Continuance of the Murji'ah Thought in Islamic Sects

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Ph.D

Abstract

During the first centuries of Hijra, the concept of faith and its relevant issues were among the major topics in Islamic thought. One the schools on the topic were Murji'ah, introduced by Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah in Kufa within the second half of Hijra. The Murjites held that pure faith can be achieved either through heart belief or confession; there is no need of action for salvation; it is possible to combine being faithful and committing deadly sins; the retribution for a man committing deadly sins ought to be postponed up to the day of Resurrection with the hope for being forgiven; and it is permissible to obey caliphs, even when they are wicked, and to perform prayer service with their leading in spite of their deadly sins. During times, these thoughts were spread attracting some adherents. Although there is no living school named Murji'ah anymore, some of their ideas, those could be a sort of ethical nihilism, still exist and are propagated. This paper is concerned with such Irja´ thoughts and ethical nihilism which have been continued until now.

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