Abu Bakir Al-Baqillani and his theological-philosophical teaching

Abstract

UDK: 28:14

This article analyses the theological and philosophical teachings of Abu Bakir Al-Baqillani, a scholar who had a significant role in establishing the foundations for Ash’ari school of thought, by adding a metaphysical aspect to it. His discourse begins with defining knowledge, as the task of knowledge is to bring one to a state of inner certainty. Faith, in its dipper sense, is also a cognitive fact and must have its epistemological foundation. The other important issue in this discussion is the relation between God’s Essence and attributes. Al-Baqillani gives depth to this issue on the basis of essential logic by making a distinction between knowledge and known, between attribute and attributed, proof and proved, and between essence and its forms. To this, he adds his cosmological proof that starts from the perception of the world which is composed of substances and accidental properties. Since accidents are temporary the substance of which the accident is made is also temporary. Interdependence of substance and accident is based on God’s Will. If no substance is eternal, and the world is composed of substances, then it follows that the world as a whole is not eternal. Al Baqilani introduces a new understanding to Ash’ari’s tradition regarding the issue of acquired power  (al-qudrah al hadesa), that is to say that man determines the modality of his action by his choice, but not the act itself thus referring to man’s free will and the responsibility thereof. This is a quite significant modification to the doctrine of acquisition or kasb.