Introduction: The Contemporary Relevance of Athari Epistemology

Assalamu Alykum! I was asked by my curious friends to write an article on my Aqeedah (creed) without discussing others' opinion in it, hence I am writing this article.
In recent decades, since the 1970s, there has been a growing academic interest in apophatic theology - the "negative theology" that describes God through what He is not rather than what He is. This approach, described by some scholars as a "new, ethicalized divine transcendence," presents a God who remains silent and distant, providing explanation and comfort without intervention. Such conceptions stand in stark contrast to the Athari understanding of divine engagement with creation, where Allah's attributes are affirmed in a manner befitting His majesty, without denying their reality or resorting to complete abstraction.

The study of Islamic theology cannot be divorced from its historical context of intellectual discourse and debate. Polemics have been an integral part of Islamic discourse since the time of the Companions. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that disagreement helped define the boundaries of orthodoxy just as much as agreement did. The Athari school emerged from this rich tradition of scholarly exchange, developing a distinct epistemological approach that navigates carefully between pure rationalism and uncritical literalism.

The Foundations of Athari Epistemology

At the heart of Athari thought lies a carefully constructed theory of knowledge that acknowledges multiple sources while establishing clear hierarchies. The Qur'an provides the foundational framework in Surah An-Nahl (16:77-78):

"And to Allah belongs the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And the command for the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent. And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful."

This passage outlines three primary sources of knowledge:

1. Truthful reports (hearing/sama')
2. Empirical findings (sight/basar)
3. Reason (intellect/'aql)

When it comes to knowledge of the unseen (ghayb), the Athari position recognizes that empirical findings of the external senses have limited application. However, Muslim scholars have argued for the existence of an internal sense (hiss batin) through which we perceive emotions, spiritual realities, and even the existence of God and our own souls. Beyond this internal perception, we are left with truthful reports and reason as our primary means of accessing knowledge about the unseen.

The Primacy of Revelation in Athari Thought

The Athari school gives absolute priority to revelation as the most reliable source of knowledge about divine matters. This position finds strong support in the Qur'anic verse:

"And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." (Al-An'am 6:115)

The perfection of revelation is understood in two dimensions:

1. Truth (sidq) in its declarative content
2. Justice ('adl) in its prescriptive content

The truth of revelation is established through various proofs of prophethood, including miracles and the inimitability of the Qur'an. Once these proofs are accepted, the believer is expected to accept the dictates of revelation without reservation.

However, the Athari approach to revelation is far from simplistic. Scholars developed sophisticated principles for handling textual evidence:

1. Strict standards for accepting reports in matters of creed
2. Careful distinction between authentic and weak narrations
3. Principled approach to interpreting divine attributes

The example of Abu Ya'la's treatment of the hadith about Allah's laughter illustrates this nuanced approach. While feeling unease about the narration (due to its weak chain), he explained: "We do not assert [that God has] a laughter which includes the opening of the mouth, and grinning while showing the teeth. We do not assert [that God has] molars and uvula, which are body organs and parts. What we assert is an attribute, even though we do not grasp its meaning. It is precisely the same as we assert [that God has] face and hands; that He hears and sees."

This demonstrates the Athari balance between:

• Affirming what revelation affirms
• Denying any anthropomorphic implications
• Abstaining from speculative interpretation

The Role and Limitations of Reason

The Athari position on reason is often misunderstood. Contrary to common portrayals, Athari scholars did not reject reason outright but assigned it a specific, subordinate role in theological matters. Reason serves several important functions:

1. As a tool for understanding revelation
2. As an independent source for certain basic knowledge (like God's existence)
3. As a means to defend Islamic beliefs against philosophical objections

However, Atharis strongly opposed using reason as an independent source of metaphysical knowledge that could override or contradict revelation. They argued that human reason, being shaped by our experience of the physical world, cannot properly comprehend divine realities without guidance from revelation.

This position finds interesting parallels with Immanuel Kant's critique of pure reason. In the preface to the second edition of his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant states: "I have therefore found it necessary to deny knowledge, in order to make room for faith." Like Kant, Athari scholars recognized the limitations of human reason in metaphysical matters. However, they differed from Kant in maintaining that:

1. Revelation provides authentic knowledge about divine realities
2. Miracles and prophetic signs validate this revelation
3. Certain metaphysical truths are knowable through guided reason

The Athari critique of pure rationalism centers on several key points:

1. Human reason is contingent and limited by its nature
2. Philosophical systems disagree profoundly among themselves
3. The categories of human understanding may not apply to divine realities
4. Reason untethered from revelation leads to confusion and error

The Controversy Over Kalam Theology

The Athari stance toward kalam (speculative theology) has been one of cautious skepticism. Historically, figures like Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal strongly opposed engaging in kalam debates, seeing them as unnecessary innovations that could lead believers into error. This position was rooted in several concerns:

1. Preservation of the simple, unambiguous faith of early Muslims
2. Protection against Greek philosophical influences
3. Prevention of fitnah (discord) within the Muslim community
4. Maintaining focus on practical worship over theoretical debates

The case of al-Harith al-Muhasibi is instructive here. Despite being a respected traditional scholar, Imam Ahmad criticized him for engaging with theological debates, seeing this as a dangerous departure from the Salafi methodology.

However, later Athari scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah recognized that complete avoidance of kalam was no longer possible in their historical context. As Ibn Taymiyyah observed, the intellectual idiom of his time had become saturated with kalam concepts, necessitating some engagement to defend traditional beliefs. His approach was distinctive in several ways:

1. Using rational arguments only defensively, not as primary proofs
2. Subordinating all reasoning to revelation
3. Rejecting the complex metaphysical constructs of the mutakallimun
4. Demonstrating internal contradictions in philosophical systems

This careful, limited use of rational argumentation was not without controversy within Athari circles. Many traditional scholars remained wary that even defensive engagement with kalam could open doors to unacceptable compromises.

Fitrah: The Innate Cognitive and Moral Faculty

A crucial but often overlooked aspect of Athari epistemology is its understanding of fitrah - the innate disposition with which Allah creates every human being. The concept of fitrah is rooted in the famous hadith:

"There is no child except that it is born upon fitrah. Then its parents make it a Jew, or a Christian, or a Magian." (Muslim)

The Prophet also related from Allah: "I have created all My servants having a natural inclination to uprightness (the worship of the One God)."

Fitrah serves multiple functions in Athari epistemology:

1. As a source of basic moral knowledge
2. As a means of recognizing truth
3. As a compass for distinguishing right from wrong

The famous narration from Wabisah ibn Ma'bad illustrates this practical dimension of fitrah:

"I came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and he said, 'You have come to ask about righteousness.' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil, and sin is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the chest, even though people have repeatedly given their fatwa (expert opinion).'"

However, Athari scholars recognized that fitrah is not infallible and can become corrupted. Ibn Taymiyyah identified seven primary corrupting influences:

1. Hawa (whims/desires)
2. Zann (conjecture)
3. Shubhah (misgiving/doubt)
4. Gharad (ulterior motive)
5. 'Adah (habit)
6. Taqlid (blind following)
7. Mawrooth (inherited beliefs)

This nuanced understanding of fitrah prevents both the extreme of complete reliance on subjective feelings and the dismissal of innate human capacities for recognizing truth.

Ilham (Inspiration) and Spiritual Cognition

Athari epistemology also makes room for ilham (divine inspiration) as a supplementary source of knowledge, though always subordinate to revelation. The famous hadith about 'Umar being among the muhaddathun (those spoken to by Allah) establishes this principle:

"A'ishah reported Allah's Messenger as saying: 'There had been among the people before you inspired persons (muhaddathoon), and if there were any such among my Ummah, 'Umar b. al-Khattab would be one of them.'"

The key characteristics of valid ilham in Athari thought include:

1. Never contradicting established revelation
2. Being limited to particular individuals under specific conditions
3. Serving as confirmation or clarification rather than independent legislation
4. Being subject to verification against textual sources

This careful approach distinguishes the Athari position from both extreme rationalism that rejects all non-empirical knowledge and unchecked mysticism that elevates subjective experiences above revelation.

The Alleged Conflict Between Reason and Revelation

One of the most significant contributions of Athari scholarship has been its thorough treatment of apparent conflicts between reason and revelation. Various schools proposed different solutions to this problem:

1. The Philosophers' Approach: Some, like Ibn Sina, developed theories where philosophical truth and religious truth coexisted at different levels, potentially leading to contradictions between them.
2. Al-Razi's Universal Law: Fakhr al-Din al-Razi proposed a systematic approach in his Asas al-Taqdis:
   • If definitive reason and clear revelation conflict, we must:
     1. Accept both (impossible due to contradiction)
     2. Reject both (illogical)
     3. Prioritize reason and reinterpret revelation accordingly
3. Ibn Rushd's Solution: He suggested that apparent conflicts arise from different modes of expression suitable for different audiences, with philosophy and revelation ultimately in harmony.

The Athari response, particularly as developed by Ibn Taymiyyah, rejected all these approaches in favor of a more fundamental solution:

1. No Genuine Conflict: When properly understood, authentic revelation and sound reason cannot truly contradict each other.
2. Hierarchy of Certainty:
   • Distinguishing between definitive (qat'i) and speculative (zanni) proofs in both reason and revelation
   • Resolving apparent conflicts by examining the strength of evidence on both sides
3. Sources of Apparent Conflict:
   • Weak or misinterpreted textual evidence
   • Flawed rational premises
   • Misapplication of human categories to divine realities
4. The Role of Miracle: The veracity of revelation is confirmed by miracles, giving it priority when dealing with matters beyond pure reason.

Ibn Taymiyyah's monumental work Dar' Ta'arud al-Aql wal-Naql systematically develops these arguments across ten volumes, demonstrating that careful analysis almost always reveals that the conflict was only apparent, not real.

The Contemporary Relevance of Athari Epistemology

In our modern context, where various epistemological claims compete for dominance, the Athari approach offers several important insights:

1. Against Radical Skepticism: While recognizing reason's limits, it affirms the possibility of certain knowledge through revelation.
2. Against Unchecked Rationalism: It maintains appropriate boundaries for human reason, especially regarding metaphysical questions.
3. Against Subjectivism: While valuing fitrah and spiritual cognition, it anchors truth claims in objective revelation rather than subjective experience.
4. Against Theological Reductionism: Its balanced approach to divine attributes avoids both complete abstraction and crude literalism.

The Athari emphasis on textual fidelity, combined with its nuanced understanding of human cognition, provides a stable foundation for Islamic belief in an age of intellectual fragmentation. By maintaining clear principles while allowing for careful engagement with philosophical challenges, it models how traditional Islam can address contemporary questions without compromising its core principles.

Conclusion: The Enduring Value of Athari Epistemology

The Athari epistemological framework represents one of Islam's most sophisticated and balanced approaches to knowledge. Its strengths include:

1. Comprehensiveness: Acknowledging multiple sources of knowledge while establishing clear priorities i.e. avoiding weak hadiths
2. Humility: Recognizing the limits of human reason regarding divine matters
3. Stability: Providing firm doctrinal foundations resistant to philosophical fluctuations by true faith.
4. Practicality: Connecting theological knowledge to spiritual and moral development

In an intellectual climate marked by either radical skepticism or uncritical credulity, the Athari way offers a measured approach that honors both human intelligence and divine wisdom. As the Qur'an reminds us:

"And follow not that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - all those will be questioned." (Qur'an 17:36)

The Athari tradition calls Muslims to pursue knowledge with both true belief in divine guidance and awareness of human limitations - a timeless message for all seekers of truth in Islamic Creed.

Stay-Safe, Be-Curious. Allah-Hafiz!