The Ash'ari Clinic: 1st Case Study of 'Ash'ari Burnout' - Concerning Allaah's Spe

ech and the Qur'an

Filed under: The Clinic
Sunday, October 18 2009 - by TheClinic
Key topics: The Clinic Ash'ari Burnout
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We are pleased to present our first case study of "Ash'ari Burnout". To learn mo
re please see this page. "Ash'ari Burnout" is a phenomenon arising when the inab
ility to satisfactorily resolve and come to terms with certain (historical) fact
s and information results firstly in "psychological denial" which disturbs the m
ental constitution, then denial of the denial secondly, and then finally, barely
comprehensible, illogical, irrational "outbursts" taking place mainly on blogs
and forums.
Case Involving Allaah's Kalaam and the Qur'an
First let us produce the manifestation of the symptoms:
Case Diagnosis, Notes and Comments
Background Ignorance
Most, if not all cases of "Ash'ari Burnout" occur within the context of complete
and compound ignorance of what actually instigated the Mutakallimoon - [people
of theological speculation using the metaphysical classification and terminology
of the atheist philophers] - to the compelling need to deny Allaah's Names, att
ributes and Actions. Yes, it is that intellectual proof called "hudooth ul-ajsaa
m". The Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah were the pioneers of this proof, and the Ash'ar
is were just the blind-followers, they did not originate it, they "borrowed" it.
It was the Mu'tazilah who incorporated "Atomism" into the crude version of "hud
ooth ul-ajsaam" of the Jahmiyyah, and the Ash'aris acquired it all and simply ma
de refinements to this intellectual proof, differing with the Mu'tazilah in subs
idiary details - al-Baqillani (d. 403H) being the first to codify it and formali
ze it in his book "at-Tamheed".
See this article for more details on this subject:
The Usool of the Ash'ariyyah Are the Usool of the Mu'tazilah: Part 1 - The Intel
lectual Proof of hudooth ul-ajsaam (Createdness of the Universe) - Read article
here.
Its scary for them to even go down this road and to discuss the details of the s
ource and origin of this proof they have made to be the basis of the bulk of the
ir creed because it might lead to the undermining of the entire "house" that has
been built upon it. So the first point being really, that to the majority of As
h'arites this is the last thing they want to discuss, and so you have to really
pin them down on the floor and make them speak about these issues in detail, so
the cat comes out of the bag, and then we have a different ball-game altogether
- because then it becomes clear that their deen is merely an extension of the de
en of the Mu'tazilah, no more and no less.
Analysis of the Victim's Outburst
The victim said:
I will give you an example of the lies and deception coming from the site. The A
sh'aris say that the Qur'an or Kalaam (i.e., "Communication") of Allah may refer
to two things: the Eternal Attribute of Allah, or the expressions of Allah's Et
ernal Attribute. The former (Allah's Attribute) is UNCREATED; whereas, the expre
ssions, such as, the words in the Kitaab-Al-Qur'an, are CREATED. So to say that
the Ash'aris claim: "The Qur'an is created," is an intentional distortion and mi
srepresentation of the truth
As the reader will see, this can be diagnosed as either "delusion" or "denial of
the denial". If this person read what is on this site, he would realize that we
have characterized the view of the Ash'arites with perfect accuracy, to the let
ter, which is that the Ash'aris believe there are two Qur'ans. The first is from
Allaah's "Kalaam Nafsee" (thanks Christian poet, "al-Akhtal") which to them is
the uncreated Qur'an, and the second is the Qur'an that we have with us, recited
, heard, memorized, in letter and word - which the Ash'arites in private say is
created, but prohibit that it should said be said about them in public. They get
really angry about it, and they haven't changed since the days of Ibn Qudaamah
al-Maqdisi who pointed out over eight-hundred years ago that these Ash'arites ge
t really peeved when you quote from them that they say "the Qur'an is created",
which is what they do say in private secluded gatherings -(go and read about tha
t here). Believe us, it really, really vexes them that their true and real sayin
g is propagated openly. It scares them, because they know that all Muslims with
sound fitrah will scorn them for it.
Notice the attempt of the victim to equate beween the "Qur'an" and "Kalaam" with
out restriction or qualification:
The Ash'aris say that the Qur'an or Kalaam (i.e., "Communication") of Allah...
The reason why it needs to be said in this manner is because, they believe that
Allaah's "Kalaam" is just a single indivisible meaning (ma'naa waahid). So there
are not two meanings, or three meanings, or ten thousand, or fifty-million, or
an infinite number of meanings. It is just one indivisible meaning. For saying t
his, all people of sound mind mocked the Ash'arites and considered them deficien
t in intellect for uttering such an unintelligible and outlandish belief - the a
im of which was just to cover their backs against the Mu'tazilah.
This means that all the verses in the Qur'an are a single meaning, and that all
the revealed books, the Qu'ran, Injeel, Torah, Zabur, are all a single indivisib
le meaning, and the "created expression" of Jibreel that, "Do not approach zinaa
..." (in the "created Qur'an") is an expression of that same singular indivisibl
e meaning from which another "created expression" of Jibreel, "Establish the pra
yer ..." (in the "created Qur'an") has been derived, and the same can be said fo
r all other verses in the Qur'an - and at the same time there are no two meaning
s present with Allaah, Allaah's "Kalaam Nafsee" is indivisible, it is a single m
eaning. They had to say this to avoid what they call "ta'addud", the notion of n
umerousness in Allaah's speech, otherwise the Mu'tazilah would have had a field
day with them.
So is Allaah's "Kalaam Nafsee" just the Qur'an? Or does Allaah have speech besid
es the Qur'an? If yes, then how can that "Kalaam" be a singular meaning, when it
is more than just the Qur'an? And how do you explain that the Qur'an contains k
habar (information), amr (command), nahee (prohibition) - are all these the same
"indivisible meaning"? How can a command be a singular meaning along with a pro
hibition? You see these are very tough questions concerning which Ash'aris like
Sayf ud-Deen al-Aamidee (d. 631H) admitted defeat - "hey we can't answer that on
e, it's too difficult for us, maybe the answer is with someone else" (Abkaar ul-
Afkaar 1/400):
And the truth is that this dubiosity that they brought against the saying of "th
e unison of speech" (ittihaad ul-kalaam, meaning "Kalaam" is a singular indivisi
ble meaning), and returning (i.e. explaining) the variation (pertaining to this
"Kalaam" in its "expression") to those things (ta'alluqaat, muta'allaqaat) [that
are external to the self of Allaah], then it is difficult, and perhaps its solu
tion might be with someone besides me.
And due to the difficulty in answering this, some of our associates fled to the
saying that the speech of Allaah, the Most High, which is established with His S
elf is [actually] five separate attributes, which are: al-amr (command), an-nahe
e (prohibition), al-khabar (information), al-istikhbaar (inquiry), an-nidaa (cal
ling out).
The argument al-Aamidee is speaking about (which has confused and bewildered him
) is outlined and explained as follow:
If you Ash'aris are claiming that "Kalaam" is just a single indivisible meaning
with Allaah's Self and its "variation" only lies in its connection to what is ex
ternal to the Self of Allaah, then what prevents you from saying the same about
the other attributes such as "ilm (knowledge)" and "qudrah (power)" and "iraadah
(will)", so why don't you make all of them (i.e. each individual attribute you
affirm) to be just a single indivisible attribute in the Essence of Allaah, and
that "qudrah", whilst being part of that single indivisible attribute, is only c
onsidered "qudrah" in regard to its connection and relationship to what is exter
nal to the Self of Allaah, and that "ilm" likewise, and "iraadah" likewise, even
though they are all just a single indivisible attribute with Allaah's Essence -
just like you have said regarding Allaah's kalaam? And just like you say Allaah
's "Kalaam" is a single indivisible meaning, trying to flee from affirming the n
otion of "numerousness" within Allaah's essence, then why don't you say the same
thing about the attributes you affirm and flee from the notion of "numerousness
" regarding them as well?
So this is the objection raised against this creed of "Kalaam Nafsee" that was d
eveloped by the Ash'arites (taking it originally from Ibn Kullaab) based upon a
line of poetry alleged to have been said by a Christian poet called "al-Akhtal".
And what about the Ash'ari response?
No answer for three hundred years till al-Aamidee (d. 631H) came along. No answe
r for the next eight hundred years after al-Aamidee either. And Muhammad Sa'eed
Ramadan al-Buti (contemporary Ash'ari) admits, "What we call Kalaam Nafsee is wh
at the Mu'tazilah call ilm (knowledge) and iraadah (will)" (thanks al-Buti). And
likewise ar-Raazee (d. 606H) admits the same, (thanks ar-Raazee), and al-Juwayn
ee (d. 478H) has to admit it as well. And then we have deluded intellectual frau
dsters coming out and foisting their Jahmite, Mu'tazilite heritage upon the comm
on Muslims, inviting them to the vile and filthy belief that what we have with u
s is just paper and ink, that the words it contains is not the real Qur'an, but
the created expression of Jibreel or Muhammad (alayhis salaam)! And then they fr
audulently claim that this is the creed of the Salaf!
So we see here this victim is as deluded as they come, and he clearly has not ra
tionally thought about the belief that he is trying to foist upon the common Mus
lims.
The victim said:
We say the physical book and the letters and words therein are created, but not
Allah's Eternal Attribute.
This deluded victim thinks that the reason why the Salaf showed rejection agains
t the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah was because the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah were
claiming that the ink and paper that make up the physical copies of the Qur'an
and that the actual Voice of the reciter is created. Is that what the Jahmiyyah
and Mu'tazilah were claiming and is that what the Salaf made takfeer of them for
? Again, we can see the victim has been encircled by his ignorance (or pretense
of ignorance).
The Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah, in accordance with their proof of "hudooth ul-ajsa
am" had to reject that Allaah has actions tied to His will, as this would amount
, in their view, to occurrences, events (hawaadith) - and since they had already
argued against the Atheists that the universe is created because occurrences (h
awaadith) take place in the bodies (ajsaam) that make up the universe - then the
y had to deny much of what came in the Book and the Sunnah in order not to look
foolish. And thus, aside from the generality of what they denied of Allaah's att
ributes, with respect to the attribute of "kalaam (speech)" in particular, the J
ahmiyyah denied Allaah spoke at all, and the Mu'tazilah said Allaah speaks, but
His speech is really what He creates in the servants of speech, and it can be sa
id to be His. And that what we have in the Qur'an, of letter and word, that Alla
ah did not speak that at all. That it is not Allaah's speech in reality, and tha
t it it did not originate with Him as something spoken. It is upon this that the
Salaf made takfeer of the Jahmites (and Mu'tazilah) - for claiming the Qu'ran i
s created. This is an uncontested, firmly-established, thoroughly documented fac
t of history, and is utterly undeniable, save by the depraved. So why do these d
eceptive deluded Ash'arites portray as if the issue revolves around the paper, i
nk and voice?
The victim continued to manifest the signs of "burnout":
To the contrary, the Ash'aris were EXPLICIT in saying the Qur'an (meaning the Et
ernal Attribute of Kalaam) is NOT created. They said this in particular to disti
nguish themselves from the Mu'tazilah. The authors of the site, i am confident,
know this issue. But they chose to lie.
Again, the equation between the "Qu'ran" with Allaah's attribute of "Kalaam". We
need to clarify here, the Qu'ran is from Allaah's speech (Kalaam) from one angl
e and it is from Allaah's knowledge (ilm) from another, meaning the Qur'an is Al
laah's knowledge, it contains Allaah's knowledge, and as it is from Allaah's kno
wledge, the Qur'an is said to be an attribute of Allaah, since knowledge is an a
ttribute of Allaah, and likewise, it is from Allaah's speech (Kalaam). And here
is where the distinction lies between Ahl us-Sunnah and the people of innovation
: Ahl us-Sunnah say Allaah has actions tied to His will and power, and this is a
sign of utmost perfection, and from this is that Allaah speaks, when He wills,
however He wills, and that the Qur'an, Allaah spoke it in reality, and that this
Qur'an we have, is Allaah's speech that He spoke in reality - and this is what
the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah denied. This is because to them (and the Kullaabi A
sh'arites) Allaah cannot have actions tied to His will and power, as this means
He would be created. So they made what is essentially a sign of utmost perfectio
n for Allaah (speaking as and when one wills) to be a sign of utmost imperfectio
n and from the attributes of created bodies. Thus, the Ash'arites claim that the
"Qur'an" is but the "Kalaam Nafsee", since the kalam nafsee is just a single in
divisible meaning, which does away with the notion of "divisibility" and "numero
usness" that would otherwise render Allaah a jism (body).
As for the saying of the victim:
They said this in particular to distinguish themselves from the Mu'tazilah. The
authors of the site, i am confident, know this issue. But they chose to lie.
The view of the Ash'aris and the Mu'tazilah is EXACTLY the same with the only di
fference being that what the Ash'aris call "Kalaam Nafsee" is what the Mu'tazila
h call knowledge and will (ilm, iraadah). Both are agreed that this Qur'an we ha
ve, in letter and word, recited, heard and memorized is created. We have firmly
established this from their own books.
Imaam ul-Haramayn al-Juwaynee (d. 478H): We Agree With the Mu'tazilah That the Q
ur'an is Created - We Just Differ on a Matter of Wording Which Is On Account Of
What Can We Call Allaah 'Mutakallim' (One Who Speaks) - (see here)
Muhammad Sa'eed Ramadan Buti: We (The Ash'aris) and the Mu'tazilah are United th
at the Qur'an Is Created And What the Mu'tazilah Call 'Knowledge (al-Ilm)' and '
Will (al-Iraadah)', We Simply Call 'al-Kalaam an-Nafsee' - (see here)
Fakhr ud-Deen ar-Razi (d. 606H): We Agree With the Mu'tazilah That the (Recited)
Qur'an is Created And Our Dispute Is One of Wording Only - (see here)
The Haashiyah of al-Bayjoori: The Qur'aan We Memorize and Recite Is Makhlooq (Cr
eated) And Is From Hudooth - But We Only Say That In Private, Not Openly - (see
here)
So are the authors of this site lying, or did al-Bayjuri, ar-Razi, al-Buti, and
al-Juwaynee tell lies? So we can see here that this victim is as deluded as they
come, and its "psychological denial", and then on top of that, "denial of the d
enial".
Recommended Treatment and Remedy
Delusion and denial is best treated with letting the facts sink in without resis
tance, replacing the old with the new, and letting them become concrete in the b
rain, through repetition, followed by plenty of contemplation. As a result, alte
rnative brain connections are established allowing the creation of new thought p
atterns to replace the old ones that were the cause of the psychological ailment
.
Therefore, we advise the victim with the following:
Read the four articles linked to above, three times in the morning, three times
in the afternoon, and three times in the evening before sleep, daily for a week.
This should ease and trigger the release of that delusion that has unfortunatel
y settled and lodged into some area of the brain and correct the facts somewhat.
Delusion results primarily from incorrect data, and we are simply rectifying th
at part of it here. After the first week, move onto the next step:
Reading the chapter "What the Prophet Used To Seek Refuge In Of the Words of All
aah and not the Words of Other Than Him" by Imaam al-Bukhaaree (d. 256H), which
is in his book "Khalq Af'aal il-Ibaad" twenty times in the morning and twenty ti
mes in the evening, daily for one month.
Contemplation on the following facts: The Jahmiyyah said Allaah does not have an
y speech (Kalaam) and this Qur'an is just speech Allaah created. At this point s
top and think: If the Jahmites did not affirm any "Kalaam" for Allaah to begin w
ith, then precisely for what saying or belief did the Salaf declare them to be k
afirs? The Mu'tazilah said Allaah created this speech which is the Qur'an in oth
er than Him and it can be said to be Allaah's speech in the sense of a creation
of His, just like "the She-Camel of Allaah" and "the House of Allaah". At this p
oint stop and think: Precisely for what saying did the Salaf declare the saying
of the Mu'tazilah to be kufr?
Contemplation of the following: Did the Jahmiyyah or Mu'tazilah claim that the "
Kalaam Nafsee" is created? And was it for this reason that the Salaf declared th
em kafirs? Or was it some other? But hey! Just bear in mind that the creed of "K
alaam Nafsee" was unheard of until Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari popularized it after
taking it from the Kullaabis of Bagdhad - just bear that in mind, when you conte
mplate upon this matter - and just bear in mind that the Salaf were making takfi
r of the Jahmites for over a century and half before that!