Part of the series on Islam Jump to: navigation, search Islam ▶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and said by some to be the fastest growing religion in the world. ... History of Islam

Beliefs and practices

Oneness of God Profession of Faith Prayer · Fasting Pilgrimage · Charity Image File history File links I made this. ... The History of Islam involves the history of the Islamic faith as a religion and as a social institution. ... Aqidah (Arabic: عقيدة) is an Arabic Islamic term meaning creed. ... TawhÄ«d (also Tawhid or Tauhid or Tawheed; Arabic توحيد) is the Islamic concept of monotheism. ... Jump to: navigation, search The word Allāh is the Arabic term for God. It is ultimately derived (according to most etymologists) from Proto-Semitic ʾil-, as is Hebrew El. ... See Shahada (India) for the Indian town called Shahada (in Maharashtra state). ... Salah (other terms and spellings exist) (Arabic: صلاه , Old (Quran) Arabic: صلوة ) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. ... Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic: رمضان ) is the ninth month of the Islamic year. ... The Hajj or Haj (Arabic حَجّ Ḥaǧǧ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (or, Makkah) and is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam and is one of the eleven Branches of Religion in Shia Islam. ... Zakât (or Zakaat or Zakah) (Arabic: زكاة, Old (Quran) Arabic: زكوة) is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam. ...

Major figures

Muhammad Companions of Muhammad Household of Muhammad Prophets of Islam · Jump to: navigation, search This page is an incomplete list of prominent and famous (or infamous) people who are Muslims - followers of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... In the Islamic religion, the Sahaba (or Asahaaba,الصحابه; both forms are plural--the singular is Sahaabi, which is Arabic for friend, or companion) are the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. ... This is an Arabic phrase literally translated as People of the House, or family. ... The Quran identifies a number of men as prophets of Islam. ...

Texts & law

Qur'an · Hadith · Sharia Jurisprudence Biographies of Muhammad Jump to: navigation, search // Quran Text Surahs Ayah Commentary/Exegesis Ibn Kathir Al Tabari Al Kordobi Tafseer-e-kabir (by Imam Razi) Tafheem-al-Quran (by Moulana Maududi) Sunnah/Hadith Hadith (Traditions of The Prophet) The Siha-e-Sitta al-Bukhari (d. ... Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sharia (Arabic: ; also SharÄ«ah, Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah. ... - Islamic jurisprudence, Fiqh (in Arabic and Persian: فقه) is made up of the rulings of Islamic jurists to direct the lives of the Muslim faithful. ... This article is not about the group of British engineering companies called Sira; see Sira (group of British companies). ...

Branches of Islam

Sunni · Shi'a ·Sufi Jump to: navigation, search The religion of Islam has many divisions, sects, schools, traditions, and related faiths. ... Jump to: navigation, search There are several branches of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search Shii redirects here. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sufism (Arabic تصوف tasÌ£awwuf) is a school of esoteric philosophy in Islam, which is based on the pursuit of spiritual truth as a definite goal to attain. ...

Sociopolitical aspects

Art · Architecture Cities · Calendar Science · Philosophy Religious leaders Women in Islam Political Islam · Jihad · Mediums of Islamic art Islamic art throughout history has been mainly abstract and decorative, portraying geometric, floral, Arabesque, and calligraphic designs. ... Islamic architecture is the entire range of architecture that has evolved from Islam as a social, cultural, political and religious phenomenon. ... Jump to: navigation, search This is a list of cities that various groups regard as holy. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (also called Hijri calendar) is the calendar used to date events in predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Muslim holy days. ... Photo taken from medieval manuscript by Qotbeddin Shirazi, an Astronomer. ... Islamic philosophy (فلسفه Ù‰ اسلامى) is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between faith, reason or philosophy, and the religious teachings of Islam. ... Islamic religious leaders are persons who, as part of the clerisy, mosque, or government, perform a prominent role within their community or nation. ... Jump to: navigation, search The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Islam as a political movement has a diverse character that has at different times incorporated elements of many other political movements, while simultaneously adapting the religious views of Islamic fundamentalism, particularly the view of Islam as a political religion. ... Jump to: navigation, search Jihad (Arabic: jihād) is an Islamic term, from the Arabic root jhd (to exert utmost effort, to strive, struggle), which connotes a wide range of meanings: anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle to further the...

See also

Vocabulary of Islam Index of articles on Islam The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Islam and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. ...

Mu'tazilah (Arabic المعتزلة al-mu`tazilah) is an extinct theological school of thought within Islam. It is also spelled Mu'tazilite, or Mu'tazilah. Jump to: navigation, search Arabic (Arabic: العربية; transliterated: al-carabiyyah, less formally, عربي transliterated: carabÄ«) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... Jump to: navigation, search Islam â–¶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and said by some to be the fastest growing religion in the world. ...

Etymology

The name Mu'tazili originates from the Arabic root اعتزل (i`tazala) meaning "to leave", "to abandon", "to desert". Jump to: navigation, search Arabic (Arabic: العربية; transliterated: al-carabiyyah, less formally, عربي transliterated: carabÄ«) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ...

Origin

Mu'tazili theology originated in the 8th century in al-Basrah when Wasil ibn Ata left the teaching lessons of al-Hasan al-Basri after a theological dispute; thus he and his followers were labelled Mu'tazili. Later, Mu'tazilis called themselves Ahl al-'Adl wa al-Tawhid ("People of Justice and Monotheism") based on the theology they advocated, which expanded on the logic and rationalism of Greek philosophy, seeking to combine them with Islamic doctrines and show that the two were inherently compatible. (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Location of Basra Basra (also known as Başrah or Basara; historically sometimes called Busra, Busrah, and early on Bassorah; Arabic: البصرة, Al-Basrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of about 1,377,000 in 2003. ... Wasil ibn Ata (700 - 748) was a Muslim theologian, and by some accounts is considered the founder of the Mutazilite school of Islamic thought. ... Hasan Ul-Basri [Abu Saud ul-Hasan ibn Abi-l-Hasan Vassar ul-Basri], (642 - 728 or 737), Arabian theologian, was born at Medina. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ... Classical (or early) Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. ...

During this period, several questions were being debated by Muslim theologians, including whether the Qur'an was created or eternal, whether evil was created by God, the issue of predestination versus free will, whether God's attributes in the Qur'an were to be interpreted allegorically or literally, and whether sinning believers would have eternal punishment in hell. Islam was also dealing with a number of doctrines later deemed to be heresy, as well as challenges to it from atheists, notably Ibn al-Rawandi. Mu'tazili thought attempted to address all these issues. Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ... Jump to: navigation, search The term God is capitalized in the English language as a proper noun when used to refer to a specific monotheistic concept of a supernatural Supreme Being in accordance with Christian, Jewish (sometimes as G-d - cf. ... Predestination is a religious idea, under which the relationship between the beginning of things and the destiny of things is discussed. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ... Jump to: navigation, search Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is, according to many religious beliefs, a place or a state of painful suffering. ... Jump to: navigation, search Islam ▶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and said by some to be the fastest growing religion in the world. ... An early skeptic of Islam and religion in general within the Muslim world, Ibn al-Rawandi (3rd century A.H., 9th century C.E.) became one of Islams most notorious heretics for his denial of the phenomenon of prophecy. ...

Tenets

Mu'tazili tenets focus on the Five Principles:

• Tawhid التوحيد - Monotheism. God could not be conceived by any human conception. There they argued that verses in the Qur'an describing God as sitting on a throne to be allegorical. The Mu'tazilis argued that the Qur'an could not be eternal, but created by God. Otherwise the uniqueness of God would be impossible. They took the allegorical stance to its extreme and started to term their opponents as anthropomorphists.

• 'Adl العدل - Divine Justice. Facing the problem of existence of evil in a world where God is omnipotent, the Mu'tazilis pointed at the free will of human beings, so that evil was defined as something that stems from the errors in human acts. God does no evil, and he demands not from any human to perform any evil act. If man's evil acts had been from the will of God, then punishment would have been meaningless, as man performed God's will no matter what he did.

• al-Wa'd wa al-Wa'id الوعد و الوعيد - Promise and Threat. This comprised questions on the Last day and the Qiyamah (Islamic Day of Judgement), where God would reward those who obeyed him with what he promised, and punish those who disobeyed with threats of hellfire.

• al-manzila bayn al-manzilatayn المنزلة بين المنزلتين - the position between the two extremes. That is, between those who say all sinners will be eternally in hell, and those who say sinners will not be punished — ie, between Kharijites and Murjites.

• al-amr bil ma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al munkar الأمر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر - commanding the good and prohibiting the evil. This includes permitting rebellion against unjust rulers as a way to prohibit evil.

In everyone of these tenets there were differences from other schools of theology in Islam at the time. Jump to: navigation, search The term God is capitalized in the English language as a proper noun when used to refer to a specific monotheistic concept of a supernatural Supreme Being in accordance with Christian, Jewish (sometimes as G-d - cf. ... Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... In the philosophy of religion and theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent god. ... Omnipotence (literally, all power) is the power to do absolutely anything. ... Yaum al-Qiyâmah (يوم القيامة; literally: Day of the Resurrection (Quran 71. ... Jump to: navigation, search Islam ▶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and said by some to be the fastest growing religion in the world. ... The term Judgement Day may refer to: The Last Judgement; the ethical-judicial trial, judgement, and punishment/reward of individual humans (assignment to Heaven or to Hell) by a divine tribunal at the end of time. ... Fire and Brimstone (also called hellfire and damnation, typically by Christians) is an appeal to listeners emotions using frightening stories of demons, hellfire, and damnation: -- from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, a Christian sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1741 Brimstone is an Old English word for... Kharijites were members of an Islamic sect in late 7th and early 8th century AD, concentrated in todays southern Iraq. ... During the early centuries of Islam, Muslim thought encountered a multitude of infuences from various ethnic and philosophical groups that it absorbed. ... Kalam in Arabic means speech or discourse and refers to the Islamic tradition of seeking theological principles through dialectic. ...

Historical development

Mu'tazili theology developed in the 8th century, and by the early 9th century became the official court belief of the Abbasid Caliphate, when it was officially adopted by the caliph Al-Ma'mun. While Mu'tazilism took hold among officials and in intellectual circles, its public appeal was limited. (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... This earthenware dish was made in 9th century Iraq. ... Jump to: navigation, search Abbasid provinces during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid Abbasid (Arabic: العبّاسدين ) was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Muslim empire, that overthrew the Umayyad caliphs. ... An Anglicized/Latinized version of the Arabic word خليفة or Khalīfah, Caliph (  listen?) is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ... Abu Jafar al-Mamun ibn Harun (786 - October 10, 833) (المأمون) was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, or speculate on a variety of different ideas. ...

Under al-Ma'mun, an inquisition-like persecution (Arabic: Mihna "Ordeal" 833-848) was undertaken against scholars who did not adhere to Mu'tazili thought. Its main form was forcing non-adherents to renounce the doctrine that the Qur'an was eternal, and instead attest that it was created. The most famous victims of the Mihna were Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who was imprisoned and tortured, and the judge Ahmad Ibn Nasr al-Khuza'i who was crucified. In another famous incident, Muslim prisoners of war held by the Byzantine Empire were only freed if they attested that the Qur'an was created, not eternal. Later the famous Hadith scholar al-Bukhari was also tested regarding his beliefs about the Qur'an. Abu Jafar al-Mamun ibn Harun (786 - October 10, 833) (المأمون) was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. ... Jump to: navigation, search Pedro Berruguete. ... Events End of the reign of caliph Al-Mamun Nimmyo succeeds Junna as emperor of Japan Creation of Great Moravia Births Deaths October 10 - al-Mamun, Abbasid caliph of Baghdad Categories: 833 ... Jump to: navigation, search Events The Borobudur is completed. ... Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (Arabic: ‏‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎أحمد بن حنبل‏‎‎‎‏‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ Ahmad bin Hanbal ) (780 [164 AH] - 855 [241 AH] ) was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. ... Jump to: navigation, search A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ... Jump to: navigation, search Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ... Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردزبه البخاري (born 810 - died 870), Arabic author of the most generally accepted collection of traditions (Hadith) from Muhammad, was born at Bokhara (Bukharä), of an Iranian family, in AH...

The Mu'tazili school eventually lost the support of rulers and high ranking officials. By the 13th century, the theology ceased to exist in Sunni Islam. (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search Islam â–¶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and said by some to be the fastest growing religion in the world. ...

Legacy and assessment

Mu'tazilism's rationalism was appealing to the learned classes of the time, as was its stance on Free Will, and its perceived opposition to the inherent anthropomorphism of the rival theologies. However, being elitist in nature, it never gained ground with the masses, and its adoption by the rulers and the subsequent persecution of scholars made it appeal even less to the public. Jump to: navigation, search Rationalism, also known as the rationalist movement, is a philosophical doctrine that asserts that the truth can best be discovered by reason and factual analysis, rather than faith, dogma or religious teaching. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite — a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below) — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone...

Mu'tazilis initially focused on attacks on Islam from non-Muslims. However they soon became focussed on debating other theologies and sects within Islam itself. Although Mu'tazalis advocated the pursuit of justice even by rebellion against rulers, their alliance with rulers who oppressed non-adherents made this a moot point.

As a response to Mu'tazilism, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, initially a Mu'tazili himself, developed his Kalam methodology, also based on Greek dialectic, thus starting the Ash'ari school of theology. The Ash'ari school of theology was the codifying of the traditional beliefs of Sunni Islam. Influenced by Ash'aris, the Maturidi school emerged, and its founder wrote many books to refute many of Mu'tazili beliefs. Abu al-Hasan bin Ismael al-Ashari (Arabic ابو الحسن بن إسماعيل اﻷشعري) (c. ... Kalam in Arabic means speech or discourse and refers to the Islamic tradition of seeking theological principles through dialectic. ... Jump to: navigation, search Broadly defined, Dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is an exchange of propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses) resulting in a synthesis of the opposing assertions, or at least a qualitative transformation in the direction of the dialogue. ... The Asharite school of early Muslim philosophy were instrumental in drastically changing the direction of Islamic philosophy, separating its development drastically from that of philosophy in the Christian world. ... The Asharite school of early Muslim philosophy were instrumental in drastically changing the direction of Islamic philosophy, separating its development drastically from that of philosophy in the Christian world. ... In Islam, one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidis theology, which is a close variant of Ashari school of thought. ...

Many Shi'a sects, specially the Twelver version, have adopted certain tenets of Mu'tazili beliefs, and incorporated them into their theology. Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ...

Modern attempts at revival

Some modern attempts have been made to revive Mu'tazili thought, especially as a counterbalance to traditionalist Salafi and Wahhabi schools; notable examples include Harun Nasution and Nasr Abu Zayd. However these efforts have not been particularly successful. Jump to: navigation, search A Salafi (Arabic سلفي referring to early Muslim), from the Arabic word Salafسلف (literally meaning predecessors or early generations), is an adherent of a contemporary movement in Sunni Islam that is sometimes called Salafism or Wahhabism. ... Wahhabism (sometimes spelled Wahabbism or Wahabism) is a movement of Islam named after Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (1703–1792). ... Professor Nasr (Hamid) Abu Zayd was born in Tanta, Egypt on October 7, 1943 and currently works and resides in The Netherlands. ...

Famous figures

• Ibrahim al-Nazzam
• al-Jubba'i
• Abu Huthail al-'Allaf
• al-Qadi Abdul Jabbar
• al-Jahiz a literary genius, and linguist
• al-Mawardi a judge and writer on politics
• Ibn Abi al-Hadid a poet who collected the sayings of Ali Ibn Abi Talib
• Zamakhshari an exegete of Qur'an

Abu Ali Muhammad al-Jubbai was a Mutazili philosopher of the 10th century. ... Al-Jahiz (died 869) was a ninth century Islamic zoologist and belles_lettriste who authored The Book of Animals. ... Contents // Categories: People stubs | 972 births | 1058 deaths ... Ali ibn Abu Talib (Arabic: ) (c. ... Zamakhshari [Abu-1 Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar uz-Zamakhshari] (1070 (?)-1143) was a Persian learned man of medieval times. ... Jump to: navigation, search In this article, all English Quranic quotes will be taken from Yusuf A. Alis translation. ...

See also

Asharite, Kalam The Asharite (Arabic الأشعرية al-ash`aryah) is a school of early Muslim philosophy that wasinstrumental in drastically changing the direction of Islamic philosophy, separating its development radically from that of philosophy in the Christian world. ... Kalam in Arabic means speech or discourse and refers to the Islamic tradition of seeking theological principles through dialectic. ...

External links

• Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia of the Orient on Mu'tazila
• Encyclopedia of the Orient on Mihna
• Discussion of al-Jahiz refutation against anthropomorphism