Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri'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 Ash arite views and that his theology plays an apologetic role within al-Risalat al-Qushayriyya, anchoring its esoteric content to orthodoxy. Against this backdrop, the present study investigates al-Qushayri'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, Lumä fi al-i tiqad, al-Fu ul fi al-u ul and al-Risala. Key topics include God's attributes; His relationship with man; and epistemological concerns. The thesis argues that al-Qushayri's theology is, contrary to prevailing views, neither homogenous, nor entirely Ash arite. It reveals that his variegated theology is shaped by teleological forces. Al-Lumä shows a traditionalist bent, whereas al-Fu ul is distinctly semi-rationalist. In al-Risala, he lays the foundations of a mystical theology that governs the Sufi schema, whilst simultaneously delimiting the relevance of Ash arite doctrines to the mere confines of the masses.

Autorentext

Baldredeen Ismail, The Classical Institute, Birmingham, UK.