A Ḥanbalite Interpretation of al-Uṣūl al-Khamsah: the case of al-Qāḍī Abū Yalā al-Farrā

This article is intented to analyze in an integrated manner different interpretations by the Ḥanbalī scholar al-Qāḍī Abū Yalā al-Farr (d.458/1066) of the Mutazilī doctrine of al-Uṣūl al-Khamsah. In other words, this study points out an intellectual transformation of a Ḥanbalī scholar who belongs to a school of thought opposing the views of the Mutazilī school. In this regard, Abū Yalā favoured, concerning the principle of tawḥīd, neither the extreme view of divine transcendence (tanzīh) as was held by the Mutazilah, nor the anthropomorphistic approach (tashbīh) adopted by the Salaf scholars. With regard to the principle of justice, however, he sided with the Asharite approach focusing primarily on the divine attribute of omnipotence. As for the principle of al-wad wa al-waīd, he asserted that since divine justice is blended with compassion, the grave sinner would lose not his/her faith altogether but rather perfect faith. Regarding the principle of al-manzilah bayna al-manzilatayn, he, opting for the Asharite theory of Kasb (acquisition), claimed that man is not capable of creating his own actions. Thus man is neither free as is the case with the Mutazilah, nor is he coerced in his acts as is the case with the Jahmiyyah. Concerning the principle of al-amr bi-al-marūf wa al-nahy an al-munkar, on the other hand, he rejected the political content of the concept found in the Mutazilī notion and defined the principle theologically to mean pointing out what is true and rejecting what goes against it.