RE213 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Biblical Literalism, Predestination In Islam, Polymath

• School: WLU
• Department: Religion & Culture
• Course: RE213
• Professor: Meena Sharify- Funk

Document Summary

8-11th centuries: time of great dynamism and transfusion. The coming together of multiple knowledge systems such as arab, hellenic, judaic, Theolog(cid:455) i(cid:374) ara(cid:271)i(cid:272) is kala(cid:373), (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h literall(cid:455) (cid:373)ea(cid:374)s (cid:862)the stud(cid:455) of di(cid:448)i(cid:374)e spee(cid:272)h(cid:863). Those who practiced theology were known as mutakallimun. Two distinct authoritative forces in islamic theology: mutazilites = rationalists, first theological school, official doctrine of the abbasid khalifah al-ma"(cid:373)u(cid:374, asharites= traditionalist, founder, abu al- hasan al- ashari, connection with ibn hanbal. For asharites, e(cid:454)iste(cid:374)(cid:272)e is (cid:373)aktu(cid:271), (cid:862)is (cid:449)ritte(cid:374)(cid:863) (cid:271)(cid:455) god. God has predetermined the nature of creation: this predispositional and predestined alignment is known as qadar, existence has a beginning and an end. In contrast, for the mutazilites, existence has been always will be with god: e(cid:454)iste(cid:374)(cid:272)e is a (cid:862)(cid:272)o(cid:374)ti(cid:374)uous produ(cid:272)tio(cid:374)(cid:863) of (cid:272)auses a(cid:374)d effe(cid:272)ts. For the asharities, god transcends all existence (which is his creation) and time. God was an is not to be related to anything including time.