Similarities between the Historical Rise of the Mutazilites and the Contemporary Rise of Modernists
All praise is due to Allah and May His Peace and Blessings be upon the Last Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and all those who follow the path of righteousness until the Last Day.
One of the major sect, which broke away from Islam, and caused heavy impacts on the Muslim society by their new way of thinking, were the Mutazilites. Mutazilism was a very broad and dynamic theological movement, based on philosophical and rational interpretation of the religious texts. Though this sect had been extinct in the course of time, the modernist movement in Islam is similar to them.
Wasil ibn Ataa and Amr ibn Ubaid are considered as the founder of Mutazilites. They were given this name because they seceded from the community (jamah) after the death of Hasan Al Basri, in the beginning of the second century Hijri, and held separate meetings. According to Qatadah and others, this is the reason they are called Mutazilah, or secessionists. Others say that the first man to develop the basic idea of that school was Wasil ibn Ataa, and Amr ibn Ubaid, a student of Hasan Al Basri, joined him. (Sharh al Aqidah at Tahawiyah)
Wasil and his followers were enemies of the Umayyads and favored Ali ra over Uthman ra regarding the claim to caliphate. Wasil and his followers supported Abbaasids revolt which was under the banner of returning governance to the family of the Prophet (pbuh). And they represents the official theology of the Abbasid movement became the official doctrine of the Abbasid court for more than a century. (Mislamic sects)
During Caliph Al-Mamun's time, the process of translating Greek works into Arabic started. Thus people came within the interaction of philosophical ideas and different beliefs. Although, the Muslims had Qur'an and Hadith of Prophet at that time, some would actually come in order to learn from philosophers and perhaps to add and adjust their beliefs according to what they learned from the philosophers by rational arguments. Due to this, many foreign concepts began to creep into Islam which had no place in the beliefs of the Muslims.
The Mutazilites said that the human mind can judge everything including religion and whatever 'Aql' (human mind) concludes/sees has to be true. These ideas developed from the rational principles of Greek philosophers stemming from the idea that what the human mind can prove rationally must be true. They took aql such a degree that implement this over the Quran and the Hadith. One of the leaders who was influenced by this school of thought told his people that they should work in their deen under the banner of human intellect and should not be satisfied from the narration (Quran or Sunnah) only and that they should take what their mind says is true. (The Dangers of Modernism)
Mutazilites also believe that Sahaaba (companions) were no different from us. Amr ibn Ubaid, one of the leaders of the Mutazilites said, "By Allah if Ali, Uthman, Talha, Zubayir testify concerning a shoe lace in front of me I will not accept their testimony". Mashharee who was not considered to be a radical Mutazilites called Ibn Mas'ud a liar because his aql couldn't accept something narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (ra). (The Dangers of Modernism)
The ideas of Mutazilites was strongly opposed by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and was famously tortured during the reigns of al-Mamun and his successors for it. Caliph al-Mutawakkil ended the prosecution and released Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal from prison. The brutal methods used by those in power to lead to the inevitable decline of Mutazilism.
Now, today Muslim community is facing similar rational way of thinking like the Mutazilites to adapt Islam in this modern advanced society. It is recognized as modernist movement in the religion. Modernism in religion is any movement in the religion which is based on the belief that scientific and cultural progress requires a reinterpretation of the traditional teachings of the religion in the light of modern philosophies in knowledge. (The Dangers of Modernism)
The modernist movement actually originated in Europe during renaissance when the teaching of science went against the church. And reformation came to adapt the religion to new theories and facts. As now Western societies are at the top of material powers some Muslims thinks that religion is the impediment between success and Muslim in this era. So reformation according to modern values should be done. So basically what it means is that as society progresses then we have to go back to religion and reinterpret all of those teachings in the light of present conditions.
Like the Mutaziltes, modernists also gain political favor from Western governments in name of reforming the radical Islam. During British rule of India, Sayeed Ahmad Khan started reformation to adapt religion in favor of British and to gain political power. Currently, we see various organization funded by Western governments are running in the west on the same purpose.
Modernist writers are trying to reform all field of Islamic sciences. In tafseer, Yusuf Ali, one of the most popular translator of the Qur'an, denies what the aql can't see. One book in seerah says the Prophet is like anyone else. Another tries to say that the sunnah is not for the shariah and that sometimes we have to throw away the hadith because Allah did not correct the Prophet's mistakes when he made ijtihaad. In Fiqh, modernists say interest is permissible, menstruation women can pray, and Muslim women can marry kaafir men. They say the face of women was not covered until 150 years after the time of the Prophet. They also say the hadith that a people with a woman ruler will not succeed is not true today and polygamy is forbidden except under certain conditions. (Modernism in Islam)
Their way of thinking is the most dangerous thing about them. They do not discuss aqeedah (belief) because it is not important to them. They are also trying to remove Sunnah and say that the system of the old muhadditheen is insufficient. Some say everyone is free to make ijtihad and a ruling may change even if it is from the Qur'an and Sunna. Modernists say sahaaba are men and we are men, and even matters agreed on by them are open to ijtihad. They are very willing to reject and contradict the ijmaa of the sahaaba on clear points (such as stoning of the adulterer and the apostate is to be killed) and hadith are dealt with as if they are not important (such as women ruler should not be appointed). (Modernism in Islam)
The most dangerous and one of the most important aspects of this movement is that many people don't even realize that this movement exists. Human reasoning had severe natural limitations when dealing with these subjects since they do not possess the mental capability to decipher all or even most of the secrets of the universe-known only to Allah.
If we look at the complete way of thinking of these modernists, we will see that they have their own methodology and principles. And anytime any group start having their own methodology, they form a certain group of Ahlul Bidah. Whether or not they were united, or if their principles and way of teaching are the same, they are categorized as being from Ahlul Bidah. Therefore, all the principles and tenants referred to the Ahlul Bidah are also applied to the modernists. May Allah guide all of us in the right path.
One of the major sect, which broke away from Islam, and caused heavy impacts on the Muslim society by their new way of thinking, were the Mutazilites. Mutazilism was a very broad and dynamic theological movement, based on philosophical and rational interpretation of the religious texts. Though this sect had been extinct in the course of time, the modernist movement in Islam is similar to them.
Wasil ibn Ataa and Amr ibn Ubaid are considered as the founder of Mutazilites. They were given this name because they seceded from the community (jamah) after the death of Hasan Al Basri, in the beginning of the second century Hijri, and held separate meetings. According to Qatadah and others, this is the reason they are called Mutazilah, or secessionists. Others say that the first man to develop the basic idea of that school was Wasil ibn Ataa, and Amr ibn Ubaid, a student of Hasan Al Basri, joined him. (Sharh al Aqidah at Tahawiyah)
Wasil and his followers were enemies of the Umayyads and favored Ali ra over Uthman ra regarding the claim to caliphate. Wasil and his followers supported Abbaasids revolt which was under the banner of returning governance to the family of the Prophet (pbuh). And they represents the official theology of the Abbasid movement became the official doctrine of the Abbasid court for more than a century. (Mislamic sects)
During Caliph Al-Mamun's time, the process of translating Greek works into Arabic started. Thus people came within the interaction of philosophical ideas and different beliefs. Although, the Muslims had Qur'an and Hadith of Prophet at that time, some would actually come in order to learn from philosophers and perhaps to add and adjust their beliefs according to what they learned from the philosophers by rational arguments. Due to this, many foreign concepts began to creep into Islam which had no place in the beliefs of the Muslims.
The Mutazilites said that the human mind can judge everything including religion and whatever 'Aql' (human mind) concludes/sees has to be true. These ideas developed from the rational principles of Greek philosophers stemming from the idea that what the human mind can prove rationally must be true. They took aql such a degree that implement this over the Quran and the Hadith. One of the leaders who was influenced by this school of thought told his people that they should work in their deen under the banner of human intellect and should not be satisfied from the narration (Quran or Sunnah) only and that they should take what their mind says is true. (The Dangers of Modernism)
Mutazilites also believe that Sahaaba (companions) were no different from us. Amr ibn Ubaid, one of the leaders of the Mutazilites said, "By Allah if Ali, Uthman, Talha, Zubayir testify concerning a shoe lace in front of me I will not accept their testimony". Mashharee who was not considered to be a radical Mutazilites called Ibn Mas'ud a liar because his aql couldn't accept something narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (ra). (The Dangers of Modernism)
The ideas of Mutazilites was strongly opposed by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and was famously tortured during the reigns of al-Mamun and his successors for it. Caliph al-Mutawakkil ended the prosecution and released Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal from prison. The brutal methods used by those in power to lead to the inevitable decline of Mutazilism.
Now, today Muslim community is facing similar rational way of thinking like the Mutazilites to adapt Islam in this modern advanced society. It is recognized as modernist movement in the religion. Modernism in religion is any movement in the religion which is based on the belief that scientific and cultural progress requires a reinterpretation of the traditional teachings of the religion in the light of modern philosophies in knowledge. (The Dangers of Modernism)
The modernist movement actually originated in Europe during renaissance when the teaching of science went against the church. And reformation came to adapt the religion to new theories and facts. As now Western societies are at the top of material powers some Muslims thinks that religion is the impediment between success and Muslim in this era. So reformation according to modern values should be done. So basically what it means is that as society progresses then we have to go back to religion and reinterpret all of those teachings in the light of present conditions.
Like the Mutaziltes, modernists also gain political favor from Western governments in name of reforming the radical Islam. During British rule of India, Sayeed Ahmad Khan started reformation to adapt religion in favor of British and to gain political power. Currently, we see various organization funded by Western governments are running in the west on the same purpose.
Modernist writers are trying to reform all field of Islamic sciences. In tafseer, Yusuf Ali, one of the most popular translator of the Qur'an, denies what the aql can't see. One book in seerah says the Prophet is like anyone else. Another tries to say that the sunnah is not for the shariah and that sometimes we have to throw away the hadith because Allah did not correct the Prophet's mistakes when he made ijtihaad. In Fiqh, modernists say interest is permissible, menstruation women can pray, and Muslim women can marry kaafir men. They say the face of women was not covered until 150 years after the time of the Prophet. They also say the hadith that a people with a woman ruler will not succeed is not true today and polygamy is forbidden except under certain conditions. (Modernism in Islam)
Their way of thinking is the most dangerous thing about them. They do not discuss aqeedah (belief) because it is not important to them. They are also trying to remove Sunnah and say that the system of the old muhadditheen is insufficient. Some say everyone is free to make ijtihad and a ruling may change even if it is from the Qur'an and Sunna. Modernists say sahaaba are men and we are men, and even matters agreed on by them are open to ijtihad. They are very willing to reject and contradict the ijmaa of the sahaaba on clear points (such as stoning of the adulterer and the apostate is to be killed) and hadith are dealt with as if they are not important (such as women ruler should not be appointed). (Modernism in Islam)
The most dangerous and one of the most important aspects of this movement is that many people don't even realize that this movement exists. Human reasoning had severe natural limitations when dealing with these subjects since they do not possess the mental capability to decipher all or even most of the secrets of the universe-known only to Allah.
If we look at the complete way of thinking of these modernists, we will see that they have their own methodology and principles. And anytime any group start having their own methodology, they form a certain group of Ahlul Bidah. Whether or not they were united, or if their principles and way of teaching are the same, they are categorized as being from Ahlul Bidah. Therefore, all the principles and tenants referred to the Ahlul Bidah are also applied to the modernists. May Allah guide all of us in the right path.
Bibliography
"Mislamic sects." Ed. Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips. Vol. Part 2. n.d. 42.
"Modernism in Islam." n.d. Ed. Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo. 03 Dec 2015.
"Sharh al Aqidah at Tahawiyah." Trans. Muhammad Abdul Haqq Ansari. n.d. 489.
"The Dangers of Modernism." n.d. Ed. Umm Abdullah. 16 November 2015. <http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/modernism.htm>.
"Modernism in Islam." n.d. Ed. Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo. 03 Dec 2015.
"Sharh al Aqidah at Tahawiyah." Trans. Muhammad Abdul Haqq Ansari. n.d. 489.
"The Dangers of Modernism." n.d. Ed. Umm Abdullah. 16 November 2015. <http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/modernism.htm>.
© 2015 by Tauhid Ahmed.