Maghrib Ash'arism (Formative period)

The main subject of this study is the historical adventure of Ash'arism in the Maghrib within the scope of the formation period. The relevant period covers the processes in which Ash'arism emerged in the eastern geography and then became systematised and met the Maghreb. The main problems of this study are the transfer of Ash'arism to the Maghrib, the political and social reasons that opened a space for it, and the stages it passed through. Before the recognition of Ash'arism in the Maghrib, there was a certain religious discourse that dominated the religious understanding of the region. For this reason, the relationship of the Mālikī thought, to which Ashʿarism was articulated, with other sects that emerged in the Maghrib and the processes of its becoming the main interpretation are discussed. After the ground on which it was to be built was revealed, the development of Ash'arism in different geographies of the Maghrib was analysed. From its emergence to its development, Ash'arism witnessed different political structures in the Maghrib. The efforts of the first Ash'arite figures, who were influential during the Zīrī period under the Fatimid rule, to spread the sect, their social position and their ability to politically influence statesmen are emphasised. Another state in which Ashʿarism was represented was the Hammādids founded in the Maghrib al-Awsat geography. It has been tried to follow the political and social events on the basis of which the Ash'arite accumulation developed in Qayrawan was carried to the region. While examining the journey of Ash'arism in the history of the Murābids, first of all, the validity of the political and ideological judgements that negatively portray the religious-sectarian situation of this period has been emphasised. The Murābids had an administrative structure in which Mālikī qāḍīs had a say in state administration. The effects of the unity of politics and judiciary on the acceptance of Ash'arism by the state in this period have been mentioned, and the steps that ensured the recognition of the sect in the public sphere have been discussed. Ash'arism was recognised in the Maghrib through certain texts. Through these works, which were written under the influence of prominent figures of Eastern Ash'arism , especially al-Bāqillanī and al-Juwaynī, a theological form of Ash'arism became influential in the region. In this direction, the main topics of theological Ash'arism such as knowledge, faith, understanding of the world, attributes, the hereafter and imāmah are analysed.