Mu`tazila (Arabic: ?????? al-mu?tazilah) is an school of Islamic theology based on reason and rational thought[1] that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the
Mu`tazili school are best known for their denying the status of the Qur'an as uncreated and co-eternal with God.[2] From this premise, the Mu`tazili school of Kalam proceeded to posit that the injunctions of God are accessible to rational thought and inquiry: because knowledge is derived from reason, reason is the "final arbiter" in distinguishing right from wrong.[3] It follows, in Mu`tazili reasoning, that "sacred precedent" is not an effective means of determining what is just, as what is obligatory in religion is only obligatory "by virtue of reason."[3]
The movement emerged in the Umayyad Era, and reached its height in the Abbasid period. After the 10th century, movement declined and lost any influence it had held. It is viewed as heretical by many scholars in modern mainstream Islamic theology for its tendency to deny the Qur'an being eternal, and to allow for the possibility of free will and thus opposing the strict determinism of mainstream thought. In contemporary jihadism, charges of being a mu`tazili has been used between rivalling group as a means of denouncing their credibility.[4]
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." - Mulla Nasrudin
When your religion holds forth that a man went into a cave and came out with words directly dictated from God, with said words proclaiming himself to be the true and only messenger from God, and that person also happens to be a liar, murderer, rapist, thief, and terrorist, then I can definitely see how it would be a dangerous thing to allow the followers to go down a path of reason and rational thought.
From the wiki.....
"By the end of the 15th century, Mu'tazila had essentially ceased to exist as a held position."
Does the decline correlate with the decline of the original Caliphate?
"All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called 'Facts'. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain." -- Thomas Hobbes
Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet. I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!
This school of thought emerged as a reaction to political tyranny; it brought answers to political questions, or questions raised by current political circumstances. The philosophical and metaphysical elements, and influence of the Greek philosophy were added afterward during the Abbasid Caliphate. The founders of the Abbasid dynasty strategically supported this school to bring political revolution against Umayyad Caliphate. Once their authority established, they also turned against this school of thought.
The early Caliphates were:
Rashidun Caliphate (632-661)
Umayyad Caliphate (661-750)
Abbasid Caliphate (750-1517) But after 909 there were several Caliphates running in parallel in different places https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate
Last edited by stone on Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." - Mulla Nasrudin
?????? al-mu?tazilah) is an school of Islamic theology based on reason and rational thought[1] that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the
