Akhbaris: Difference between revisions

'''Akhbārīs''' (Arabic: {{InlineArabic|أخباريون}}) 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.

[[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]], [['Abd Allah b. Salih b. Jumu'a al-Samahiji al-Bahrani]] and [[Mirza Muahmmad al-Akhbari]] were extreme Akhabris, and [[al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani]], [[al-Sayyid Ni'mat Allah al-Jaza'iri]], [[Mulla Muhsin al-Fayd al-Kashani]], [[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]], [[Muhammad Tahir al-Qummi]], and [[al-Shaykh Hurr al-'Amili]], among others, were moderate Akhbaris. Opposed to them were prominent Usulis such as [[Muhammad Baqir Bihbahani|Wahid al-Bihbahani]], [[al-Shaykh al-Ansari]], and [[al-Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita']].

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.

==Origins of Historical Formation==

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 Heyday of Hadithism===

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. 328/940), [['Ali b. Husayn b. Musa b. Babawayh al-Qummi|'Ali b. Babawayh al-Qummi]] (d. 329 A.H./941), [[Ibn Qulawayh al-Qummi]] (d. 367 A.H./ 977-978) and [[Al-Shaykh al-Saduq]] (d. 381 A.H./ 991-992), who significantly contributed to the production of the oldest collections of jurisprudential hadiths.

===The Approach to Demonstrative Fiqh===

With [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] (d. 413 A.H./ 1022) and [[al-Sharif al-Murtada]] (d. 436 A.H./ 1044-1045) and [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] (d. 460 A.H./ 1067), 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 Emergence of "Akhbari" Terminology in 6th Century A.H. (12th century)===

The first usage of the word "akhbari" appears in [[Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Karim al-Shahristani|al-Shahristani]]'s ''[[al-Milal wa l-nihal]]'' in the first half of 6th century A.H. (12th century). Subsequently, in [['Abd al-Jalil al-Qazwini al-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 (early 11th century) 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. 1036 A.H./ 1626-1627). 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.

Given the backgrounds of Akhbarism, the application of the word "Akhbari" to a certain group of people with its contemporary notion has its origins in the 11th century with the emergence of the new Akhbari movement by [[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]] who was described as a "rigid Akhabari".

===The Decline of Akhbarism===

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 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./ 1864) and [[al-Shaykh Ja'far al-Najafi Kashif al-Ghita']] (d. 1227 A.H./ 1812) 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.

[[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]], the founder of Akhbarism among [[Imamiyya]] Shiites, is said to have been the first to criticized the method of [[usul al-fiqh]] and [[ijtihad]], classifying Imamiyya into Akhbaris and [[Mujtahid]]s (that is, Usulis). He was a mujtahid himself, receiving his permission ([[al-ijaza]]) for ijtihad from prominent scholars, but he later refused to remain committed to their methodology. It seems that he has been much influenced by the thoughts of his teacher, [[Mirza Muhammad al-Astarabadi]]. Muhammad Amin wrote his doctrines and opinions in a book entitled ''[[al-Fawa'id al-madaniyya]]'', which is a major source of reference for Akhbaris.

[['Abd Allah b. Salih b. Jumu'a al-Samahiji al-Bahrani]] was a radical, zealous proponent of Akhbarism in the 11th century A.H. (17th century), who wrote the book, ''[[Munyat l-mumarisin]]''. According to [[Yusuf al-Bahrani|al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani]], 'Abd Allah used to insult proponents of ijtihad, even though his father, Mulla Salih, was a mujtahid (Usuli).

Abu Ahmad Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Nabi al-Nisaburi al-Astarabadi (d. 1232 A.H./ 1816-1817), known as [[Mirza Muhammad al-Akhbari]], insulted and disrespected prominent Usuli scholars, such as [[Mirza Abu l-Qasim al-Qummi]], [[al-Shaykh Ja'far al-Najafi Kashif al-Ghita']], [[Mir Sayyid 'Ali al-Tabataba'i]], [[al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hujjat al-Islam al-Isfahani]] and [[Muhammad Ibrahim al-Kalbasi]]. This is why, the verdict on his execution was signed by scholars of that time, such as [[al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Mujahid]], son of Mir Sayyid 'Ali al-Tabataba'i, al-Shaykh Musa, son of al-Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita', [[Sayyid 'Abd Allah al-Shubbar]] and [[al-Shaykh Asad Allah al-Kazimayni]].

[[Yusuf al-Bahrani|Al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani]] (d. 1186 A.H./ 1772) adopted a methodology in between Akhbarism and Usulism. Al-Bahrani claimed that the methodology of [[fiqh]] should be in accordance with [[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]]'s method that provides a middle way between Akhbarism and Usulism. [[Muhammad Baqir Bihbahani|Wahid al-Bihbahani]] explicitly opposed al-Bahrani, forbidding people from saying prayers under his leadership. Al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani, as the leader of Akhbaris, asked them not to sharply oppose and criticize Usulis in order to prevent a split and conflict among Shiite scholars.

[[Sayyid Ni'matullah al-Jaza'iri al-Shushtari]] (d. 1112 A.H./ 1701) was an Akhbari scholar, but he attempted a lot to appreciate Usuli scholars and their proponents.

Some people have considered [[Mulla Muhsin al-Fayd al-Kashani]] (d. 1091 A.H./ 1680-1681) as an Akhbari scholar. He says: "we follow the [[Qur'an]] and [[hadith]]s, and we do not know anything else". Though in this text he seems to oppose [[Sufism]], rather than [[ijtihad]] and usul, he also maintains that the minds of ordinary (non-infallible or non-ma'sum) people are imperfect and unreliable. In some of his work, such as ''[[al-Kalimat al-maknuna]]'', al-Fayd has explicitly attacked ijtihad and the method of usul. A consideration of such remarks assures us that he has tendencies to Akhbarism. He holds that Usulis, by establishing the method of usul, have made divine obligations too difficult—they have issued verdicts about things that God did not say anything about, in fact it was part of divine wisdom to remain silent about those things.

[[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]] (d. 1070 A.H./ 1659-1660) has been a moderate proponent of Akhbarism, and he is said to have explicitly defended the doctrines of [[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]].

 

And al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili (d. 1104 A.H./ 1693) has referred to his Akhbari tendencies at the end of his well-known work in hadith, ''[[Wasa'il al-Shi'a]]''.

===Wahid al-Bihbahani===

{{main|Muhammad Baqir Bihbahani}}

The Usuli-Akhbari struggle, which began in the 11th century A.H. (17th century) and continued with the emergence of Akhbari extremism, turned into a consistent and serious fight against Akhbarism by Usuli scholars, most prominent of whom was Wahid al-Bihbahani (d. 1205 A.H./ 1791). At this time, many cities in [[Iraq]], particularly [[Karbala]] and [[Najaf]], were centers of Akhbarism, administered and led by [[al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani]]. Proponents of Usul and [[ijtihad]] were isolated at this point, until Wahid migrated to Karbala and started a serious, persistent campaign against Akhbarism.

Along with his theoretical arguments against Akhbarism and for the method of ijtihad, Wahid took practical measures against Akhbaris as well. For example, he issued a [[fatwa]] according to which it was illegitimate to say prayers led by al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani. As a consequence of such theoretical and practical struggles, Usuli scholars overtook the power and dominance in Shiite regions.

A book by Wahid in rejecting Akhbarism and defending ijtihad is ''[[Risala al-ijtihad wa al-akhbar]]''. Given his serious and long theoretical and practical battles against Akhbarism, Wahid al-Bihbahani has been considered as the propagator of Shiism and the reviver of ijtihad in the 13th century A.H. (18th and 19th centuries).

===Shaykh al-Ansari===

After Wahid al-Bihbahani, [[Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]] (d. 1281 A.H./ 1864) counts as the founder of [[usul al-fiqh]]. He is quoted as saying that if [[Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]] were alive, he would accept and admire his version of usul al-fiqh.

Another Usuli scholar who seriously campaigned against Akhbarism was [[al-Shaykh Ja'far al-Najafi Kashif al-Ghita']] (d. 1227 A.H./ 1812), who opposed to [[Mirza Muhamamd al-Akhbari]], writing his well-known essay, ''[[Kashf al-ghita' 'an ma'ayib-i Mirza Muhammad 'aduww al-'ulama]]'' (uncovering the faults of Mirza Muhammad [al-Akhbari], the enemy of scholars). He sent this essay to [[Fath 'Ali Shah Qajar]] to discourage him from supporting Mirza Muhamamd.

==The Geographical Distribution of Akhbaris==

In 11th through 13th centuries A.H. (17th to 19th centuries), Akhbarism was popular in religious cities of [[Iran]] and [[Iraq]], as well as in [[Bahrain]] and [[India]]. At this time, much of the western parts of [[Qazvin]] was the center of akhbaris who were pupils and followers of [[Mulla Khalil al-Qazwini]] (d. 1089 A.H./ 1678-1679). This is why, the city was an important center for the proponents of Akhbarism. After the campaigns against Akhbarism and the dominance of Usulism, their influence in this city was undermined.

Today the only places in Iran where Akhbarism has considerable proponents are parts of the [[Khuzistan]] province, particularly [[Khurramshahr]] and [[Abadan]].

[[Al-Sayyid Ni'matullah al-Jaza'iri]] in his ''[[Manba' al-hayat]]'' and [[Mulla Radi al-Qazwini]] in his ''[[Lisan al-khawass]]'' have mentioned major points of disagreement between Akhbaris and Usulis. Moreover, [['Abd Allah b. Salih al-Samahiji al-Bahrani]] has mentioned 40 points of dispute between them in his ''[[Munya al-mumarisin]]''. [[Al-Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita']] has considered such disagreements in his ''[[al-Haqq al-mubin (book)|al-Haqq al-mubin]]'', and [[Mirza Muhammad al-Akhbari]] has cited 59 points of disagreement in his ''[[al-Tuhr al-fasil]]''. [[Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Dizfuli]] has referred to 86 points of dispue in his ''[[Faruq al-haqq]]'', and [[al-Hurr al-'Amili]] has mentioned 92 disagreements in his ''[[al-Fawa'id al-tusiyya]]''.

Proponents of Akhbarism take [[ijtihad]] to be [[haram]], that is, forbidden or illegitimate by [[shari'a]], but proponents of Usulism take it to be [[al-wajib al-kifa'i]] or a "collective duty" (that is, it is obligatory to be carried out by a sufficient number of people in which case it would not be obligatory for others) and some of them take it to be [[al-wajib al-'ayni]] or an "individual duty" (that is, obligatory for everyone). In his well-known book, ''[[al-Fawa'id al-madaniyya]]'', [[Mulla Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi]] denies the method of ijtihad, holding that such a method was never practiced by early Shiite scholars.

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.

# Akhbaris forbid the acquisition of probable beliefs (ẓann), and unlike the proponents of [[ijtihad]], they just take "certitude" or "certain knowledge" to be reliable.

# Classification of [[hadith]]s: for Akhbaris, hadiths are just classified into sound and weak, but for Usulis, there are 4 classes of hadiths: sound (sahih), reliable (muwaththaq), good (hasan) and weak (ḍa'if).

# Following people other than the [[infallible]] (ma'sum): Usulis classify people into [[mujtahid]] and [[muqallid]] (or follower of mujtahid), but for Akhbaris, it is illegitimate to follow a non-infallible person (people other than the [[Prophet (s)]] and [[Imams (a)]]).

# Taking the apparent meanings of the [[Qur'an]] at face value: for Usulis, the apparent meanings of the Qur'an are reliable, trumping the apparent meanings of hadiths, but for Akhbaris, it is legitimate to rely on the apparent meanings of the Qur'an only when there is a confirming interpretation by the Prophet (s) or an Imam (a).

# For Akhbaris, unlike Usulis, all hadiths contained in [[al-Kutub al-Arba'a]] (the four major Shiite hadith collections) are sound and reliable.

# Akhbaris accept [[rational goodness and badness]] (al-husn wa al-qubh al-'aqli), but unlike Usulis, they do not take independent rational verdicts (that is, those not confirmed by shari'a) to be religiously reliable.

# For Akhbaris, it is illegitimate to act upon some analogies and syllogisms such as priority analogy (qiyas al-awlawiyya), the analogy in which the reason/cause is explicitly mentioned (al-qiyas-u mansus al-'illa) and the clarification of the criterion (tanqih al-manat), though Usulis consider them as legitimate.

# The principle of exoneration (asalat al-bara'a): for Usulis, the principle of exoneration applies to cases of doubting the illegitimacy or forbiddingness of an act (al-shubha al-hukmiyya al-tahrimiyya), as well as cases of doubting the obligation (al-shubha al-hukmiyya al-wujubiyya), but for Akhbaris, it only applies in the second type of cases.

# The principle of exoneration regarding the conflict between hadiths: unlike Usulis, Akhbaris do not allow an appeal to the principle of exoneration regarding a conflict between hadiths, as al-Astarabadi says in his ''[[al-Fawa'id al-madaniyya]]'':

:"I hold that the appeal to the principle of exoneration (asalat al-bara'a) was permissible before the perfection of the religion, but after that, there is no room for such a principle, since there is a sufficient numbers hadiths at our disposal with regard to any affairs and events that we need a verdict for, and for any disputes between any two people."

==The Relation between Shaykhiyya and Akhbarism==

* The material of this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86 أخباریان] in Farsi WikiShia.

{{Template:Navbox Shiʿa faqihs}}