From Criticism to Defense:
The Transformation of the Hanbali Perception of Kalām
The science of Kalām, which aims to determine, substantiate, and defend
matters of faith, has been met with various attitudes. One group has argued
that the Prophet Muhammad clearly stated all matters and that no
narrations from the Prophet or the first generations have been transmitted
regarding issues debated in matters of faith, thereby declaring such
debates to be bid‘ah and adopting a negative stance toward the science
of kalām. Another group, on the other hand, defended the science of
kalam is extremely important and indispensable science, both in terms
of the topics it addresses and the goals it seeks to achieve, and considered
that it is superior to other sciences. Throughout history, the most
prominent representatives of the negative attitude towards the science
of kalām have been the Ḥanbalī i scholars. Although there have always
been those who maintained this critical stance in every era, a tendency
toward softening this position also emerged during certain periods. The
attitude that began with al-Farrāʾ was continued by different names in
later periods. By the eighth century, the most important representative
of this trend was Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī. He objected to the condemnation
of kalām, arguing that the negative expressions found in sources only
applied under certain conditions. He asserted that kalām is a legitimate
and honorable science. Citing various scriptural evidences to support his
view, al-Ṭūfī also put his approach into practice. He diverged from the
traditional views of his school on many controversial issues -such as the
existence and unity of God and their proofs, the relationship between
God’s essence and attributes, the interpretation (taʾwīl) of anthropomorphic
attributes (ṣifāt khabariyya), human acts (afʿāl al-ʿibād), moral good
and evil (ḥusn-qubḥ), and ṣalāḥ-aṣlaḥ. In this regard, through his writings
and ideas, al-Ṭūfī made significant contributions to the transformation of
the perception of kalām within the Ḥanbalī tradition.
Keywords: Kalām; Hanbalīsm; Tūfī; Reason; İssues of Divinity