The Murji'a and the theological school of Abū Ḥanīfa

269 Pages·2014·10.13 MB·English

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THE HURJI 'A AND THE THEOLOGICAL
SCHOOL OF ABU HANIFA
•
A HISTORICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL STUDY
presented by
Joseph Givony
Thesis submitted for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty
of Arts, University of Edinburgh.
August 1977·
TO MY PARENTS
,.
i
ABSTR.l\.CT
Towards the end of the 7th century A.D., Iraq
was in a state of near civil war, caused by social
and political malaise. Factional and tribal feuds
and fierce antagonism to the Umayyad reign threatened
the survival of the dynasty as the unifying force of
the empire. Into this situation, al-Hasan b. Muhammad
• •
b. al-Hanafiyya (d.c. 100/718), a grandson of 'Ali,
•
introduced a peace formula which was intended to
pacify the rival religio-political parties. This
idea found adherence especially among religious
scholars, \vho quickly broadened its basis, attracting
followers to its pacific message. Despite an unstable
record of relations with the court, the movement
basically supported with its ideology the legitimacy
of the Umayyad The popularity of the movement,
rei~n.
especially in some scholarly circles in Kufa, led to
the formation of a school of religious thought, which
had relied on the basic political and religious
attitudes of the early Nurji'a, but transformed it
into a comprehensive theological system. Although
not responsible for the actual forging of Iviurji 'ite
attitudes, Abu Hanifa had emerged as the eponymous
•
epitome of the movement and the theological school.
The first chapter, 11Irja', The Development of
the Idea11 investigates several possibilities as the
,
ii ~·
source of this notion, among them the alleBed
Qur'anic origin, and the Kitab al-Irja' attributed to
al-Hasan b. Nuha.mmad b. al-Hanafiyya. The second
• • •
chapter, 11The Formation of the I~Iurji 'a as a Religio
Political l:ovement" surveys the social and the
historical background of the Kufan milieu, the
formation of the Nurji'ite circle and the social
elements it was comprised of, and the position of
the movement in political and religious affairs in
the first decades of the 8th century .A.D. The
t\'JO
third and last chapter, "The Transformation of the
Murji'a from a Political into a Religiously-Oriented
School 11 studies and analyses vJhat is believed to be
genuine Murji'ite treatises of religious thought,
in comparison to sources of a contemporary rival
school and the heresiographers. Special emphasis
was laid in the analysis on the subject of theology
as a.medium for political views.
i'
iii
ACKNOVi UDGENENT3
I would like to take this opportunity to
express my gratitude to the many people \'lho helped
this research.
Major thanks go to my supervisor, Professor
\·J.l'-1. Watt. His care and concern for the work I
presented to him for comment constantly encouraged
and reassured me. His influence as a scholar of
Islamic studies is reflected in this work, and will
no doubt, be an object to emulate.
I am no less grateful to J.R$ Walsh for
~tt.
many hours of his time spent commenting and correcting
my work, and providing me with stimulating conversations
and constant encouragement. . 1\lly thanks go also to
Professor P.J .E. Cachia, Dr. Hichael f'tlacdonald and
Dr. Ian Howard, who were always helpful whenever
their advice was needed.
Acknowledgement is a grievously inadequate word
to describe my gratitude to my parents whose loving
encouragement and real help enabled me to carry out
this study.
I am greatly indebted to the University of
Edinburgh. Their generous material help enabled me
to carry out this research.
periods which I spent in the Oriental Seminar
~1o
of the University of were made possible with
~uoingen
the help of Professor and Mrs. Kuschke, the German
iv
Academic Exchange Service and Professor
(D~Vill)
J. van Esq who, although not official supervisor,
fuelled my thoughts and materials.
A word of thanks and appreciation goes to the
department s. secretary, 11iss I. Cra\'lford, always
c
kind, patient and helpful.
Thanks· are also due to the typists, Hrs. N. Bennett
and Nrs. N. O'Donnell for their care and patience in
the typing of this thesis.
Last but not least, my thanks are expressed to
Navi who shared with me more than anypody else the
grievances and jubilations of this work.
..
V
Page
Abstract
i
Acknowledgements
iii
Table of Contents
V
Table of Titles and Abbreviations viii
. Introduction 1
-
CHAPTER OHE: IRJA' THE DEVELOPHENT
OF THE IDEA
1) The Alleged Qur'anic Origin 5
l.a) The Version of the Qurra' -
Textual Variants 11
2) Possible Historical Roots 13
3) Kitab al-Irja' : The Nascent Idea 16
4) The Heaning of Irja' in the Risala 19
5) The Historical Circumstances 25
6) The Political and Theological
Significance of the Risala 35
7) Conclusion 42
CHAPr.!.!;R T';/0: THE l!,OHNATION OF THE HURJI 'A
AS A RELIGIO-POLITIClili
HOVEHENT
1) Social and Historical Background of
Kufa towards the Beginning of the
8th Century 49
:2) 693-701 The Formative Period 55
The Prominent Figures 55
~~
..
vi
Page
2.b) The Social Position
59
2. c) Relations th the Umayyads -
\-Ji
693-701 61
2.d) 701 - The First Ideological
Cleavage 63
3) The Rising of 'Abd al-Rahman b •
•
a1-Ash'ath and its Aftermath 69
3.a) The r1urji'ites and the Qurra' in
the Rising 69
Relations with the Umayyads 701-714 7.1
The Roots of the Nurji'a in Kufa ?4
The f'1ur j i 'a in Basra ?B
•
Religious and Political Attitudes
of the Nurji'a al-Ula ?9
5) Relations between the Hurji'a and
their Rival Religio-Political
Factions (c. 705/720) 89
5.a) The Eurji'a and the Shi'a 89
5. b) The Nurji 'a and the Kha\~Jarij 93
5.c) The Nurji'a and the Qadariyya 94
6) The Triumph of Early Hurji'ism-
The Reign of tUmar b. 'Abd al-'Az1z 9?
?) The Hurji'ite Part in the Rising of
Yazid b. Muhallab 105
8) Conclusion 108
CHAPI'.t.:R THRE.S: Tllli 'I'RAi{SFORJ'I·i.A'J:IO.N OF THE
HUHJI 'A l?H0I'l A J:>OLI'fiC./~
NOVEh_t;HT Ii{TO A RELIGIOUSLY
ORI..bNT.SD SCHOOL
1) The Murji'ite Circle (c.720-?30) 110
2) The Hurji'ite Treatises 11?
3) Elements of Murji'ite Doctrine as
Reflecte.d by Early Hurji 'ite
vii
Page
Treatises 121
4) The Nurji'ite Doctrine of Iman
as Reflected by their Ideological
Opponents in the Kitab al-Iman of
Abu 'Ubayd al-Qasim b. Sallam 151
5) Murji'ite Principles as Reflected
by the Heresiographers 164
6) The Modern Outlook: accidental
Scholars on the r-'lurji 'a 171
?) The Nurji'ite Thought: Critique
and Analysis of Primary and
Secondary Sources 181
8) The Hurji'ites and their
Scholarly Opponents 216
9) The Impact of Abu Hanifa:
•
The Account of the Early
Hanafite Biographies 224
•
Bibliography 235