Akhbaris: Difference between revisions

'''Akhbārīs''' are a group of Imamiyya jurisprudents ([[fiqh|fuqaha]]) who take the only source of fiqh (the deduction of Shari'a laws) to be akhbars (narrations and hadiths by [[the Prophet (s)]] and [[Imams (a)]]). The group emerged in 11th century A.H. (17th century). They disallowed the method of [[ijtihad]] and [[Usul al-Fiqh]] for the deduction of Shari'a laws. They were opposed to [[Usulis|Usuli jurisprudents]] (or fuqaha) who require the method of ijtihad and Usul al-Fiqh for the deduction of Shari'a laws.

The opposition between Imamiyya Akhbaris and Usulis was already there before the 17th century, though in a non-official and implicit fashion. However, in this century, the opposition increased, the terminologies of Akhbari and Usuli became current, and they explicitly expressed their oppositions to one another.

The main points of disagreements between Akhbaris and Usulis concern issues such as illegitimacy or permissibility of the method of [[ijtihad]] (deducing the laws of Shari'a via methods of [[usul al-fiqh|Usul]]), the restriction of evidence for laws of Shari'a to the [[Qur'an]] and [[Sunna]] or [[hadith]]s, the prohibition of acquiring probable beliefs about Islamic laws, the way hadiths should be classified, the permissibility of following people other than [[the Prophet (s)]] and [[Imams (a)]], subscription to the appearances of the Qur'an, [[rational good and badness|rational goodness]] (husn) and [[rational good and badness|badness]] (qubh), the practical principle of Bara'a (exemption or exoneration), the prohibition of employing some kinds of analogy ([[qiyas]]) to deduce laws of Shari'a, the reliability of all hadiths contained in [[the Four Books]] (al-Kutub al-Arba'a), and so on.

The contrast between Akhbari and Usuli schools in the [[fiqh]] of [[Imamiyya]] traces back to the early centuries of Islam. Within Imamiyya schools of fiqh in the first three centuries A.H., there were tendencies to deduce the laws of Shari'a, in contrast to those who followed the letter of hadiths without making any deductions.

The fourth century A.H. (10th century) is the period of the prominence of the hadithist school in [[Qom]]. Deductivist scholars of [[fiqh]], such as [[Al-Hasan b. 'Ali al-Hadha' al-'Ummani|Ibn Abi 'Aqil al-Ummani]] and [[Ibn Junayd al-Iskafi]] were among the minority. Prominent scholars of fiqh in this period were [[Muhammad b. Ya'qub al-Kulayni]] (d. 328 or 329 A.H./940 or 941), [['Ali b. Husayn b. Musa b. Babawayh al-Qummi|'Ali b. Babawayh al-Qummi]] (d. 328 A.H./940), [[Ibn Qulawayh al-Qummi]] (d. 368 or 369 A.H./ 979) and [[Al-Shaykh al-Saduq]] (d. 381 A.H./ 991), who significantly contributed to the production of the oldest collections of jurisprudential hadiths.

With [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] (d. 413 A.H./ 1022) and [[al-Sharif al-Murtada]] (d. 436 A.H./ 1044) and [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] (d. 460 A.H./ 1068), who wrote the first works concerning the principles (usul) of Imamiyya fiqh, a new movement began in [[Imamiyya]] directing the tendencies of Imamiyya scholars of [[fiqh]] to deductive fiqh (instead of hadithism) for centuries. The contrast between the two tendencies can be seen in the works of the above scholars. In his ''[[Awa'il al-maqalat]]'', al-Shaykh al-Mufid mentions scholars of deductive fiqh as "fuqaha" simpliciter, and hadithists as "ahl al-naql" (people of hadith), "as'hab al-athar" and the like. In an essay by al-Sharif al-Murtada, "as'hab al-hadith" is opposed to scholars of fiqh with a method of usul who were supported by him.

The first usage of the word "akhbari" appears in [[al-Shahrastani]]'s ''[[al-Milal wa l-nihal]]'' in the first half of 6th century A.H. (12th century). Subsequently, in [['Abd al-Jalil al-Qazwini l-Razi]]'s ''[[al-Naqd (book)|al-Naqd]]''—an Imamiyya scholar of the 6th century A.H.—the terms, "Akhbari" and "Usuli", came to be used as opposites.

The school of hadithist fuqaha, that was undermined in late 4th and early 5th centuries by Usulist fuqaha, maintained its meager life, until when in early 11th century A.H. (17th century) it was revivied in a new form by [[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]] (d. 1033 or 1036 A.H./ 1624 or 1627).  He sharply attacked Usulists. Some people believe that [[Ibn Abi Jumhur al-Ahsa'i]] was one of the scholars who paved the path for Akhbaris. In an essay, "al-'Amal bi akhbar ashabina" (practicing the hadiths by our fellows), al-Ahsa'i raised some arguments for such a view.

With the emergence of the contrast between Akhbarism and Usulism in the 11th century A.H. (17th century) and with the emergence of prominent Usuli scholars such as [[Muhammad Baqir Bihbahani|Wahid al-Bihbahani]] (d. 1205 A.H./ 1791), Akhbaris began to lose their influence in [[Shiite seminary school]]s. Wahid al-Bihbahani's role in the defeat of Akhbaris was crucial. Not only he did fight with Akhbaris in a theoretical field (by making arguments and objections), but he also took practical measures to undermine them, such as forbidding the saying of prayers with the leadership (or imamate) of [[Yusuf al-Bahrani|al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani]]—the leader of Akhbaris. Subsequently, other Usuli scholars, such as [[Shaykh Murtada Ansari|al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]] (d. 1281 A.H./ 1865) and [[al-Shaykh Ja'far al-Najafi Kashif al-Ghita']] (d. 1227 or 1228 A.H./ 1812 or 1813) propagated Usulism by writing and teaching in [[Usul al-fiqh]], whereby Akhbarism nearly disappeared from Shiite seminary schools. Today Shiite schools are dominated by Usuli thoughts.

Akhbaris restrict evidence for the laws of Shari'a to the [[Qur'an]] and [[Sunna]] (that is, hadiths), and unlike Usuli scholars, they do not take consensus (ijma') and reason ('aql) to be evidence for religious laws.