Mu'tazilah Scholars

Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar was a scholar of the Mu'tazili school. Some of his books were Kitab al-usul al-khamsa and several volumes of Kitab al-mughnifi abwab al-tawhid wa1-'adl. The Indonesian Mutazilah thinker like Harun Nasution refered to the Qadi's work in his publications.

Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar stated in his work that God must be known rationally.

Harun Nasution begins with the assassination of the third caliph (Uthman al-Affan). The first civil war among the Muslims (the Jamal War) between Ayesha (Talha and Zubayr) against the fourth caliph (Imam Ali) not only changed the Islamic politics and social history but also had theological implication.

Western historians considered the Mutazilah as rationalists.

The following two beliefs was adopted by the Mu'tazilah

• Qur 'an was created (khalq al-qur'an) and
• That humans have free will and the power to act on it (qadar)

Some muslims who were influenced with Sunnism considered the above beliefs as kufr.

The Zaydis and the Imami Shias did not have a strong opposition to some of the doctrines of Mu'tazilah.

to be continued...