The Criticisms of the Mu'tazilite Ibn Abi'l-Hadid Towards Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (knowledge and existence)

Ibn Abi'l-Hadid, a scholar of the late Baghdad Mu'tazila (7th century AH), played a significant role in preserving and developing Mu'tazilite thought in his era, as evidenced by his works in theology and logic. On the other hand, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi reinterpreted the Ash'arite theology inherited from his predecessors, particularly after Ghazali, and sought to apply the method of verification (tahqiq) between theology (kalam) and philosophy. In this context, Razi's works can broadly be classified into theological, philosophical, and theological-philosophical categories. This study focuses on the critique of al-Razi's new theological approach, particularly as presented in his work al-Muhassal, by Ibn Abi'l-Hadid. However, Ibn Abi'l-Hadid's criticisms are not limited to al-Muhassal. He also authored critical texts on Razi's Arba'in (e.g., al-Ta'liq 'ala al-Arba'in/Nakz al-Arba'in) and on Razi's al-Mahsul (e.g., al-Ta'liq 'ala al-Mahsul/Nakz al-Mahsul), which addresses principles of Islamic jurisprudence. Thus, it is evident that Ibn Abi'l-Hadid was a meticulous critic of al-Razi. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid's critiques of al-Razi's methodology can be grouped under several headings. According to him, Razi's integration of theology and philosophy, his tendency toward classification rather than verification, his production of doubts without addressing them, his lack of full mastery of Mu'tazilite literature, and his excessive use of logic in theological texts are key methodological flaws. Additionally, Ibn Abi'l-Hadid asserts that Razi's positions in al-Muhassal align more with those of Husayni (Abu'l-Husayn al-Basri) than with Ash'arism, listing 26 instances where Razi adopted Abu'l-Husayn's views. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid refers to these issues while critiquing the topics covered in al-Muhassal. This study, focusing on epistemology and ontology, examines Razi's concepts of tasawwur (conceptualization) and tasdiq (assent), his method of reasoning and inference (nazar and istidlal), and his classification of existents. It also evaluates the assumptions underlying his approach through the lens of Ibn Abi'l-Hadid's critiques. Additionally, this research includes an edited critical edition (tahqiq) of al-Muhassal based on two manuscript copies, aiming to shed light on the text and provide readers with the means to verify and test the claims and discussions presented in the thesis.