Mu'tazilite (المعتزلة)
A historical rationalist theological school in Islam that emphasized monotheism, divine justice, and human moral responsibility.
Religion links
- Related traditions and movements
- Islam (الإسلام)
Religion profile
- Name in original language
- المعتزلة
- type
- Movement
- Founder or central figure
- Wasl ibn Atta is one of the early figures; a historiography about the origins of the polytheistic school
- Origin date (historical context)
- 2nd century AH/8th century AD; peak of political influence during the Abbasid period
- Core beliefs
- Emphasis on monotheism, justice, human moral responsibility, and rational reasoning in theology.
- Religious languages
- Arabic; Persian in historical works and heritage
Source
The Mu'tazilites were an important theological school of early Islam, which flourished in Basra and later Baghdad in the 2nd century AH. The theologians of this tradition formulated a set of principles regarding the oneness of God, divine justice, promises and oaths, the middle position of the sinner, and enjoining good; accounts of its beginnings are not consistent in historical sources.
The Mu'tazilites gained court influence during the Abbasid Caliphate and then lost their institutional status, but their arguments influenced the history of Islamic theology. Today, the title is more commonly used for a historical intellectual tradition and should not be confused with a contemporary branch with a unified membership.
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