The issue of whether following others in faith or imitation is valid in religion has been a hot debate among Muslim theologians or Mutakillimûn technically speaking. In spite of the fact that they criticized this imitation, they never labeled the people who were tarred with this brush as “heathens or infidels.” Of course the lifestyle of the Prophet, who never acted this way, was a model for these scholars. Abu’l-Muîn an-Nasafî discusses the topic in his Tabsira and gave no any credit to this kind of faith; however, he did not nullify its validity, as the core of the faith is confirmation in his thought. And its opposite is denial. So every single one who declares himself as believer is considered believer irrespective of their faith being inductive/istidlâlî. Qadî Abd al-Jabbâr was much more harsh in evaluating the relation between knowledge and faith. Imitation in faith is a kind of ignorance, to him, and has no any validity
Imitation in faith validity of faith relationship between faith and knowledge Qâdi Abd al-Jabbâr Abu’l-Muîn an-Nasafî
The issue of whether following others in faith or imitation is valid in religion has been a hot debate among Muslim theologians or Mutakillimûn technically speaking. In spite of the fact that they criticized this imitation, they never labeled the people who were tarred with this brush as ?heathens or infidels.? Of course the lifestyle of the Prophet, who never acted this way, was a model for these scholars. Abu?l-Muîn an-Nasafî discusses the topic in his Tabsira and gave no any credit to this kind of faith; however, he did not nullify its validity, as the core of the faith is confirmation in his thought. And its opposite is denial. So every single one who declares himself as believer is considered believer irrespective of their faith being inductive/istidlâlî. Qadî Abd al-Jabbâr was much more harsh in evaluating the relation between knowledge and faith. Imitation in faith is a kind of ignorance, to him, and has no any validity.
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