Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad

Who is Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad?

'Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jabbar al-HamaJani al-Asadabadi, Abu 'l-Hasan was a Mu'tazilite theologian, a follower of the Shafi'i school. Abd al-Jabbar means "servant of the powerful." He lived in Baghdad, until he was invited to Rey, in 367 AH/978 CE, by its governor, a staunch supporter of the Mu'tazila. He was appointed chief Qadi of the province. On the death of Ibn 'Abbad, he was deposed and arrested by the ruler, Fakhr al-Dawla, because of a slighting remark made by him about his deceased benefactor. He died later in 415 AH/1025 CE.

His comprehensive "summa" of speculative theology, the Mughni, presented Mu`tazili thought under the two headings of God's oneness and his justice. He argued that the Ash'arite separation between the eternal speech of God and the created words of the Qur'an made God's will unknowable.