An Analysis on the Concept Of God in Kalam Schools in the Context Of Quranic Verses

Abstract

In the assessment of concept of god in the kalam (Islamic theology)schools, it is remarkable that the Ashariyya focuses on the concept of Allahthat is “all-willing and absolute possessor (Malik),” while Mu’tazilis arebased on the concept of god that is “all just and omnipotent,” and other kalamissues are interpreted from those perspectives by those schools. TheMaturidiyya embraces an approach underlining Allah’s attribute of “all-wise,”and makes interpretations on other kalam issues from that perspective.According to those advocating the principled and liberal opinion, the actionsof Allah emerge as a natural reflection of His principles and attributes. Inother words, Allah acts in accordance with His attributes and principles Herevealed us. The passages which steer the concept of Allah in theaforementioned schools and kalam trends and in which the actions and attributesattributed to Allah in the Quran exist can be assessed in conceptual andthematic aspects within the integrity of Quran. In another expression, theQuranic scriptures can be evaluated by considering the essential parameters tocomprehend properly the Quran scripture such as siyaq-sibaq (whole context) andasbab al-nuzul (causes of revelation), history, socio-cultural circumstance, andmaqasid (objectives) of verses. This analysis indicates that Allah acts neitherin an understanding of god “all-willing and absolute possessor” acknowledged bythe Ashariyya nor in an understanding of god “all just and omnipotent” claimedby Mutazilis. Regarding the concept of “all wise” god in Maturidiyya, it isreasonable to claim that the actions of Allah are wise. However, this opinionvests effort to give all the beings meaning over a unique attribute of Allah(hikmat). Therefore, I suggest that the hikmat concept embraced by Maturidishould be elaborated in order to reach a proper concept of Allah. Indeed, theexamination of divine messages from thematic and contextual aspects shows thatAllah performs his actions within the fra