Is Ash’ari Kalam Essential to Retaining Muslim Faith Today?
The claim that Muslims are losing their faith due to a lack of engagement with Ash’ari kalam deserves scrutiny. Setting aside my almost 20 years of experience (as of this writing) in Islamic apologetics, I encourage readers to consult other active apologists and inquire about the most common objections troubling the Muslim masses today. Alternatively, consider the data provided by Yaqeen Institute in their analysis of sources of doubt in Islam, which is available here.
You will find that ethical and moral concerns overwhelmingly dominate these objections. Even the “personal trauma” category identified in the Yaqeen study often ties back to broader issues of ethics and morality. Furthermore, criticisms of hadith authenticity are frequently rooted in modern ethical assumptions rather than pure academic skepticism.
For those familiar with the Ash’ari kalami stance on morality—namely, that moral values are entirely contingent on Allah’s arbitrary will—it becomes evident that this approach not only fails to address contemporary objections but can often exacerbate doubts. In fact, I have personally witnessed individuals being pushed further away from Islam by such reasoning. Moreover, I have yet to encounter any so-called Ash‘ari apologist consistently applying their school’s position on this issue in practice. The adherents of Ahlus Sunnah, who derive their theological principles directly from the Qur’an and Sunnah, offer responses to philosophical challenges such as Euthyphro’s dilemma,[1] the problem of evil,[2] and deism[3] that are notably more intellectually fulfilling. Their answers are deeply rooted in the systematic framework of their theological traditions.
When it comes to other common doubts, such as:
Alleged contradictions in the Qur’an and hadith,
Claims of plagiarism in the Qur’an,
Perceived conflicts between revelation and science,
these issues can often be addressed effectively by non-kalami approaches when engaging with the general public.
It is amusing to see the occasional social media post extolling the importance of Ash’ari kalam for modern apologetics. Aside from the limited benefits of the Kalam Cosmological Argument, I have yet to see kalam provide practical benefits in defending the faith at a grassroots level. On the contrary, one can readily list both its actual and potential harms in this context.
If one truly wants to defend the faith, he should focus on mastering sound logic, effective debate techniques, good manners, patience, and robust knowledge of the subject at hand. These qualities will make one a far more effective apologist. As for those who continually advocate for the necessity of Ash’ari kalam, challenge them to demonstrate its practical efficacy. Let them demonstrate their claims in practice by illustrating how their seemingly counter-intuitive beliefs concerning occasionalism, moral ontology, and overly complex cosmological arguments hold up under scrutiny. This will allow us to assess the persuasiveness and validity of their claims critically.
[1] See a practical example here: An Islamic Response to Euthyphro's Dilemma
[2] See a practical example in this lecture: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil
[3] For a practical example, especially see section 2.1 here: A Critique of Deism