The Investigation of Convergence and Divergence of Ash'arids and Hanbalids in Saljuqid era in Baqdad (429-465 after hijrah)

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

Ash’arids and Hanbalids are both considered as Sunnite groups. Before Saljuqids gained power, Hanbalids were the most powerful and populated religious groups in the social and political arena of Baqdad community. Through Saljuqids' gaining power and the curse of Ash'arids by the order of Toqrol in 455 (after hijrah), a great number of Ash'arid scholars such as Joveini and Qoshairi migrated to Iraq and Hijaz, and this very factor affected on the propagation of Ash'arid religion in Baqdad.  In the first phase of Saljuqid government (429-465 after hijrah), there existed a kind of convergent interaction among Ash'arids, Hanbalids and Mo'tazilah in field of jurisprudent and theological sciences, and defending from caliphate and strengthening its bases were the main concern of Ash'arid and Hanbalid theoreticians. Meanwhile, Ash'arid scholars were more motive, and in spite of the existence of ideological and theological commonalities between these two groups, it occurred some disputes in the social arena between them. According to this hypothesis that some ideological and theological issues and disagreements was the major reason of disputes between Ash'arids and Hanbalids and the political interference of Abbasid caliphates and Saljuqid sultans along with the political disagreements among them was not the cause of these disputes,  this article is to investigate and clarify the relationship and convergent and divergent interactions between these two groups in time of the presence of Saljuqids in Baqdad (429-465 after hijrah).

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