Such is the Ash‘arite philosophy.
One great theological result of this reaction was that it checked the growth of freethought which tended to dissolve the solidarity of the Church. We are, however, concerned more with the purely intellectual results of the Ash‘arite mode of thought, and these are mainly two:—
(1). It led to an independent criticism of Greek philosophy as we shall see presently.
(2). In the beginning of the 10th century when the Ash‘arite had almost completely demolished the stronghold of Rationalism, we see a tendency towards what may be called Persian Positivism. Al-Birūnī[80:1] (d. 1048) and Ibn Haitham[80:2] (d. 1038) who anticipated modern empirical Psychology in recognising what is called reaction-time, gave up all inquiry concerning the nature of the supersensual, and maintained a prudent silence about religious matters. Such a state of things could have existed, but could not have been logically justified before Al-Ash‘arī.
FOOTNOTES:
[47:1] During the ‘Abbāsid Period there were many who secretly held Manichaean opinions. See Fihrist, Leipsig 1871, p. 338; See also Al-Mu‘tazila, ed. by T. W. Arnold, Leipsig 1902, p. 27, where the author speaks of a controversy between Abu ’l-Hudhail and Ṣālih, the Dualist. See also Macdonald's Muslim Theology, p. 133.
[47:2] The Mu‘tazilas belonged to various nationalities, and many of them were Persians either by descent or domicile. Wāṣil Ibn ‘Atā—the reported founder of the sect—was a Persian (Browne, Lit. His., Vol I, p. 281). Von Kremer, however, traces their origin to the theological controversies of the Umayyad period. Mu‘tazilaism was not an essentially Persian movement; but it is true, as Prof. Browne observes (Lit. His., Vol. I, p. 283) that Shi‘ite and Qādarī tenets, indeed, often went together, and the Shi‘ite doctrine current in Persia at the present day is in many respects Mu‘tazilite, while Ḥasan Al-Ash‘arī, the great opponent of the Mu‘tazilite, is by the Shi‘ites held in horror. It may also be added that some of the greater representatives of the Mu‘tazila opinion were Shi‘as by religion, e.g. Abu ’l-Hudhail (Al-Mu‘tazila, ed. by T. W. Arnold, p. 28). On the other hand many of the followers of Al-Ash‘ari were Persians (See extracts from Ibn ‘Asākir ed. Mehren), so that it does not seem to be quite justifiable to describe the Ash‘arite mode of thought as a purely semitic movement.
[49:1] Shahrastānī: Cureton's ed., p. 34.
[49:2] Dr. Frankl: Ein Mu‘tazilitischer Kalām—Wien 1872, p. 13.
[50:1] Shahrastānī: Cureton's ed., p. 48. See also Steiner—Die Mutaziliten, p. 59.