Did the Mu’tazilites Deny the Punishment of the Grave?
Below is a translation of a section from Dr. Sultan al-Umayri’s article, ʿAdhāb al-Qabr wa-Naʿīmuhu: “Ithbātun wa-Raddun li-sh-Shubuhāt”.
It is often attributed to the Muʿtazilites as a whole that they deny the punishment of the grave. However, the correct view is that the Muʿtazilites unanimously affirmed the punishment and bliss of the grave, and only a few of them denied it. Al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār states:
فصل في عذاب القبر، وجملة ذلك أنه لا خلاف فيه بين الأمة، إلا شيء يُنقل عن ضرار بن عمرو، وكان من أصحاب المعتزلة، ثم التحق بالْمُجَبِّرة، ولهذا ترى ابن الراوندي يُشنع علينا، ويقول: إن المعتزلة ينكرون عذاب القبر، ولا يُقِرون به
“A section on the punishment of the grave: in sum, there is no disagreement on this matter among the ummah, except for a view attributed to Ḍirār ibn ʿAmr. He was among the companions of the Muʿtazilites but later joined the Mujabbirah. For this reason, Ibn al-Rāwandī maligns us and says: ‘The Muʿtazilites deny the punishment of the grave and do not acknowledge it.’”[1]
Al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār then proceeds to present evidence for the punishment and bliss of the grave. Abū ʿAlī al-Jubbāʾī—one of the leading Muʿtazilite authorities—stated:
سألت الشحام ـ وهو أيضًا أحد أئمة المعتزلة ـ عن عذاب القبر فقال: ما منا من أحد ينكره، وإنما يحكى ذلك عن ضرار
“I asked al-Shaḥḥām—who is also one of the prominent Muʿtazilite scholars—about the punishment of the grave, and he said: ‘None among us denies it; rather, this is only attributed to Ḍirār.’”[2]
One might find this statement problematic in light of Al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār’s assertion:
أنكر مشايخنا عذاب القبر في كل حال؛ لأن الأخبار واردة بذلك في الجملة، فالذي يقال به هو قدر ما تقتضيه الأخبار دون ما زاد عليها، ولذلك لا يُوَقت في ذلك التعذيب وقتًا، وإن كان الأقرب في الأخبار أنها الأوقات المقاربة للدفن، وإن كنا لا نُعَيِّن ذلك
“Our senior scholars denied the punishment of the grave in all circumstances because the reports regarding it are general in nature. Thus, what is to be affirmed is only that which the reports necessitate, without any additions. For this reason, no specific time is set for this punishment, even though the reports most likely indicate that it occurs in the periods close to burial—though we do not specify this definitively.”[3]
The response to this is that this statement does not pertain to the very principle of the punishment itself but rather to its timing. Some researchers have misunderstood this passage and assumed that Al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār attributes the denial of the punishment of the grave to most Muʿtazilites, but this is not the case. He is not discussing the fundamental reality or occurrence of the punishment of the grave; rather, he is addressing its timing.
The Muʿtazilites differed on this issue in more than three opinions, as reported by al-Jushamī—one of their leading scholars. Their debate revolved around whether the punishment occurs immediately after burial, whether there is a delay, whether it takes place shortly before the Day of Judgment, or other similar views.
Recommended Reading:
Does the Belief of “Punishment of the Grave” Contradict the Qur’an?
[1] Sharḥ al-Uṣūl al-Khamsah (p. 730).
[2] Ṭabaqāt al-Muʿtazilah, Ibn al-Murtaḍā (p. 72).
[3] Faḍl al-Iʿtizāl, by ʿAbd al-Jabbār (p. 202).