Athari (traditionalist theology)

Athari (traditionalist theology) is a living tradition within Sunni Islam. Also written Ahl al-Hadith (the historical theological movement), traditionalist theology, ahl al-hadith / 'people of hadith'.

Origin

Founder named in the sources: No founder. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (d. 855) is recorded by the source of record as the movement's leading figure during the Mihna and as the eponym of the legal school that grew from it, NOT as a founder of a theological school.. No founding year is given below, because the sources read do not agree on one and a date has not been chosen for them. NAMING CAVEAT, RECORDED FIRST BECAUSE IT GOVERNS THE ENTRY: the term 'Athari' does not appear in any of the reference works reached for this entry. R. Kevin Jaques (Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World) uses 'Ahl al-Hadith'; Georges C. Anawati (Encyclopedia of Religion, 'Kalam') uses 'traditionists', 'people of hadith' and 'literalists'; the Encyclopedia of Religion's 'Hanabilah' article uses 'Hanabilah'; the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy uses 'traditionalists'. The node is named 'Athari' because that is the name in current use, and the caveat is recorded rather than hidden. Jaques traces the movement's emergence to a reaction to the assassination of Caliph Yazid b. Walid (d. 744), and states verbatim: 'After the Abbasid revolution (c. 720-750), the Ahl al-Hadith developed into the main group opposed to the dominance of the rationalist theology of the Mu'tazilites.' NO FOUNDING YEAR IS GIVEN BY ANY SOURCE READ. DISTINCT FROM THE TREE'S EXISTING 'AHL-I HADITH' NODE: that entry is the modern South Asian movement; this one is the classical theological current. The two share a name in transliteration and must not be merged.