THE ORIGINS OF THE MU’TAZILITES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH

AHLULBAYT

Yahya Abdullah Alshamy

23rd of Rabi’ Al-Thani 1440
30th of December 2018
 Since Zaydis and Mu’tazilah agree on most matters in principles of creed, many have

jumped into baseless conclusions that the Mu’tazilites greatly influenced and perhaps structured

the foundation of Zaydism.1 Some go as far as to claim Imam Zayd b. Ali was himself influenced

by Wasil b. Ata. This claim is used to justify the striking similarity between many of the

concepts within these two schools. The reality is quite the opposite: Imam Zayd, Wasil b. Ata,

and various other Zaydis and Mu’tazilites were all students of the same school: The School (and

methodology) of Ali b. Abi Talib. It is, unfortunately, a seldom discussed fact that the

Mu’tazilites themselves were long time students of the School of Ahlulbayt. Throughout the first

four centuries after Hijrah, the Mu’tazilites were devoted followers, students, and even soldiers

of the Imams of Ahlulbayt.

An Introduction to the Mu’tazilite School

It is imperative for those who wish to understand the Mu’tazilite School, to first

understand their Principles of Creed. The Mu’tazilite School bases itself on five creedal

principles: Divine Oneness, Divine Justice, The Promise and the Threat, The Intermediate

Position, and Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil. Divine Oneness is the concept that is shared

with all Muslims, except that the Mu’talizites highlight that there is nothing like unto God, that

he is incomparable to anything, and that he can neither be perceived by vision in this world nor

in the next. Divine Justice presents the idea that God is just2 and He does not reward nor punish

except as a result to His servants’ actions. Thus, he does not predetermine any of his creation’s

actions, otherwise it would unjust to punish or reward them for actions that were predetermined
1
Zaydism, or The Zaydi School of Thought, is a creedal and jurisprudential school or
ideology primarily characterized by adhering to the Mujtahids of Ahlulbayt and taking their
consensus as a strong evidence in matters of disagreement amongst the Ummah.
2
Just in the objective sense, as in He has written justice upon himself, just like He has
written mercy upon himself.
for them. The Promise and Threat are a logical continuation of God’s divine justice. As the very

culmination of justice, Allah has promised the Believers [Mu’mineen] a great reward and

threatened the Disbelievers [Kuffar] and Evil-doing Muslims [Fasiqeen] a great punishment. The

Intermediate Position is that of the Evil-doing Muslims [Fasiqeen]: who believe as Muslims do,

yet engage in major sins unrepentantly. Such major sinners do not receive the intercession of the

Holy Prophet and do not reap divine reward. They are in the intermediate position, between

Believers and Disbelievers. Their final abode, assuming they do not repent from their evil

actions, is an eternity in Hell. However, they are called Muslims and treated as Muslims in this

world. Finally, the Principle of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, asserting the Believers

responsibility in correcting evil actions and encouraging benevolent actions. This particularly

highlights the right and responsibility of Muslims to fix corrupt and unjust authorities, using

heart, tongue, and eventually weapons if necessary and sufficient conditions are met.

These are creedal principles the Mu’tazilites share with the Zaydi School of Thought. On

the other hand, there are differences in the branches and details of the explanations of each

principle, as well as the dialectical theological arguments3 used by each school in later centuries.

Despite these disagreements, many of the Mu’tazilites were proud of their connection with the

Zaydi Imams4, and some even called themselves Zaydi. Imam Al-Mu’ayyad Yahya b. Hamza [d.

749/1346 AH/AD] said in his Al-Mi’raj Ila Kashf Asrar Al-Minhaj: “The Mu’tazilites of

Baghdad are indeed very proud of the Zaydi Imams.” Also, Imam Al-Natiq bil Haqq Yahya Al-

Haruni said in his seminal work on the Imamate Al-Da’amah Fi Al-Imamah: “Many of the

Baghdadi Mu’tazilites, like Muhammad b. Abdullah Al-Iskafi and others, attribute themselves

amongst the Zaydiyyah.” So, the question that poses itself is, what is behind this close
3
Argumentation using Islamic Scholastic Theology and Theophilosophy
4
Zaydi Imams who are the Imams of Ahlulbayt.
relationship between Zaydis and Mu’tazilites? Wasil b. Ata’s upbringing will help answer at

least part of the question.

Wasil b. Ata, A Student of The School of Ali

Wasil b. Ata [d. 131/748 AH/AD], accredited with having founded the Mu’tazilite

School, gained his controversial status due to his intellectual altercation with Hasan Al-Basri [d.

110/728 AH/AD]. Wasil’s withdrawal [I’tizaal] from Al-Basri’s classes, is particularly

accentuated within Sunni schools, giving Wasil and the people who left his classes their name:

Al-Mu’tazilah or Mu’tazilites [The Withdrawers]. He was expelled from Al-Basri’s class

because of his assertion that the major sinner is neither a Believer nor a Disbeliever, and rather

lies in a third position: an intermediate position.5 Given Hasan Al-Basri’s elevated status,

especially in Sunni Schools, Wasil is unfairly viewed as a student who left his honorable

teacher’s lessons to follow his own whims and logic giving rise to a tradition of Aristotelians.

What is conveniently left out of the equation is the fact that Wasil b. Ata was a student of

Abu Hashim Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah, the grandson of Imam Ali, may Allah

be pleased with them, before he was a student of Hasan Al-Basri.6 Indeed, there is substantial

evidence that Wasil b. Ata took the knowledge of what would later be structured and called the

Mu’tazilite School from Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah, the very son of Imam Ali b. Abi Talib. 7

Nashwan Al-Himyari [d. 573/ 1178] says: “Wasil bin Ata was amongst the people of Madinah.

He was raised and taught by Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah with his son Abu Hashim in Al-

Kutab. He [Wasil] then accompanied him [Abu Hashim] for a very long time after his father’s
5
Al-Thahabi, Siyar A’laam Al-Nubalaa’, Al-Tabaqah Ar-Rabi’ah, Wasil b. Ata.,
http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?ID=920&bk_no=60&flag=1.
6
Ibid.
7
Abdulfattah Noman, Al-Imam Al-Hadi Waliyan wa Faqihan wa Mujahidan, 1989, p. 79.
death. It is reported that some scholars asked Abu Hashim: how was the knowledge of

Muhammad b. Ali8 [his father]? He would answer: if you wanted to know the answer, see its

[Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah’s knowledge] effect in Wasil.”9 Way before Wasil’s time in

Hasan Al-Basri’s Halaqas, he had spent his childhood under one of the greatest scholars from the

school of Ahlulbayt, Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah, Imam Ali’s third child who grew up in the

blessed household of his father, accompanied by Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain. He then continued

this ‘Alawi path with his second teacher, Abu Hashim b. Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah.

Moreover, Sunni Azhari scholar Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zuhra said: “And Al-Murtadha

has mentioned in his book Al-Munyah wal Amal when expanding on the generations10 of the

Mu’tazilites that the first generation11 were the Aalulbayt: Ali Zaynul Abideen, his son Al-Baqir,

Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain before them, and Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah, their brother, were all

from the Mu’tazilites.”12 Shaykh Abu Zuhra comments on this saying: “We have no evidence

that debunks this, rather we have evidence that affirms these claims. For indeed, the School of

the Mu’tazilites is the Zaydi School in creed.”13 Therefore, it cannot be considered far from truth

that the Mu’tazilites received their knowledge from Ali, considering that there is substantial

evidence that the first school the Mu’tazilites learned from and adopted their creedal opinions

from the classes of Ahlulbayt.

8
Muhammad b. Ali is commonly referred to as Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah.
9
Nashwan Al-Himyari, Al-Hur Al-Ein, Maktabat Al-Khanji, 1948, p. 206.
10
Translated from Tabaqaat.
11
Translated from Tabaqah.
12
Muhammad Abu Zuhra, Al-Imam Zayd, Dar Al-Fikr Al-‘Arabi, p. 40.
13
Ibid.
 On the forefront of such students of Ahlulbayt is Wasil b. Ata, who not only spent his

early life under Muhammad b. Al-Hanafiyyah and his son Abu Hashim, but also co-studied with

Imam Zayd b. Ali. There had been many meetings between Imam Zayd and Wasil b. Ata, the

Shaykh of the Mu’tazilites.14 These study meetings were truly between two graduates of the same

school, the School of Ahlulbayt, revising and confirming the knowledge they received. It is from

this angle that we understand why Wasil constantly expressed sympathy for Imam Zayd and

supported his political cause15 to the extent that he pledged allegiance to Imam Zayd against the

Ummayads.16 ‘Amr b. Ubaid [144/761 AH/AD], perhaps Wasil’s closest disciple, also pledged

allegiance to Imam Zayd, and later both Wasil and ‘Amr pledged allegiance to Muhammad b.

Al-Nafs Az-Zakiyyah [145/762 AH/AD].17 As expected, the Mu’tazili-Ahlulbayt18 coordination

did not end here, but extended past this point for generations to come.

The Mu’tazilites and Ahlulbayt After Wasil bin Ata

Before moving forward, a quick clarification about Basran and Baghdadi Mu’tazilites

needs to be made. Other than minor differences in Kalam, Basran Mu’tazilites believed that the

Imamate after the Prophet Muhammad, belonged to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and then Ali.

They believed that the merit of the Rashidun Caliphs was in order of their rulership. Examples of

14
Abdulfattah Noman, Al-Imam Al-Hadi Waliyan wa Faqihan wa Mujahidan, 1989, p.
80.
15
Al-Qadhi Abduljabbar, Tabagat Al-Mu’tazilah, p. 46.

Al-Kadhim Az-Zaydi, Al-Farq Bayn Az-Zaydiyyah wa Mutashayyi’at Al-Mu’tazilah

16

Al-Baghdadiyeen wal Hanafiyyah.

17
Ibid.
18
The people of justice and divine oneness [Ahlul ‘Adl wal Tawhid] was the umbrella
name for both the school of the Imams of Ahlulbayt as well as the Mu’tazilites.
the Basran Mu’tazilites include Ibrahim An-Nazzam, his student Abu Uthman Al-Jahiz,

Thumamah bin Ashras, and others.19 On the other hand, all Baghdadi Mu’tazilites took the

position that Ali was more meritorious than the rest of the Rashidun Caliphs. Examples of the

Baghdadi Mu’tazilites include Abul Qasim Al-Balkhi [d. 319/931 AH/AD], Muhammad b. Ali

Al-Iskafi, Abul Hussain Al-Khayyat, Abu Musa Isa b. Subayh, and others,20 Allah be pleased

with them all. The distinction is not mainly geographic as the names suggest, rather ideological.

Some Mu’tazilite residents of Basra were ideologically Baghdadi, in that they favored Ali, like

the great Basran: Shaykh Abu Abdullah Al-Basri [d. 369/980], who will be discussed later. At

any rate, it is quite intuitive why most of the Ahlulbayt-oriented Mu’tazilites would be Baghdadi.

They had the honor of being on the frontlines of the Ahlulbayt’s educational, social, and political

reform projects, as will be explored further.

Moving forward, Baghdadi Mu’tazilites played an incredibly crucial role in the mission

of Ahlulbayt after the martyrdom of Imam Muhammad An-Nafs Az-Zakiyyah. As Imam Ibrahim

b. Abdillah21 continued his martyred brother’s legacy of reviving the Islam in the hearts of

people under ‘Abbasid tyranny, most of the Mu’tazilites of Basra and Baghdad famously joined

his revolutionary movement. In fact, most of his agents [‘Ummal] were Mu’tazilites or Zaydis.22

Amongst the Mu’tazilites who were martyred with Imam Ibrahim b. Abdillah is Basheer Ar-

Al-Kadhim Az-Zaydi, Al-Farq Bayn Az-Zaydiyyah wa Mutashayyi’at Al-Mu’tazilah

19

Al-Baghdadiyeen wal Hanafiyyah.

20
Ibid.
21
Ibrahim b. Abdillah b. Al-Hasan b. Al-Hasan b. Ali b. Abi Talib, Muhammad An-Nafs
Az-Zakiyyah’s full brother and successor to the Ahlulbayt reform mission. He was named An-
Nafs Ar-Radhiyyah, meaning the Satisfied Soul.
22
Al-Natiq bil Haqq Yahya b. Al-Hussain Al-Haruni, Al-Ifadah fi Siyar Al-A’imah As-
Sadah, Forth Ed. Maktabat Ahlulbayt, 2014, p. 54.
Rahaal [the traveler]23, the famous ascetic Sufi Mu’tazilite. He fought by Imam Ibrahim b.

Abdillah’s side until his last breath.24 And so many other Mu’tazilites were amongst the soldiers

of Ibrahim b. Abdillah that the Mu’tazilite scholar Uthman Al-Taweel expressed great pride that

most of his colleagues and students formed the Imam Ibrahim’s army against the oppressive

‘Abbasids. This undeniable fact was even recorded by the founder of the Ash’ari school, Abul

Hasan Al-Ash’ari, in his Maqalaat Al-Islamiyeen: “After Muhammad b. Abdillah came his

brother Ibrahim b. Abdillah b. Al-Hasan b. Al-Hasan b. Ali b. Abi Talib in Basra. He was able to

gain victory in Ahwaz, Fars, and most of the Sawaad. He then left Al-Basra with ‘Isa b. Zayd,

leaving his Mu’tazilite agents and the Zaydis to govern, in pursuit of battling Al-Mansur. So,

Abu Ja’far [Al-Mansur] sent ‘Isa b. Musa and Sa’eed b. Salim to fight them until Ibrahim died,

and with him died the Mu’tazilites.”25 Ostensibly, the early Mu’tazilites remained with the

Imams of Ahlulbayt through thick and thin.

The legacy of coordination did not end after the tragedy of Ibrahim b. Abdillah, rather it

continued after the tragedy of Fakh, the greatest tragedy that befell the descendants of the holy

household after the Battle of Karbala. One of the few survivors, Imam Idris b. Abdillah26 was

given refuge by the Mu’tazili-influenced Moroccan Urubah tribe and was invited to rule as an

23
He was named Ar-Rahaal because of his annual traveling to Mecca for Hajj.
24
Al-Natiq bil Haqq Yahya b. Al-Hussain Al-Haruni, Al-Ifadah fi Siyar Al-A’imah As-
Sadah, Forth Ed. Maktabat Ahlulbayt, 2014, p. 55.; Majdeddin Al-Mu’ayyadi, Al-Tuhaf Sharh
Al-Zulaf, Third Ed., 1997, p. 102

Abul Hasan Al-Ash’ari, Maqalaat Al-Islamiyeen, Maktabat An-Nahdha Al-Misriyyah,

25

Second Ed., 1969, vol. 1, p. 154.

26
Today called Moulay Idris. He is buried in Fes, Morocco and his grave is visited by
many spiritual tourists. He was the founder of the first Zaydi state in Morocco, which lasted
almost four centuries.
Imam of Ahlulbayt.27 Moreover, Imam Abdullah b. Musa b. Abdullah’s28 agents and recruiters

were known Mu’tazilites, like ‘Amr b. Haytham, Bishr b. Al-Hasan, Muhammad b. Yahya Al-

Hijri, and many more.29 And just like Wasil b. Ata and Imam Zayd studied together as students

of the same school, Imam Yahya b. Al-Hussain Al-Hadi [d. 298/911 AH/AD] and Abul Qasim

Al-Balkhi studied dialectical theology together in Baghdad30 for the same reason. This does not

suggest that Imam Yahya Al-Hadi was influenced by the Mu’tazilites, but rather that the

Mu’tazilites, having studied the creed of Ahlulbayt extensively, deserved for Imam Yahya Al-

Hadi to travel to them for knowledge. Once again, it was two students of the same school

revising the knowledge they inherited from Ali together. Another example is the close

knowledge-based brotherhood between Shaykh Abu Abdullah Al-Basri and Imam Muhammad b.

Al-Hasan Al-Da’i [d. 360/971 AH/AD].31 Despite being a distinguished scholar in the

Mu’tazilite creed and Hanafi jurisprudence, he used to frequent Imam Muhammad Al-Da’i’s

classes and even revise Hanafi legal questions with him as Al-Da’i had studied Hanafi

jurisprudence under Abul Hasan Al-Karkhi, the Shaykh of the Hanafis in Baghdad. On the other

hand, the Zaydi Imam Ahmad b. Al-Hussain Al-Mu'ayyad Billah, the author of the giant Zaydi
Al-Kadhim Az-Zaydi, Al-Farq Bayn Az-Zaydiyyah wa Mutashayyi’at Al-Mu’tazilah
27

Al-Baghdadiyeen wal Hanafiyyah.

28
Imam Abdullah b. Musa b. Abdullah b. Al-Hasan b. Al-Hasan b. Ali b. Abi Talib. He
was amongst those who initially gave bay’ah to Imam Al-Qasim Ar-Rassi. After an unsuccessful
uprising with Al-Qasim Ar-Rassi, Al-Ma’mun Al-‘Abbasi wanted to message him so that he
could replace Imam Ali Al-Redha’s position, as he was recently poisoned. Imam Abdullah b.
Musa famously replied harshly assertively accusing Al-Ma’mun with poisoning Imam Ali Al-
Redha. Majdeddin Al-Mu’ayyadi, Al-Tuhaf Sharh Al-Zulaf, Third Ed. p. 146.

Al-Kadhim Az-Zaydi, Al-Farq Bayn Az-Zaydiyyah wa Mutashayyi’at Al-Mu’tazilah

29

Al-Baghdadiyeen wal Hanafiyyah.

30
Yahya bin Al-Hussain, Tabaqat Az-Zaydiyyah As-Sughra.

Abu I-Husayn Ahmad b. al-Husayn al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah, Sharh al-'uyun, p. 376. See
31

Madelung, Der lmam al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim, p. 177-178.

work in jurisprudence and its principles, Sharh Al-Tajrid, studied Basran Mu’tazilite theology,32

first with Abu Abdullah Al-Basri, then with the Al-Qadhi Abduljabbar.33 As a continuation of

this legacy, Al-Qadi Abduljabbar dictated a commentary [Sharh] his Kitab Al-Usul Al-Khamsa,

and his student, another Zaydi Imam, Mankadim Ahmad b. Al-Hussain, wrote a

supercommentary (Ta'liq) on the Qadi's commentary.34

Conclusion

There is a lot more to uncover when discussing the intergenerationally cordial

relationship between the Imams of Ahlulbayt and the Mu’tazilites. It is quite interesting how for

over three centuries, there was undoubtedly a powerful connection between the Ahlulbayt and

the Mu’tazilites, particularly the Baghdadi Mu’tazilites. Two intriguing conclusions the research

proposes is that the School of Ahlulbayt cannot be monopolized by a singular sectarian faction,

and that the long demonized Mu’tazilites were at least respected by the Ahlulbayt in the first

three centuries, if not further beyond. Nonetheless, this paper should serve as a mere start to

revealing the fact that the Mu’tazilites were serious students at the door of the magnificent

school of Ali bin Abi Talib. Finally, more comprehensive research is needed on the history

between these two groups as it has great consequences on those who claim or desire to follow

Ahlulbayt.

32
Ibid.
33
Abd al-Jabbar b. Ahmad Al-Hamadani was a Mu’tazilite theologian, and
a Shafi’i jurist called Qadi al-Qudat ("chief magistrate" of Iran) by his colleagues. He is famous
for authoring Kitab Al-Usool Al-Khamsa (Book of the Five Fundamentals), as well as 70 other
texts.
34
Richard C. Martin, Mark R. Woodward, and Dwi S. Atmaja, Defenders of Reason in
Islam, 1997, p. 47.