Al-Qushayri's Teleological Theology

Ab al-Qsim al-Qushayr's (d. 465/1072) theological oeuvres remain eclipsed by his celebrated achievements in Sufism, with prevailing scholarly assertions that he is a mere repeater of Asharite views and that his theology plays an apologetic role within al-Rislat al-Qushayriyya, anchoring its esoteric content to orthodoxy. Against this backdrop, the present study investigates al-Qushayr's theology, in the light of intellectual developments in the fourth-fifth/tenth-eleventh centuries. His views are critically analysed on prominent epochal issues across his three most voluminous theological creeds, Luma f al-itiqd, al-Ful f al-ul and al-Risla. Key topics include God's attributes; His relationship with man; and epistemological concerns. The thesis argues that al-Qushayr's theology is, contrary to prevailing views, neither homogenous, nor entirely Asharite. It reveals that his variegated theology is shaped by teleological forces. Al-Luma shows a traditionalist bent, whereas al-Ful is distinctly semi-rationalist. In al-Risla, he lays the foundations of a mystical theology that governs the Sufi schema, whilst simultaneously delimiting the relevance of Asharite doctrines to the mere confines of the masses.

Autorentext

Baldredeen Ismail, The Classical Institute, Birmingham, UK.