Research Article

Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-

Volume: 24 Number: 1 June 30, 2025
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Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-

Abstract

Compiling the political-theological groups and doctrines that emerged within Islamic society has been a genre of literature that Muslim scholars have paid attention since the early periods. While some of these works, generally focusing on the ideas of these groups, attempt to gather data about them, others are not content with this and aim to demonstrate their erroneous views and the extent to which they have deviated from the right path. Therefore, heresiography has often proceeded not as a field study but on a theoretical basis and, at times, with ideological concerns. Various researchers have suggested that within the broader heresiographical literature, certain traditions of sect classification have emerged, distinguished by their approaches, classifying methods, and the types of information they use regarding the sects. One such classification tradition is the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition, which emerged in the Khorasan and especially Transoxiana regions, developed by authors who defined themselves in terms of theological identity as Ḥanafite and, in later centuries, as an extension of this, Māturīdite. The most striking feature of this tradition is that it places the 73-sect ḥadīth at the center of its classification, reaching this number through a mathematical formulation in which six main heretical sects, each consisting of twelve sub-groups, are combined with the one saved sect: 6x12+1=73. This study examines how the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Heresiographical (Firaq) Tradition, with its distinctive characteristics, perceived Ibāḍism through the narrative found in its earliest and most comprehensive surviving example: Kitāb al-Radd ʿalā al-bidaʿ wa al-ahwāʾ al-ḍālla by Abū Muṭīʿ Makhūl b. al-Faḍl an-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930). This work has been chosen due to its fundamental role in shaping the later heresiographical works of this tradition. The study not only analyzes Abū Muṭīʿ’s depiction of Ibāḍism; but also compares it with other examples of the same tradition when necessary. Furthermore, the accuracy of the information provided about the Ibāḍīs in the work is scrutinized. Although some of the views attributed to Ibāḍism may lead to misunderstandings due to omissions or inaccuracies, they can be said to largely align with actual Ibāḍī beliefs. However, there is one particular point that seems difficult to reconcile: the statement attributed to the famous ṭābiʿī scholar Qatāda, describing the Ibāḍiyya as "Magians of this ummah." In the Islamic intellectual tradition, the school that has been compared to or associated with Magianism, based on a reference to a ḥadīth narration, is in fact the Qadarīyya and its later extension, the Muʿtazila. The similarity sought to be established between these sects and the Magians is based on the dualistic belief in God held by the Magians -one god being the source of all good and the other being the source of all evil- while the Qadarīyya and Muʿtazila, regarding human actions, see God as the creator of good and humans as the bringers of evil into existence. However, there is no possibility of establishing such a similarity between the Ibāḍiyya and Magianism through the belief in God or human actions. This is because the Ibāḍīs reject the idea that humans create their own actions and attribute both good and evil to God. What is the source of this attempted connection between the Ibāḍiyya and the Magians, which we only encounter in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition? The findings of our research within the scope of this study indicate that this connection is likely based on an misreading or scribal due to the similarity in the written forms of the words Ibāḍiyya and Ibāḥiyya in the works of this tradition. A distinct characteristic of the Eastern Ḥanafite Firaq Tradition, the views of each sect are refuted, and the responses of the saved sect along with the correct view on the relevant issue are presented. At this point, Abū Muṭīʿ first presents the views of the Ibāḍiyya and then proceeds to criticize them. In conclusion, from the perspective of the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition, Ibāḍism is considered one of the twelve heretical subgroups of Ḥarūriyya/Nāṣibiyya (i.e., the Khārijites), which is one of the six main deviant sects among the 72 misguided ones. Based on the views attributed to it, especially the baseless analogy established with the Magians, it is understood that the authors of the tradition did not have direct knowledge of the Ibāḍīs or contact with them. Ultimately, within this tradition, sects like Ibāḍism are not seen as ideological formations to be understood, but rather as ones to be rejected.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Bu yazı, Almanya-Tübingen'de 31 Ağustos – 2 Eylül 2021 tarihlerinde düzenlenen 11th International Conference on Ibadi Studies 2021: (Sacred) Texts and (Social) Contexts: Text Analysis and Hermeneutics in Ibadi Sociaety and Tradition başlıklı sempozyumda “Ibadism in the Hanafite-Maturidite Firaq Tradition” başlığı ile sunulmuş, ancak yayımlanmamış bildirinin, makale formatına getirilmiş halidir.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Islamic Sects

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

June 27, 2025

Publication Date

June 30, 2025

Submission Date

February 6, 2025

Acceptance Date

June 4, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 24 Number: 1

APA
Gömbeyaz, K. (2025). Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi, 24(1), 131-149. https://doi.org/10.14395/hid.1634265
AMA
1.Gömbeyaz K. Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi. 2025;24(1):131-149. doi:10.14395/hid.1634265
Chicago
Gömbeyaz, Kadir. 2025. “Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl B. Al-Faḍl Al-Nasafī’s (d. 318 930) Kitāb Al-Radd-”. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi 24 (1): 131-49. https://doi.org/10.14395/hid.1634265.
EndNote
Gömbeyaz K (June 1, 2025) Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi 24 1 131–149.
IEEE
[1]K. Gömbeyaz, “Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-”, Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 131–149, June 2025, doi: 10.14395/hid.1634265.
ISNAD
Gömbeyaz, Kadir. “Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl B. Al-Faḍl Al-Nasafī’s (d. 318 930) Kitāb Al-Radd-”. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi 24/1 (June 1, 2025): 131-149. https://doi.org/10.14395/hid.1634265.
JAMA
1.Gömbeyaz K. Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi. 2025;24:131–149.
MLA
Gömbeyaz, Kadir. “Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl B. Al-Faḍl Al-Nasafī’s (d. 318 930) Kitāb Al-Radd-”. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi, vol. 24, no. 1, June 2025, pp. 131-49, doi:10.14395/hid.1634265.
Vancouver
1.Kadir Gömbeyaz. Ibāḍīsm in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition -With Special Reference to Abū Muṭīʿ Makḥūl b. al-Faḍl al-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930) Kitāb al-Radd-. Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi. 2025 Jun. 1;24(1):131-49. doi:10.14395/hid.1634265

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