith 873 of Musnad al-Rabi’i).

          To say that Almighty Allah has hands, legs, eyes and face, etc. and then add a statement that there is nothing like Him is to contradict oneself. Suppose a person were to say that God has branches, leaves, flowers and roots, our immediate reaction would be, He must be like a tree or plant, and if the person were further to add: But He is not like anything (ليس كمثله شيء), we would say this person is inconsistent with himself in his description of God.

          Some of these words have been used in the Qur'an in their functional rather than ordinary senses. For the function of a hand is to work or control. A farmer works with his hand and owner of an animal (be it horse, dog or cow) controls it from straying by holding firm the rope with which it is tied round its neck. The same is true of an eye; the mother’s or nurse’s eye is a protection for a child against potential danger. Nobody, in his senses, would leave a child under the care of a blind man.

In Suratul Baqara (Ayah 272) Allah says:-

وما تنفقون إلا ابتغاء وجه الله

which Abdullah Yusuf Ali, after translating it literally, “and you shall only do so (i.e. spend) seeking the Face of Allah,” goes on to explain, in the footnote, the word, Face, to mean Favour or Glory. So the ayah would translate as follows:-

And you shall only spend seeking Allah’s Favour.

Similarly in Suratul A’Raf (Ayah 29) Allah has commanded:

"واقيموا وجوهكم عند كل مسجد وادعوه مخلصين له الدين" ⁴  

which has been interpreted by the same translator as follows:-

“And that ye set your whole selves (to Him) at every time and place of prayer, and call upon Him, making your devoting sincere”.

In Suratul Imran (3), Ayah 20 Allah says to His Messenger:-

"فإن حاجوك فقل أسلمت وجهي لله ومن اتبعن"

which means:

“So if they dispute with you say: “I have submitted myself to Allah and so have those who follow me”.

In all these Qur'anic Verses, and there are many others, Allah has used the word وجه in its figurative sense to mean “self” and not “face”.

In the same way, in Chapter 14 (Ibrahim) Allah has said in verse 4:

"وما أرسلنا من رسول إلا بلسان قومه ليبين لهم" ⁵

And we sent not a messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them.

                                                                   (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Here the translators have interpreted the word لسان to mean, language, not “tongue”. In other words they have explained the word لسان in its functional or figurative sense rather than its literal meaning.

Similarly in verse l4 of chapter 32 (As – Sajdah) Allah says:-

فذوقوا بما نسيتم لقاء يومكم هذا إنا نسيناكم

Then taste you (the tournament of the Fire) because of your forgetting the Meeting of this Day of yours. Surely We too will forget you.                                                            (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Ustadh Abdullah Yusuf Ali after translating the word, نسيناكم in the same way as above went on to explain in the footnote that “forget” has been used in the sense of “to ignore deliberately” because Allah does not forget, as Prophet Moses (Nabii Musa) said in reply to the Pharaoh in chapter 20 (Taha), verse 52:-

لا يضل ربي ولا ينسى ⁶

My Lord neither errs nor forgets (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Thus it can be seen the danger of literal interpretation in that it might lead to contradictions. So Ibadhis have resorted to allegorical interpretation in such circumstances in order to reconcile what appears to be contradictory verses. It should also be remembered that forgetfulness is a human, not divine attribute.

          In the interpretation of the Qur'an, it is important to bear in mind that certain fundamental principles laid down on the Qur'an itself must not be violated. For example in Suratul Ikhlas, the basic principle of faith have been described as follows:-

(1) Allah is One.

(2) He is Independent and Self–Sufficient.

(3) He begets not, nor was He begotten.

(4) There is none like unto him (or comparable to Him).

So any interpretation of the Qur'an that even remotely suggests, for example, that there is more than one God, or that He begets or was begotten, or that He resembles or compares with, in any way, one of His creatures, must be rejected. To resort to Hadiths to support literal interpretation of the Qur'an in such cases is inappropriate because Hadith cannot validate what is contrary to the principles of faith enshrined in the Holy Book. The Qur'an is the Basic Law of Islam, and Hadiths are its supplementary or subsidiary legislation which is intended to explain the Basic Law but it cannot be applied to alter it. A genuine or authentic Hadith should not contradict the Qur’an, if it does then it must be fabricated or invented.

          Advocates of literal interpretation of the Qur'an sometimes bend the rule to support their beliefs as in Verse 26 of Chapter 10 (Suratul – Yunus) where Allah says:-

للذين أحسنوا الحسنى وزيادة

To those who do right is a goodly (reward) and “more”.

They interpret “more” figuratively to mean “to see Allah’s Face” on the Day of Judgment and have tried to support the interpretation by weak Hadiths. On the other hand, Ibadhis interpret “more” in the light of Verse 160  of Chapter 6 (Suratul An’am):-

من جاء بالحسنة فله عشر أمثالها

“Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit”                                                 (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Thus there is not one particular rule for interpreting all the verses of the Qur’an, but the sectarian fanatics are bent on condemning and apostatizing others for allegorical method of interpretation which they themselves indulge in when it is convenient for them to do so.

          Dr. Israr Ahmed Khan in his Qur’anic studies, An introduction (p.143), after commenting that scholars have subscribed to three different views on the interpretation of Allah’s attributes, the first two being literal forms, explains:-

“And thirdly, the attributes of Allah, particularly those depicted through the words denoting human organs such as ‘hand’ and ‘eye’ are all allegorical, hence interpretation in the light of popular usage, i.e. ‘Allah’s hand’ signifies His authority, and ‘Allah’s eye’ mean His all-awareness.

Literal explanation of these statements enshrined in the previous heavenly-Books has already led individuals and nations to the development of an anthropomorphic concept of God and thereby to the growth of the divine-idol sculpture”.

In other words, Dr. Israr A. Khan explains the reasons why God is depicted in human form in some religions in because their scholars have applied literal methods in interpreting their Scriptures.

          Ibadhis have been accused of having adopted through the Mu’tazilites certain ideas of Allah’s attributes as a result of contact with and influence of the Roman Greek and Indian cultures and religions. But anyone who has been to Greece and visited their museums in Athens would have seen exhibitions of statues Roman and Greek gods with hands, legs, and eyes. So one wonders who has adopted Greek ideas of God, we or those who say that God has limbs!

          In the matter of the attributes of Allah (صفات الله)  Ibadhis are guided by the following Hadith of the Holy Prophet narrated by Ibn Abbas and Abu Dhar:

تفكروا في الخلق ولا تتفكروا في الخالق فإنه لا يدرك إلا بتصديقه

“Think of the creation but do not think of the Creator for He is incomprehensible except by belief in Him”.

                                                 (Hadith 823 of Musnad Imam Rabi’i).

Then what are Allah’s attributes? These have been expressed in his beautiful ninety nine names such as:-

الرحمن, الرحيم, العظيم, الغفور, الكريم, العلي, العليم, القدير, الخبير, الخ

“The merciful, the Compassionate, the Mighty, the Forgiving, the Benefactor, the Supreme, the All-Knowing, the Omnipotent, the Well Aware, etc”.

In verse 22, 23 & 24 of Suratul Hashar (59), some of these attributes have been expressed as follows:-

هو الله الذي لا إله إلا هو عالم الغيب والشهادة هو الرحمن الرحيم (22)

“He is Allah beside whom there is no god but He. He is Omniscient of what is invisible and what is visible. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”.

"هو الله الذي لا إله إلا هو الملك القدوس السلام المؤمن المهيمن العزيز الجبار المتكبر سبحان الله عما يشركون" (23)

“He is Allah beside whom there is no god but He, the King, the Holy, the CSource of Peace and Perfection, the Guardian of Faith (and Provider of Security), the Preserver of Safety, the All-Mighty (the Omnipotent), the Compeller, the justly Proud, Glory be to Allah! (High is he) above all that they attribute to Him as partners.”

هو الله الخالق البارئ المصور له الأسماء الحسنى (24)

“He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Creator of all Forms and Shapes, To Him belong the Beautiful Names.”

          These are only a few of Allah’s attributes, but while probably all Islamic schools are agreed as to their close association with Allah, there are however differences as to the exact nature of their relationship with Him. The so-called Orthodox and the Ash’aris hold the belief that Allah possesses these qualities which are in His essence (جوهره). We may however understand these conflicting conceptions if we examine man’s relation with his knowledge. We acquire knowledge from the moment we are born, from our parents when we are babies, from teachers when we go to school and generally from our environment, physical as well as social. Our behaviour is considerably influenced by these external sources of knowledge and experience. This process of gaining knowledge is continuous throughout our lives and knowledge so gained becomes part of us in an extraneous sense. Knowledge thus gained may also be lost though, say, mental illness or infirmity or though old age by forgetting some or all of what we know. Allah has said in chapter 16 (An-Nahl), verse 70:-

                      ومنكم من يرد الى ارذل العمر لكي لا يعلم بعد علم شيئا 

“And of you there are some who are sent back to senility (feeble age) so that they know nothing after having known (much)”.

                                                                   (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

          But in the case of Allah, His knowledge is His. He has not acquired it from outside sources and then become part of Him nor is He ever going to lose it as in the case of man, nor is His knowledge increasing or decreasing. The same is true of other attributes and so Ibadhis believe that they are His essence ((عين ذاته or ((جوهره or All that make Him what He is. This will be even more clear if we were to explain ayah 23 of ((سورة الحشر in this way:-

هو الله, هو الملك، هو القدوس، هو السلام، هو المؤمن، هو المهيمن، هو العزيز، هو الجبار، هو المتكبر ..... الخ

In other words Allah is The Total Combination of all His attributes. In a booklet الأصول الثلاثة وشروط الصلاة والقواعد الأربعة by the late Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhaab (the founder of Wahhaabism) (p.15), he has quoted the following hadith narrated by Ibn Masoud:-

كنا نقول قبل أن يفرض علينا التشهد: السلام على الله من عباده..... وقال النبي صل الله عليه وسلم لا تقولوا, السلام على الله من عباده, فإن الله هو السلام ولكن قولوا التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات, السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته...... الخ

What Ibn Masoud narrates is that they used to say in prayers while kneeling السلام على الله (عند التحيات)  but Allah is Salaam, so السلام على الله would mean السلام على السلام so the Holy Prophet forbade them to pray like that and instructed them to say like this:-

السلام على النبي الخ

By saying that الله هو السلام the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has meant to explain the attribute of السلام as Allah’s essence, not in His essence. The same is equally true of His other attributes.

          Thus man has these qualities in an extraneous, possessive sense and so we say, Man has knowledge or has power. But with respect to God, He is knowledge and He is Power, as these qualities are His Essence (عين ذاته) they are part of Him, not apart from Him.   

Freewill and Predestination

          Does man have freewill to do what he likes or are his actions predestined before their occurrence? A debate on this issue has been going on since the first century of Islam when the Umayyad dynasty was ruling the Islamic State. Because of the abuse of power exercised by the ruling family, people began to wonder whether their misconduct was permissible under Islamic justice. The State officials defended the policy by saying that they were not personally responsible for what they did. On the contrary their actions were governed by God who was the power for everything for good and for evil alike. A man by the name of Ma’bad al-Juhany started to oppose this policy by preaching openly the doctrine known as Qadariya in which man is made accountable for his wrong doing - they should not be ascribed to God. The implication of this doctrine is that it made rulers also accountable for their wrong actions – and so it did not find favour with them. Ma’bad al-Juhani was therefore executed by Hajjaj, the Governor of Basra, in 80 H. under the orders of the ruler, Abdul Malik bin Marwan. Ghaylan al-Dimashqi, a student of al-Juhani continued with the campaign and added it was incumbent on every Muslim to urge people to do right actions and to forbid them from committing wrong deeds(الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر). But he too was put to death on the orders of the ruler Hisham Abdul Malik after his accession to the throne in 105 H.

          It was not long before a new movement under Wasil bin Ata’ (80 –131 H.) and Amr bin Ubayd was formed in the name of Mu’tazila after they broke away from their teacher, the famous scholar Hasan Al-Basri. The two were his pupils who had attended his lectures in the great mosque of Basra. The adherents of this movement, the Mutazilites, adopted the doctrine of freewill (qadariya) advocated by Ma’bad al-Juhani by which man was to be made accountable for his wrong actions otherwise it would be unjustified to punish him either in this life or in the Hereafter. The antithesis of Qadariya is Jabariya, a doctrine which explains that man’s actions are the results of compulsions from God and that if He did not wish he (the man) would not have committed sin. The first person to advocate it publicly was al-Juhani bin Safwani, a pupil of Ja’ad bin Dirham. The movement started in Tirmidh (Khurasan) in the beginning of the second century H.

          On the other hand, Abu al-Hasan Ash’ari (270 – 330 H.) explained that man’s deeds were created by God but acquired by man. Ibadhis have adopted the Al-Ash’ari’s approach to explain the relation between man’s actions and his Creator. The Sunni’s view or stand in this regard has been expressed by الموسوعة الميسرة (p.36) as follows:-

“And man is Allah’s slave created in this existence, controlled in some matters and free in others”.

Let us now see what the Prophet’s Tradition say in this regard. The Prophet was asked by Jibril, what is Faith? He replied:-

أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر وبالقدر خيره وشره إنه من الله

“To believe in Allah and His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Hereafter and in the predestination (Fate) that good and evil are from Allah”                           Hadith No.769 (Musnad Imam Rabi’i).

The Hadith has been confirmed by other collectors – Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Muslim, Al Tirmidhi and others. In the Holy Qur'an there are number of verses which appear to support both views. For example:-

ما أصاب من مصيبة في الأرض ولا في أنفسكم إلا في كتاب من قبل ان نبرأها (الحديد 57 آية 22)

“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfudh) before We bring it into existence.”                                             (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

In another chapter (Suratu Nnisaa, verse 78), Allah says:-

وإن تصبهم حسنة يقولوا هذه من عند الله وإن تصبهم سيئة يقولوا هذه من عندك قل كل من عند الله

“And if some good reaches them they say, “This is from Allah”, but if some evil befalls them, they say, “This is from you (Muhammad)”. Say “All things are from Allah”.

          There are many examples of calamities which befall us for which we have no control: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, drought or lack of rains and other so-called natural disasters. On the other hand we get moderate rains, fine weather, as examples of blessings from Allah without any efforts on our part.

          But there are other Qur’anic verses which put the blame on man for evils suffered by him,

"ما أصابك من حسنة فمن الله وما أصابك من سيئة فمن نفسك"

                                             (آية 79 سورة النساء 4)        

“Whatever of good reaches you is from Allah, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself”.                   (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

And in another verse, Allah says:-

"وإذقنا الناس رحمة فرحوا بها وإن تصبهم سيئة بما قدمت أيديهم إذا هم يقنطون" (آية 36 سورة الروم 30)

“And when we cause mankind to taste of mercy, they rejoice therein; but when some evil afflicts them because of (evil deeds and sins) that their own hands have sent forth, behold, they are in despair!”.

                                                             (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

There are several other Qur’anic verses which also put the responsibility for wrong doing on the culprit himself but the following is more emphatic:-

"وما أصابكم من مصيبة فبما كسبت أيديكم ويعفوا عن كثير"

(آية 30 سورة الشورى 42)  

“And whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much”.

(Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

          Let us now see the practical application of these ayahs. Strange as it may seem, man has no control over what is going on inside his body; he cannot, for example, regulate the circulation of his blood, nor his digestive or respiratory system. Once he swallows food through his alimentary canal it goes through a digestive process over which he has no control, and the same is true of the respiratory system by which oxygen is inhaled into the lungs and then absorbed in the blood stream. These various systems in our bodies have been set up by Allah Himself as part of His creation of man. He has also created substances which are poisonous to the systems in our bodies. For example if a person drinks liquor over a long period of time, he may get cancer of the liver. Similarly a habit of cigarette smoking leads to cancer of the lungs. Therefore if a man is addicted to liquor or cigarette smoking and consequently suffers from cancer of the liver or the lung, he should not say that God inflicted him with the disease since He has created good and evil. It is true that He created man with all the systems inside him as well as the substances which are poisonous and harmful to them. But man has brought the affliction on himself by acquisition, that is acquisition of poisons into his body. And so Ibadhis believe that Allah has created evils but man acquires them.

          Similarly if a man, while intoxicated, drives a car and meets with an accident, he should not say that God caused the accident when in fact he is personally responsible for it. Otherwise all criminals who are caught will plead that God caused them to commit the crimes for which they are charged and will demand acquittal.

          The learned Ibadhi scholar, the late Sheikh Abdullah bin Humaid Al Salmy has summarized poetically Allah’s relationship with man’s actions in the following verses:-

وعلمه سابق في كل ما جعلا

وإنما الفعل مخلوق ومكسب

فالخلق لله والكسب لمن فعلا

His knowledge precedes every act of His creation

Yet action is created as well as acquired

But then creation is Divine, and acquisition is human

                                                                    (Translation by the Author).

          The term ‘qadariya’ in the sense of freewill is confusing because it comes from the word ‘qadar’ meaning predestination or fate which is the opposite of freewill. But it has been explained in the الموسوعة الميسرة (p.l125 vol.2) that the term ‘qadariya’ is applied both to those who deny ‘qadar’ as well as to those who assert it. In the studies in Ibadhism by Dr. Amr Khalifa Ennami, the term Qadariya has been used in the sense of predestination (p.146), and also in the Hadith No.806 of Musnad Rabi’i the term has been applied in the same sense.

          In the theological issues that have been discussed in this chapter there are, in general, two schools of thought; (1) Mu’tazilism and (2) Ash’arism.

The Mu’tazila School

          It started in the first century of the Hijra in protest against the arbitrary exercise of power during the Umayyad regime. The state officials defended their tyrannical conduct by saying that they were not responsible for what they did, for God predestined everything. So Ma’abad Al Juhany opposed this policy and started preaching publicly the doctrine that man, including the Caliph, was accountable for his own evil conduct; it should not be ascribed to God. Hence Caliph ‘Abdul Malik ibn Marwan ordered his execution in the year 80H. (699CE). After the death of Al Juhany, Ghailan al-Dimashqi continued the campaign and added that is was the duty of every Muslim to order the performance of good deeds and to forbid committing evil actions. This was interpreted as a campaign to overthrow the Umayyad rule and so he too was executed under the order of Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik in the year l05H (724CE). But the real founder of the school was Wasil ibn ‘Atta who lived in 80-l3lH.

Among its notable principles are:

(1) That the Qur’an is a created word of Allah.

(2) That Allah will not be seen by the people of Paradise.

(3) That Allah is everywhere.

(4) That those who commit grave sins are neither believers nor non-believers, they are between the two states and are destined to Hell unless they repent before their deaths.

(5) That the Quranie verses relating to anthropomorphic expressions should be interpreted allegorically to avoid any resemblance of Allah to his creatures. That Allah’s attributes are part of His essence, not apart from Him. So they say Allah is powerful instead of He has power. In the latter expression, it would mean that power is a separate entity from its Possessor, Allah, whereas according to the Mu’tazilites the two are one entity.

(6) That it is the duty of a Muslim to order the performance of good deeds and to forbid wrongdoing. Thus it is incumbent on every individual to implement the doctrine according to his capacity. Thus:-

(6)          A ruler to his subjects,

(6)          A Governor to the people of his district,

(6)          A preacher or Imam to his parishioners,

(6)          A teacher to his students,

(6)          A father to members of his household etc.

(7) That man creates his own actions, and so has complete freedom in, and full responsibility for, his conduct (whether good or bad) otherwise he could not be rewarded for good deeds nor punished for his sins.

(8)  That rational interpretation of the Qur'an and Hadiths be applied where appropriate.

With the exception of the principles No.3 and 7, the Ibadhis share common ground with the Mu’tazila doctrine.

          In section 5 of chapter 3 of الموسوعة الميسرة (p.76) it is stated that Mutazila’s conception of God’s attributes and their relation with Him has been influenced by a Greek philosopher, Anbaduqles and a statement by him has been quoted from a book الملل والنحل by Shahrastani, a Shafi’I scholar who lived 479-548H. According to the statement, Anbaduqles says that God’s attributes are His essence that is part of His nature. This is also the view of Mutazila. If we refer to الملل والنحل (Al Milal wa Nihal p.67) we learn that Anbaduqles went to Nabii (Prophet) Daud and studied under him; he also frequently visited Luqman, the sage, and acquired knowledge from him and then returned to Greece. It should be remembered that both Nabii Daud and Luqman were Muslims. Nabii Daud was a prophet, and like all prophets who came before and after him, was a Muslim – they all preached one religion, namely, Islam. Likewise Luqman was a Muslim, and there is a chapter in the Holy Qur’an named after him – Suratu Luqman(31) . In verse 13, Allah says:-

وإذ قال لقمان لابنه وهو يعظه يا بني لا تشرك بالله إن الشرك لظلم عظيم

And (remember) when Luqman said to his son when he was advising him: ‘O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily joining others in worship with Allah is a great wrong indeed.

                                                             (Dr. Al Hilali & Dr. Khan).

Here Luqman was teaching his son the first fundamental principle of Islam. Then in verse I7, Luqman continues,

O my son! Perform prayers...            ..........يا بني أقم الصلاة

Thus Luqman taught his son the second pillar of Islam. So it is obvious that when the Greek philosopher went to Nabii Daud (AS) and the sage Luqman to acquire knowledge, he must have learnt a great deal about Islam and so his philosophical principles which he formulated when he returned home to Greece must have been influenced considerably by what he learnt from them. Hence it is not correct to deduce that whenever Islamic principles happen to agree with Greek philosophy, the former have been necessarily influenced by the latter, because the common religion of Islam, as taught by previous prophets, came much earlier than Greek philosophy. And Greek philosophers visited various parts of the Middle East especially at the time when they ruled that region. So the Mutazila principles are not the result of the influence of Greek philosophy; on the contrary it is the Greek philosophy which has been influenced by Islam as taught by Luqman, Nabii Daud and other prophets who came before Nabii Muhammad (Peace be upon him). This is not to say that everything that is in Greek philosophy constitutes Islam – but there are traces of Islamic principles in it which have been later modified. (See, for example, the philosophy of Pythagoras on p.72 of الملل والنحل)

The Al-Ash’ar School

          It is so-called after Abul Hassan Al Ash’ari, a descendant of Abu Musa al Ash’ari who represented Seyyidna Ali in the Arbitration. He lived 270 – 330H. He studied in the Mu’tazila School and was its adherent for forty years, then abandoned it. According to Prof. Saeed Sheikh in his book, Studies in Muslim Philosophy (published in Lahore), the following are among the principles of Ash’arism:-

(1) That the Qur’an is uncreated, and so it is pre-eternal with no beginning, and part of the essence of Allah.

(2) That Allah will be seen by the people of Paradise,

(3) That Allah has attributes but have no resemblance to human attributes, and they are not part of His essence.

(4) That he who committed a grave sin, even if he did not ask for forgiveness before his death, will be granted pardon with Allah’s mercy or with the Prophet’s intercession (p.92 الموسوعة الميسرة). (Simplified Encyclopedia).

(5) Allah creates actions and man acquires them.

Ibadhis do not agree with the above principles except the last one (No.5).

______________________________

¹ See also V.45 of Chap. 24 (النور) and V. 30 of Chap. 21 (الأنبياء)

² See also V.171 of Chap. 4 (النساء)

³ See also V.48 of Chap. 2 (البقرة)

⁴ See also V. 112 of Chap. 2 (البقرة)

⁵ See also V. 27 of Chap. 20 (طه)

⁶ See also V. 64 of Chap. 19 (مريم)

>>>>>> (To be Continued)

Reference:

Ibadhism, The Cinderella of Islam, by Soud H. Al Ma'awaly, pg: 82-102