THEOLOGICAL DISCOURSES ON BEATIFIC VISION OF ALLAH: A COMPARISON BETWEEN TAFSĪR AL-RĀZĪ AND TAFSĪR AL-KASHSHĀF

SAHINSHA P

ABSTRACT

Beatific vision of Allah was one of well discussed issues on Islamic theological arena, especially in Asʿarite and Muʿtazilite schools. Works, including theological works and others, by scholars of both sides tried to establish their views using Qurʾān, Sunnah and reason. Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb of Fakhr al-Dīn Al-Rāzī and al-Kashf ʿan Ḥaqāʾiq al-Tanzīl waʿUyūn al-Aqāwīl fī Wujūh al-Taʾwīl of al-Zamakhshari are noteworthy among them. The former was an Ashʿarite while the latter was Muʿtazilite. Both of them used different sciences including Tafsīr, Hadīth, philosophy and linguistics to establish their views regarding the beatific vision of Allah. This research is all about beatific vision of Allah; its possibility, reasons and proofs. It scrutinizes biography of both scholars along with explanations about their Qurʾānic exegesis and methodology of both works in dealing the topic along with analysis and comparison between them. This research tries to argue that al-Rāzī criticizes all proofs advanced by Muʿtazilites and he had succeeded in it.
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Theology of a religion is its corner stone. The religion is stated and valued according to its theology and value system. The Islamic theology, which is called ‘ilm al-kalam, al-‘Aqaid and etc., is rich with great scholars and thinkers as well as with interesting discussions. It discusses topics from the existence of God, His oneness, attributes to the politics.

As a matter of fact, the Islamic theology was not regarded as a separate science, as any other Islamic sciences like Fiqh and Ḥadith, during the prophetic or rightly guided caliph’s era. Meanwhile the formers too were not in need of such sciences because of their purity and strength in belief and as they themselves were jurists or theologians.[1] It came to form of a science only when major deviations from the right path appeared in the Muslim community. When new trends and views against the prophetic traditions emerged in Islamic world, the Muslim scholars thought about a science which can protect the Muslims from other heretic currents.

The later period of Islamic history saw serious deviations, out of which the Muʿtazilites were major and strong. Mixing Greek philosophy with Islamic beliefs they brought many new beliefs to the Islamic world including denial of attributes of God and vision of God.

The scholars of Ahlussunnah in that time tried to counter their arguments only by Qurān and Sunnah and they tried not to inter mix belief with reason. Great scholars like Imām Shafi and Imām Ahmad stood away from Aqa’id for this reason.

But when the Ashʿarite School was in the field, scholars strongly opposed the Muʿtazilite beliefs with reason and the philosophy. Both Muʿtazilites and Ashʿarites wrote books, including commentary to Qurān and Ḥadith books, supporting their arguments and refuting the other. Qurānic commentary was a field of propagating and interpreting the thoughts for both schools. Both wrote commentaries of Qurān interpreting the verses according to their thoughts. Mafātih al-Ghaib of Imām al-Rāzī and ‘al-Kashshāf ʿan ḥaqāʾiq al-Tanzīl wa ʿUyūn al-Aqāwīl fi Wujūh al Taʾwīl’ of Imām al-Zamakhshari were well noticed among them. The former argued for the Ashʿarite School and the latter for the Muʿtazilites. Here, this study looks at both works and how they handled the issue of beatific vision of Allah as it was a concern between both for years and it will compare both works too.

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[1]  Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī, Sharah al-Aqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah (Deyuband: Maktabah al-Thānawi, n.d) 04

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