Hanbalites

HANBALITE THEOLOGY
This topic refers to the theology of Ahmad bin Hanbal(164-241 A.H./780-855 A.C). `Abd al-Halim al-Jundi in his work, Ahmad bin Hanbal Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, published in Cairo, by Dar al-Ma`arif, presents Ibn Hanbal as the leader or imam of the Sunnites. Dr. `Ali Sami al-Nashshar in his work, Nash`ah al-fikr al-falsafi fi al-islam, vol.1, published by Dar al-Ma`arif, seventh edition, 1977, lists nine theological topics attributed to Ibn Hanbal in the work named, Risalah fi al-radd `ala al-zanadiqah, that attributed to Ibn Hanbal. The nine theological topics are: 1. the issue related to God. 2. Annihilation of the eternals. 3. The beatific vision. 4. God's word. 5. The Koran is uncreated. 6. The Koran is God's word. 7. The Koran is God's revelation. 8. The Koran is something. 9. The Koran and the creation of the earth and heavens. For the issue related to God or Allah, Ibn Hanbal refutes and rejects the views expressed by the Jahmites and the Mu`tazilites related to God. For Ibn Hanbal, both the Jahmites and the Mu`taziltes are wrong and misleading in their concept of God without the eternal attributes. For Ibn Hanbal, God has many attributes and names as mentioned in the Koran and the Prophetic Traditions. Although God has many attributes and names, He is One and His Oneness is not as understood and presented by the Jahmites and the Mu`tazilites. Ibn Hanbal states that the ahl al-sunnah wa-al-jama`ah or the Sunnites believe that God is eternal with His power and light, without when and how He has His power as well as light. He eternally speaks, knows and creates without when and how he speaks, knows and creates. God is sitting on His throne without when and how because God tells us in the Koran that He sits on the throne. For the annihilation of the eternals, Ibn Hanbal cannot agree with the Jahmites and the Mu`tazilites when they say that the eternal is God and God is One and no other eternals except God. For Ibn Hanbal, the Hell and Paradise are eternal because God make them eternal. For the beatific vision, Ibn Hanbal believes that the people or the inhabitants of the Paradise are able to see God without when and how they can see God. God will make them see Him as the highest rewards from God to them. The Mu`tazilites and the Jahmites totally reject the beatific vision of God even in the Paradise. As regard God's word or speech, Ibn Hanbal believes that God's word is eternal and He himself spoke to Moses the prophet and Moses heard His words. God did not create His words when He communicated with Moses. The Jahmites and the Mu`tazilites understand that God created His words to make Moses able to understand His words. Regarding the Koran is uncreated, Ibn Hanbal believes that since the Koran is the words of God and the words of God are not created, the Koran is uncreated. The Koran is God's word or speech and His revelation. The Mu`taziltes and the Jahmites believe that the Koran which is readable and touchable is created like other created creatures and beings. Ibn Hanbal maintains that the Koran is something but it is uncreated like other created things. Ibn Hanbal refuses to include the Koran in the category of the created creatures of God like the earth and the heavens. There are other existing things not mentioned by God that they are created by God. Among those things are the Chair, the Throne, the Guarded Tablet. They are not among the created creatures like the earth and the heavens. Hence it is true to assert that the Koran is uncreated. Dr. Ibrahim Abu Bakar, UKM, Malaysia.