Harran Ilahiyat Journal

Abstract

This article discusses al-Bāqillānī’s (d. 403/1013) perspectives of the notion of miracle. As it is known, the notion of miracle is the primary proof of prophethood that comes to mind in the science of kalām. In this way, backed up by miracles, the news of the prophet is no longer āhād news but reaches the level of mutawātir. Being the first scholar to address the issue of miracle for the first time in the Ashʿarī school, the theologian al-Bāqillānī examined it in detail and wrote an independent work on it. Al-Bāqillānī attempted to move the notion of miracle to a rational basis as he accepted it as the only proof of prophethood. In this respect, the views of al-Bāqillānī are critical as he was considered as the second theorist of the madhab after Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, (d. 324/935-36) and contributed greatly to its systematization. Therefore, the present study aims to reveal how al-Bāqillānī addresses the proof of prophethood through emotional and rational miracles, and in connection with this, his approach to causality, along with his views on the theory of habit.
In this study, al-Bāqillānī’s works Kitāb al-tamhīd, considered as one of the most important al-Ashʿarī sources, and Kitāb al-bayān, which he wrote to show not only the possibility of miracle and its being an indication of prophethood but also to highlight its difference from other marvellous occurrences. In addition to these, the work of Qādī ʿAbd al-Jabbār (d. 415/1025) entitled al-Mughnī fī abwāb al-tawhīd wa-l-ʿadl was used to pinpoint the views of the Muʿtazilite madhab, which al-Bāqillānī discussed based on causality and habit (ʿāda) theory. Al-Bāqillānī’s views were presented in comparison with those of some theologians and philosophers before and after him, particularly those of Muʿtazilite Qādī ʿAbd al-Jabbār. The present study revealed that al-Bāqillānī, who accepts miracles as an unrivalled criterion in terms of their indication of prophethood, tries to rationally resolve the ideas that are based on Ashʿarī. Al-Bāqillānī developed a unique understanding different from the mainstream, regarding the notions of habit, power and weakness, which are keys to understanding miracles. However, seeing that it is not possible to address the notion of miracle separately from the theory of essential causality, al-Bāqillānī addressed the notion of causality based on the principles of the Ashʿarī school of kalām, and he rejected the principle of causality and defended the theory of habit, instead. According to al-Bāqillānī, accepting essential causality in nature would mean limiting the power of Allāh, the sole creator of the universe. Furthermore, as the acknowledgment that the causality law is essential, rather than possible, would bring to mind the impact of more than one active power on what happens, and it would lead to the idea that each active power is a separate creator. Thinking that this runs counter to tawhīd, al-Bāqillānī put forward the idea that changes in beings occur when Allāh acts on things without a mediator. He further argued that the constant intervention of Allāh's power in beings (tajaddud al-amthāl) indicates that the causal links in the universe are not essential and that the will of Allāh, the perpetrator, can suspend the laws of nature whenever and wherever He wishes. Thinking that it is necessary to consider this as the will of Allāh, al-Bāqillānī stated that the cause-effect relationship in nature does not originate from an inherent power in the structure of things. He also noted that, unlike what philosophers think, it is not accurate to think of the connection between objects as a bond without a time interval; this bond consists of habits in us, due to the constant repetition of events and our observing them.
In conclusion, al-Bāqillānī accepted all kinds of miracles as the only criterion for the proof of prophethood. He noted that the Prophet was supported by emotional and spiritual miracles and that his greatest miracle is the Qur'an, which possesses properties that will last until the Day of Judgment beyond time and space.