Wasil ibn Ata

Wasil ibn Ata ʿ ʾ (Arabic واصل بن عطاء, Wasil ibn ʿ Ata DMG ʾ d. 748/9 ) was an Islamic preacher and theologian from Basra, who is considered the founder of the Mu ʿ tazila.

There is little information about his life. Wasil was one of the mawali and earned his living as a yarn dealer. In some texts is reported that he attended a training session of al -Hasan al - Basri in Medina. In Basra, it ran in circles that are attributed to Qadarīya.

In addition, Wasil maintained good relations with the Aliden in Medina. Various sources report that he attended after the fall of al - Walid II in 744 and at a meeting of the Hashemites in the village of al - AbwA in Hijaz, where the Alide named Muhammad Nafs az- Zakiya - on to the future ruler been. However, there are other reports that he happened to be at this time in Wasit to a member of a basrischen delegation from the new rulers Yazid III. welcome seconded governor for Iraq, ʿ Abd, the son of ʿ Umar ibn ʿ Abd al - ʿ Azeez.

Wāsils appearance in Wasit is the people especially so remained in my memory, because he gave a brilliant speech at the occasion, off the cuff. Impressed it was mainly the fact that it Wasil, for the sake of it a speech impediment the Arabic letters rā ʾ could not pronounce, managed to select only those words that do not contain those letters. The text of the speech has been obtained and analyzed by Hans Daiber of content in terms of its theological teaching positions.

In his political views Wasil ibn Alī ʿ showed preferences for Abī Taalib, but he also recognized the Caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan at. In relation to the first Fitna, he developed a similar position before him Murdschi ʾ a: he meant, namely, that one must suspend judgment about the Prophet's companions, who had participated in the Fitna. A compromise position, he also developed regarding the position of the Todsünders. While the Kharijites einstuften the Todsünder as unbelievers and the Murdschi ʾ ites considered him faithful who said Wasil that he finds it at the intermediate level of the transgressors. The term is derived from the Koran and fasiq appears there often as antonym of " faith " (cf. eg Sura 32:18 ). This intermediate was called by him al - manzila baina l - manzilatain ( " The step between the two stages "). Wasil said to have also written about their own Trakatat, but which is not obtained.

Of crucial importance for the success of his teaching was that he could draw ʿ Amr ibn ʿ Ubayd, who enjoyed high reputation in Basra, on his side. ʿ Amr initiated since the death of Qatada ibn ʿ di Ama in the year 735 the circle of students of al -Hasan al - Basri. From various sources it appears that Wasil missionaries sent to various parts of the Islamic empire ( Kufa, Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Khurasan, Armenia and Maghreb ) to spread his teachings. The advocacy for Aliden was obviously a prominent element in the preaching of these missionaries. As to the year 747 followers Wāsils was executed in Yemen of the Umayyad, this was done because they were considered Shiites. Later, when the Alide Idris ibn ʿ Abd before Harun al-Rashid fled to the Maghreb, he took refuge with former supporters Wāsils.

Regarding the Abrogationslehre Wasil developed a distinction which was later adopted throughout Sunni Islam. It says that only commands and prohibitions of the Qur'an can be abrogated, but not narrative passages ( Akhbar ).

By no later than the 9th century was the founder of the Mu ʿ Wasil tazila. The later Doxograph ash- Schahrastānī developed a picture of Wāsils doctrine that it already contained all the five tenets of Mu ʿ tazila. Some Western scientists such as Wilferd Madelung and Hans Daiber have taken this picture. Daniel Gimaret and Josef van Ess have with reference to the early sources remain silent, however, raised concerns against such a view. Of the five tenets of Mu ʿ tazila can be solely that of the intermediate stage of the Todsünders (al- manzila baina l - manzilatain ) safely attributed to him.