Kalām in the crossfire: A historical survey of the legitimacy of the study of theology within the sunni school of islam

Abstract

The aim of this article is to briefly introduce and to examine the views of the founders of thfour Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (namely, Abū Hanīfa Nuʻmān ibn Thābit, Mālik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfʻī, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal) and that of their renowned students and followers, regarding the legitimacy of engaging in the study of Islamic doctrinabeliefs or Kalām. Different, and often conflicting, views have been postulated on this matterSome Sunni thinkers have condemned the pursuit of theology as an act of heresy and denounced its practitioners as apostates. Other Sunni thinkers have extolled this disciplinas the noblest of sciences whose learning and teaching are, at least under certain circumstances, incumbent. This fundamental dispute regarding the legitimacy of thdiscipline of theology has resulted in a rather contentious and opaque scholarly environmentIn addition to the inherent importance of the discipline of theology as such, the significancof this dispute is compounded by the impact that the attitude one adopts toward thidiscipline can have on the development of the intellectual and rational aspects of Islam. A negative attitude toward theology, for example, can hamper the application of rationaelements to Islamic doctrine. Our focus in this article is on analysing the views of the leading thinkers and jurists of the Sunni school and investigating the most authoritative sources odoctrinal tradition within this major denomination of Islam. Our study leads us to concludthat the disapproving views of the preeminent Sunni figures should be construed, not as denunciation of the discipline of theology per se, but as a refutation of certain theologicaprinciples and persuasions that are viewed as incompatible with orthodox Islamic faith. In addition to and preceding that conclusion, this article provides a survey of the literaturconcerning the views of Muslim scholars on the legitimacy of Kalām. After categorising these views into the two opposite camps of Kalam’s legitimacy and illegitimacy, the articlthen proceeds to evaluate and critically analyse them, and to resolve some of their initiaincompatibilities. Contribution: The article sheds new light on the historical development of the discipline otheology within the Sunni schools of Islam. This is a little-studied and often overlooked subject that can help in attaining a better understanding of how this critical field within religious studies has emerged into its present form. © 2021. The Authors.