A Criticism of the Assumption That Ibn Abī Jumhūr Paved the Way for Traditionalism

Some believe that Ibn Abī Jumhūr Aḥsā’ī‘s tradition studies in the ۹th century LH and his research procedure set the grounds for traditionalism in the ensuing centuries, and so they introduce him as part of the textualist and anti-intellectualist movement. Reviewing Aḥsā’ī‘s view to intellect as the most important criterion for the separation of textulism and intellectualism based on his theological, jurisprudential, and traditional worlds, this article tries to remove him from the list of textualists and criticize the stance that considers him as the leader of traditionalism. Along with the biography and works of Ibn Abī Jumhūr, the effects of Ḥilla theology-tradition school, philosophers’ opinions, his trust in intellect in the beliefs and practical intellect domains, his attention to the relationship between intellect and Islamic law, and his consideration of intellect as one of the proofs for Islamic rules are the evidences that this article presents to prove the intellectualism of Ibn Abī Jumhūr and to distinguish him from traditionalists. The research method of this descriptive-analytical article is document analysis using various Islamic texts.

Keywords:

Intellect , Text , Ibn Abī Jumhūr Aḥsā’ī , Al-Mujlī