Editing Ash'arism (section)

=== Founder ===
{{Ash'arism}}
[[Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari|Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī]] was born in [[Basra]],<ref name="John L. Esposito p 54">John L. Esposito, The Islamic World: Abbasid-Historian, p 54. {{ISBN|0195165209}}</ref> [[Iraq]], and was a descendant of [[Abu Musa al-Ashari|Abū Mūsa al-Ashʿarī]], which belonged to the first generation of [[Companions of the Prophet|Muhammad's closest companions]] (''ṣaḥāba'').<ref name="I.M.N. Al-Jubouri p 182">I.M.N. Al-Jubouri, History of Islamic Philosophy: With View of Greek Philosophy and Early History of Islam, p 182. {{ISBN|0755210115}}</ref> As a young man he studied under [[al-Jubba'i]], a renowned teacher of [[Muʿtazila|Muʿtazilite theology]] and [[Early Islamic philosophy|philosophy]].<ref>Marshall Cavendish Reference, Illustrated Dictionary of the Muslim World, p 87. {{ISBN|0761479295}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Allard |first=Michel |title=Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, Muslim theologian |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abu-al-Hasan-al-Ashari#ref260804 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029094518/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abu-al-Hasan-al-Ashari#ref260804|archive-date=2020-10-29 |access-date=2021-04-01}}</ref> He was noted for his teachings on [[atomism]],<ref name=Hye>{{Cite web |url=http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/14.htm|author=M. Abdul Hye |title=Ash'arism |website=A History of Muslim Philosophy}}</ref> among the [[Early Islamic philosophy|earliest Islamic philosophies]], and for al-Ashʿarī this was the basis for propagating the view that [[God in Islam|God]] created every moment in [[time]] and every particle of [[matter]]. He nonetheless believed in [[Free will in theology|free will]] and predestination, elaborating the thoughts of Dirar ibn 'Amr and [[Abu Hanifa]] into a "dual agent" or "acquisition" (''iktisab'') account of free will.<ref>Watt, Montgomery. Free-Will and Predestination in Early Islam. Luzac & Co.: London 1948.</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2016}}

While Al-Ashʿarī opposed the views of the rival [[Muʿtazila|Muʿtazilite school]], he was also opposed to the view which [[Bi-la kaifa|rejected all debate]], held by certain schools such as the [[Zahiri]] ("literalist"), [[Mujassimite]] ([[Anthropotheism|anthropotheist]]), schools for their over-emphasis on ''[[taqlid]]'' (imitation) in his ''Istihsan al‑Khaud'':<ref name=Hye/> But instead, Imam Al-Ash'ari affirmed the ambiguous verses in the Qur'an (such as those about the hand and eyes) without a "how" (modality) and without a meaning (meaning, he consigned the meaning to God), a practice known as ''[[tafwid]]''. He also allowed another orthodox way of dealing with the ambiguous verses in the Qur'an called ''[[ta'wil]]'' (interpretation based on the Arabic language and revelation). 

{{Blockquote|A section of the people (i.e., the Zahirites and others) made capital out of their own ignorance; [[Debate|discussions]] and [[Rationality|rational thinking]] about matters of faith became a heavy burden for them, and, therefore, they became inclined to blind faith and blind following (taqlid). They condemned those who tried to rationalize the principles of religion as '[[Bid‘ah|innovators]]'. They considered discussion about [[Motion (physics)|motion]], [[Rest (physics)|rest]], [[Physical body|body]], [[accident]], [[Color|colour]], [[space]], [[atom]], the leaping of atoms, and Attributes of [[God]], to be an innovation and a [[sin]]. They said that had such discussions been the right thing, the [[Muhammad|Prophet]] and his [[Sahaba|Companions]] would have definitely done so; they further pointed out that the Prophet, before his death, discussed and fully explained all those matters which were necessary from the religious point of view, leaving none of them to be discussed by his followers; and since he did not discuss the problems mentioned above, it was evident that to discuss them must be regarded as an innovation.}}