The Salaf, the pious early Muslims, condemned Ilmul Kalam (speculative theology) as a heretical innovation (bid’ah) that strays from the Quran and Sunnah. Through powerful narrations from scholars like Imam Ahmad, al-Shafi’i, and Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, preserved in works like Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm and Dham al-Kalam wa Ahlihi, this article explores their warnings, offering guidance for Muslims in today’s world to uphold Islamic orthodoxy.
What is Ilmul Kalam?
Ilmul Kalam uses rational and philosophical arguments to discuss Islamic theology, often prioritizing human reasoning over divine revelation. The Salaf viewed it as a path to misguidance, corrupting the purity of faith. Their critiques, rooted in the Sunnah, remain a timeless warning against speculative theology.
Suggested Article: What is Ilm-ul Kalam? Logical Explanation of Islamic Theology
The Glory of the Sunnah Over Innovators
The Salaf celebrated the superiority of Ahlus-Sunnah, stating,
“We, then, are the authors of excellent exhortations; to us belongs the glory of this world and the next… At the mention of our pious, the mercy of God settles upon men, hearts become calm, prayers are answered, and afflictions are removed.”
Unlike speculative theologians, whose works lack divine favor, the Salaf’s legacy inspires faith and tranquility.
A poem by Abu Ja’far al-Khawwas eloquently refutes innovators:
Gone is the predominance of heretical innovators;
Their bond first weakened then failed altogether.
Leagued in rending their union asunder
Was the faction of Iblis who’d first brought them together.
Pray tell, in God’s name, have you, in your innovation,
Some jurisprudent or some Imam worthy of being followed?
Such as Sufyan, the Thawri, it was he
Who first taught men the secrets of piety.
Or Sulayman, the Taymi, it was he
Who, for the fears of the Day of Judgment, shunned sleep.
Have you such as Malik, Imam of the Two Cities?
That Sea of religious knowledge free from contamination.
Or such as Syria’s jurisprudent, its own Awza’i?
Who would succeed against the best of Quranic reciters.
Or such as Islam’s Brave, I mean Ahmad?
There’s religion’s bastion! verily a bastion is impregnable!
He did not fear their whip as they threatened him;
Nay, nor did he fear the gleaming swish of their sword!
This poem contrasts the piety of scholars like Sufyan ath-Thawri, Malik, and Ahmad b. Hanbal with the futility of Ilmul Kalam.
Scholarly Condemnations of Ilmul Kalam
The Salaf’s warnings against speculative theology were unequivocal:
- Imam Ahmad: “The partisan of speculative theology (kalam) will never prosper. No one is ever seen who has studied speculative theology, but that there is a corrupt quality to his mind” (Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm, 2/942).
- Imam al-Shafi’i: “No one has borne upon his shoulders the mantel of speculative theology and prospered” and “My judgment with respect to the partisans of speculative theology is that they be smitten with fresh leafless palm branches, that they be paraded among the communities and tribes, and that it be proclaimed: ‘this is the punishment of him who has deserted the Book and the Sunna, and taken up speculative theology’” (Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm, 2/941).
- Abu Yusuf: “He who seeks religious knowledge through speculative theology, becomes a zindiq” and “Do not pray behind the one who says: The Quran is created. None who allows anything of speculative theology shall prosper” (Siyar A’laamin-Nubalaa, 7/707). He also said, “The knowledge of disputation and speculative theology is ignorance, and the ignorance of disputation and speculative theology is knowledge,” and, on his deathbed, “All the verdicts I issued I retract, except that which concurs with the Book and the Sunna” (Siyar A’laamin-Nubalaa, 7/707).
- Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr: “Jurisprudents and traditionists among the inhabitants of all the great camp-cities are agreed that the partisans of speculative theology (kalam) are partisans of heretical innovations and of deviation. They are not generally considered to belong in the ranks of the scholars. The latter consists only of the people of tradition and those engaged in its study” (Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm, 2/942).
- Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Maliki: “In the opinion of our [Maliki] colleagues, the partisans of erroneous opinions and heretical innovations are the partisans of speculative theology (kalam). Therefore, every speculative theologian belongs to the partisans of erroneous opinions and heretical innovations, whether he is Ash’arite or not. No testimony of his should be accepted; he should be ostracized, and punished for his heretical innovation; and if he sticks to it, he should be made to retract it” (Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm, 2/943).
- Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani: When asked if a friend of Allah could follow a creed other than Ahmad b. Hanbal’s, he replied, “There never was, and there never will be!” (attributed saying).
The Case of Ibn ‘Aqil
Ibn ‘Aqil, a proponent of Ilmul Kalam, faced severe criticism: “To speak of them is but to censure them, to caution against them, to inspire aversion against associating with them, to order abandoning and shunning them, and to abstain from studying their works. Not a single one among them can gain a firm foothold in friendship with God; nor will any banner of theirs establish itself among the pious; nor will they be blessed with a miracle; nor will they see, in the life to come, either their Lord or His highly esteemed friends.” The Salaf accused such theologians of denying miracles, earning hatred in this world and torment in the hereafter.
Works Refuting Ilmul Kalam
The Salaf documented their opposition in dedicated texts:
- Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412): Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Kalam.
- Abu’l-Fadl al-Muqri’: Ahadith fi Damm al-Kalam.
- Abu Isma’il ‘Abdullah al-Ansari al-Harawi (d. 481): Dham al-Kalam wa Ahlihi.
These works reinforce the Salaf’s unified stance against speculative theology.
Practical Guidance for Muslims in Today’s World
To follow the Salaf’s path:
- Adhere to the Quran and Sunnah, as Abu Yusuf urged, retracting all but what aligns with revelation.
- Seek knowledge from Ahlus-Sunnah scholars, as Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr emphasized.
- Avoid Ilmul Kalam and its practitioners, as al-Shafi’i advocated through his call for public reprimand.
Conclusion
The Salaf’s warnings against Ilmul Kalam, from Imam Ahmad’s declaration that it corrupts the mind to al-Shafi’i’s call for punishment, guide Muslims to preserve faith through the Quran and Sunnah. In today’s world, let their wisdom inspire us to shun speculative theology and uphold the true Deen, as Abu Ja’far al-Khawwas proclaimed: “Gone is the predominance of heretical innovators.”