Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari | |
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أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ | |
| Title |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | 874 CE (260 AH) |
| Died | 936 CE (324 AH; aged 62–63) |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age (Abbasid era) |
| Region | Abbasid Caliphate |
| Main interest(s) | |
| Notable idea(s) | Ash'arism |
| Notable work(s) |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| School | Shafi'i |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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Influenced
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| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | ʿAlī عَلِيّ |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | Ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Isḥāq ٱبْن إِسْمَاعِيل بْن إِسْحَاق |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū al-Ḥasan أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | Al-Ashʿarī ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ |
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (Arabic: أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَشْعَرِيّ, romanized: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī; 874–936 CE) was an Arab Muslim theologian known for being the eponymous founder of the Ash'ari school of kalam in Sunnism.
Al-Ash'ari was notable for taking an intermediary position between the two diametrically opposed schools of Islamic theology prevalent at the time: Atharism and Mu'tazilism. He primarily opposed the Mu'tazili theologians on God's eternal attributes and Quranic createdness. On the other hand, the Hanbalis and traditionists were opposed to the use of philosophy or speculative theology, and condemned any theological debate altogether.
Al-Ash'ari established a middle way between the doctrines of the aforementioned schools, based both on theological rationalism (kalam) and the interpretation of the Quran and Sunna. His school eventually became the predominant school of theological thought within Sunni Islam. By contrast, Shia Muslims do not accept his theological beliefs, as his works also involved refuting Shia Islam.