The Theology of Abū l-Qāsim al-Balkhī/al-Kaʿbī (d. 319/931)

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This is the first comprehensive monograph on the theology of Abū l-Qāsim al-Kaʿbī al-Balkhī (d. 319/931), a leading Muʿtazilī who flourished at the end of the Baghdādī school and at the beginning of the scholastic phase of Muʿtazilī history. The study of al-Kaʿbī’s theology has been hindered by historiographical barriers: the fragmentary nature of extant articles, and the difficulties of reconstructing their contexts. This work investigates the twofold challenge of recovering al-Kaʿbī’s theology on the basis of a source-critical reconstruction of major extant fragments. One result of this study positions al-Kaʿbī’s theology as influenced less by the precepts of a Baghdādī school, and guided more by his individual views and affinity for earlier independent Muʿtazilī positions. Another result not only corroborates al-Kaʿbī’s previously noted contributions in epistemology and cosmology, but also argues for their centrality to his theology as a whole. The Theology of Abū l-Qāsim al-Balkhī/al-Kaʿbī (d. 319/931) Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments List of Tables Introduction Review of Scholarship Biography Works Titles of Lost Works Part 1: Source Criticism 1. The Four Testimonies The Muʿtazilī Testimony The Imāmī Baghdadi Muʿtazilī Testimony The Māturīdī Testimony al-Ashʿarī and the Ashʿarī Testimony Assessment of Testimonies The Attributes Justice Epistemology The Doctrine of Nature The Imāma Summary of al-Kaʿbī’s Theological Doctrines Appendix 1: Articles in the Reconstruction of al-Kaʿbī’s Doctrine of Justice Appendix 2: Articles in the Reconstruction of al-Kaʿbī’s Epistemology Appendix 3: Articles in the Reconstruction of al-Kaʿbī’s Cosmology Part 2: Theology 2. The Attributes al-Kaʿbī’s Precursors on the Attributes al-Naẓẓām Baghdadi Predecessors al-Kaʿbī’s Doctrine of the Attributes The Attributes of Essence and of Act The Scripturalist Basis for Knowing the Attributes The Attributes of Hearing, Seeing, and Volition God’s Speech and God’s Relation to Place The Case of the Basran Muʿtazilī and Māturīdī Testimonies: Attributes of Essence The Case of the Basran Testimony versus ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Baghdādī: Scripture and God’s Names The Case of the Late Ashʿarī Testimony 3. Justice An Overview of the Basran Ontology of Acts Early Muʿtazilī Views on Divine Justice al-Kaʿbī’s Doctrine of Justice The Principles for Distinguishing Good from Evil Acts God’s Capacity for Doing Evil The Optimum The Case of the Basran Polemical Testimony: al-Kaʿbī’s Argument for the Optimum (al-aṣlaḥ) 4. Epistemology Overview of Basran Epistemology Early Muʿtazilī Epistemology al-Kaʿbī’s Epistemology The Case of the Basran Polemical Testimony: al-Kaʿbī’s Definition of Knowledge 5. The Doctrine of Nature Early Muʿtazilī Doctrines of Nature al-Kaʿbī’s Doctrine of Nature 6. The Imāma The Baghdadi Muʿtazilīs on the Imāma Prior to al-Kaʿbī al-Kaʿbī’s Doctrine of the Imāma Epilogue Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Literature Index of Names General Index