al-Qādī 'Abd al-Jabbār's criticism of Bāṭiniyya

Giving the authority of taʾwīl, which is described as referring the wordings in religious scriptures to one of the possible meanings, to imāms who, have been accepted as infallible, without methodologically defining the rules of this process, causes some problems. The negative reflections of the thoughts and practices of the sects who adopted this kind of taʾwīl, which has been called "bātinī taʾwīl" especially since the 3rd /9th century, are being expressed in the works of scholars from different understandings. These sects ho prioritize inner meaning (bāṭin) over literal one (zāhir) in the distinction between the two, brought the mission of the prophet and his companions up for discussion as well as attributing a position that is similar to a prophet, to imāms who they regard as the absolute religious authority. al-Qādī ͑Abd al-Jabbār who is one of the important representatives of the last period of the Basran Mu'tazila, presents his evaluations and criticisms of these sects through his discussion of prophecy and imāmate, which are the main subjects of the science of Kalam, and criticizes the negative accusations of Ismaili sects, especially the Qarāmiṭa, against the institution of prophecy through a miracle-based understanding. While evaluating the deviations in the beliefs and practices of Bāṭinī sects and their prominent representatives in Tathbīt Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwa, al-Qādī draws attention to the influence of other schools thought and belief systems. The reflection of this influence can clearly be seen in the accusations against the nubuwwa by people like Abū Sa ͑īd and Abū Ṭāhir, who attribute certainty to the knowledge of certain people, especially imāms. While answering the accusations about prophecy in particular, al-Qādī uses the narrations in the hadiths as evidence for the demonstration of miracles, which is similar to the Sunni understanding. al-Qādī 's evaluations and criticisms about Bāṭiniyya are significant for their contribution to the healthy assessment of the effects of the sects in this understanding on Islamic thought. Keywords: Kalam, Bāṭiniyya, al-Qādī 'Abd al-Jabbār, Ta'wīl, Prophecy, Imāmate.