INTRODUCTION
xviii
butes of Allah nor of the Qur'an as the Speech of Allah, neither discussion of
Muhammad
and the prophetic
A much more detailed statement of
Abu
is
that
there a
is
office.
known
as the
Testament
Wastya)
(
Hanlfa. This supposed testament of one of the founders of the four
orthodox schools of religious practice also Islamic principles but a protest against that
opinions
had crept
prophetic office of
Muhammad
were
later confessions
into
is
not a systematic outline of
some of the outstanding
theological
thinking.
heretical
neither
Again,
the
nor the attributes of Allah around which
built receive consideration.
Another stage in the development of the creed is seen in an early chapter of al-Ash'ari's Kitab al-lbana 'an Usul al-Diyana. Having given the position of innovators and those who have gone astray the author follows with a section setting forth the articles of Belief of the plural, with expressions like
"We
Muslim Community. The
believe,"
"We
say,"
is
first
person
used throughout.
is affirmed in the Unity of Allah, His attributes, His uncreated Speech, His decision and decree regarding the actions of creatures, the Beatific Vision of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. Belief is defined, the Garden and the
Faith
Fire and other cschatological matters are stated to be realities, and the
Imamate
explained as well as other matters over which there had been
is
12
dispute.
In his Maqdldt al-lslamiyin al-Ash'arl in the chapter dealing with
the beliefs of the People of Tradition
marizes the Muslim creed, but
own of
and the Approved
time in the third person.
this
again sum-
Way 13
As
for his
position as revealed in his Ibana, al-Ash'arl not only follows the teaching
Ahmad
b.
Hanbal, but
says,
"We
hold
fast to the
Book
of our Lord, to the
Sunna of our Prophet, to what has been handed down from the Companions and their Followers and the masters of hadlth, and to what Abu 'Abdallah
Ahmad
poses him,
for he
is
b.
Muhammad
b.
Hanbal
Allah has shown the truth, taken away error,
dued the innovations
who
pretations as he
which op-
made
clear the path,
14
Although
al-Ash'arl
is
whom
and sub-
of the innovators, the schisms of the schismatics,
doubt of the doubters." theologian
says opposing that
the excellent leader and the perfect head, through
and the
usually represented as the
introduced into orthodoxy such methods of logic and inter-
had gained from
his study
with Mu'tazilite teachers, yet both
where he warmly defends the position of Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Maqalat, where he presents in a detached manner the multifarious views in al-lbana,
12
Al-Ash'ari, Kitab al-lbana 'an Usul al-Diydna, pp. 8 ff.; W. C. Klein, al-Al'ans Al-lbanah 'an Usul ad-Diyanah, pp. 49 ff.
'Alt Ibn Ismd'll p.
290
ff.
14
Al-lbdna, p. 8.
Abu
'l-Hasan