Al-Ja'd ibn Dirham
al-Ja'd ibn Dirham | |
|---|---|
| الجعد بن درهم | |
| Born | |
| Died | c. 742 CE |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| School | Mutazilite (formerly) |
Main interests | Kalam · Philosophy |
Notable ideas | Quranic createdness |
al-Ja'd ibn Dirham (Arabic: الجعد بن درهم) was an 8th-century Muslim theologian who promoted the idea of Quranic createdness. He was also the personal tutor of the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II.
Relations with the Umayyad state
[edit]The Umayyad prince Muhammad ibn Marwan appointed al-Ja'd ibn Dirham as the personal tutor for his son, Marwan II, who was the last of the Umayyad rulers (r. 744–750) until he was deposed by the invading Abbasids.[1][2] Despite these relations, the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik still ordered the arrest of al-Ja'd due to his theology, which was considered heretical by the scholars around him.[1][2]
Theology
[edit]al-Ja'd ibn Dirham was formerly a Mutazilite. However, he would later develop a theology which stated that the divine attributes of God should be merely negated, including the divine speech.[1][2][3] Another aspect of his theology included the belief in Quranic createdness that the Qur'an is a created thing.[1][2] In regards to the Prophets of Islam and biblical figures, al-Ja'd denied that God spoke to Moses or took Abraham as a friend.[3]
This theology was a basis for the ideas of the Jahmi school, founded by Jahm ibn Safwan, a follower of al-Ja'd ibn Dirham.[1][2][3]
One of the early critics of his theology was the Tabi'in and historian Wahb ibn Munabbih, who differed with him on the views of the divine attributes.[3] According to Ibn Kathir, al-Ja'd was influenced by the ideas of Bayan ibn Sam'an al-Tamimi, an earlier theologian who believed in Quranic createdness as well.[3]
Execution
[edit]An arrest warrant was made for al-Ja'd ibn Dirham, and he was apprehended in Kufa in the year 742.[3][4] On the day of Eid al-Adha, he was publicly executed via beheading by the governor of Iraq, Khalid al-Qasri. Before the execution, al-Qasri is reported to have said:
On this day, I will sacrifice al-Ja'd ibn Dirham; for he said that Allah did not take Ibrahim as a friend, nor did He address Moses directly; exalted is Allah and free is He from what al-Ja'd had said.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Ibn Taymiyyah (2011). Majmoo' al-Fatawa. Dar Ibn Hazm, Dar al-Wafa.
- ^ a b c d e Ibn Qayyim (2004). Mukhtasar Sawa'iq al-Mursalah 'ala al-Jahmiyah wa-al-Mu'attilah. Adwa al-Salaf, Dar Ibn Hazm.
- ^ a b c d e f Ibn Kathir (2015). al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah. Dar Ibn Kathir. ISBN 978-9953520841.
- ^ al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. Tarikh Baghdad. Dar Al Kutub Al Ilmiyah. ISBN 978-2745104663.