The Historical Account
Whilst Imām ad-Dāraquṭnī (ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad ad-Dāraquṭnī, d. 385 AH / 995 CE) and his student, Abū Dharr al-Harawī (ʿAbd ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Harawī, d. 434 AH/1043 CE), were strolling through the marketplace, they encountered the renowned scholar, theologian, and logician Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn aṭ-Ṭayyib al-Bāqillānī (d. 403 AH/1013 CE), who was regarded as the leading authority of the Ashʿarī school in his time.
Al-Bāqillānī was an Ashʿarī scholar known for his firm and uncompromising stance against hypocrites, speculative intellectuals, rejectionist groups, Christians, and other external adversaries of Islam. He was distinguished by his mastery in debate and his ability to refute and dismantle the doubts and arguments of his opponents with clarity, precision, and intellectual rigour.
It has been reported that the Buwayhid ruler ʿAḍud ad-Dawlah dispatched al-Bāqillānī to Constantinople in 371 AH (981 CE) in order to engage in theological debate with its learned Christian scholars. When the Emperor of the Romans learned of al-Bāqillānī’s imminent arrival, he devised a scheme intended to humiliate him. He instructed his craftsmen to lower the height of the entrance, so that when al-Bāqillānī entered, he would be forced to bow and thus appear to prostrate himself before the Emperor and his entourage.
Al-Bāqillānī became aware of this plan. Instead of submitting to this intended humiliation, he turned his body backwards, knelt, and entered the doorway in reverse, walking backwards and directing his back towards the Emperor and his assembly.
Thereafter, Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī approached the senior cleric and asked:
كيف الأهل والأولاد
“How are your family and children?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
This question caused astonishment among those present and disrupted their conversations. They immediately made the sign of the cross over their faces and condemned his words. The Emperor was angered and exclaimed:
“Do you not know that senior clerics neither marry nor have children?”
Al-Bāqillānī replied:
“Allah is the Greatest! Your senior clerics are prohibited from marrying and bearing children, yet you ascribe to your Lord the marriage to Mary and the fathering of Jesus!”
This response only intensified the Emperor’s anger. He then said:
“Is this not similar to what ʿĀʾishah did?”
Abū Bakr replied:
“If ʿĀʾishah has been accused, then Mary has also been accused in a similar manner. Yet both are pure. ʿĀʾishah was married and did not bear children, while Mary gave birth without marriage. Who, then, was the first to be falsely accused? May Allah bless them both.”
The Emperor then asked:“Did your Prophet go to war?” Abū Bakr replied:“Yes.” He asked:“Did he fight at the forefront of the battle?” He replied, “Yes.” He asked:“Did he win?” He replied, “Yes.” He then asked:“Did he ever lose?” He replied, “Yes.” The Emperor exclaimed:“Amazing! He was a Prophet and yet he was defeated?” Abū Bakr responded:“And he is your Lord, yet he was crucified!”
The Emperor then asked:
هذا الذي تدعونه في معجزات نبيكم من انشقاق القمر كيف هو عندكم
“What do you say about the splitting of the moon, which you claim was a miracle of your Prophet ?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī replied:
هو صحيح عندنا، انشق القمر على عهد رسول الله حتى رأى الناس ذلك، وإنما رآه الحضور ومن اتفق نظره إليه في تلك الحال
“This is true according to us. The moon split during the time of our Prophet until people witnessed it. Only those who were present and those who happened to observe the event saw it.” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The Emperor asked:
وكيف ولم يره جميع الناس
“Why, then, did not all people see it?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
Abū Bakr replied:
لأن الناس لم يكونوا على أهبة ووعد لشقوقه وحضوره
“Because not all people were prepared to witness its splitting.” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The Emperor continued,
وهذا القمر بينكم وبينه نسبة قرابة؟ لأي شيء لم تعرفه الروم وغيرها من سائر الناس، وإنما رأيتموه أنتم خاصة
“Is there any special relationship between you and the moon? Why did the Romans and other nations not see it, while you did?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
Abū Bakr replied:
فهذه المائدة بينكم وبينها نسبة؟ وأنتم رأيتموها دون اليهود والمجوس والبراهمة وأهل الإلحاد، وخاصة يونان جيرانكم، فإنهم كلهم منكرون لهذا الشأن، وأنتم رأيتموها دون غيركم
“What about the ‘table’ which was sent down to Prophet ʿĪsā ؑ from the heavens? Is there any special relationship between you and that table? You have seen it, while the Jews, the Magians, the Brahmans, the atheists, and even your neighbours, the Greeks, deny it.” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The Emperor then called upon one of their leading priests to intervene. Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī later related:
“They brought a wolf-like man with blond hair. When he sat, I presented the issue to him. He said, ‘What the Muslim has said is correct. I know of no other answer.’ I then asked him, ‘What do you say about an eclipse? Is it seen by all people on earth, or only by those in the region where it occurs?’ He replied, ‘It is seen only by those in the region where it occurs.’ I said, ‘Then what do you deny about the splitting of the moon, since it may take place in a region where only its people can witness it, while those who turn away from it or are in places where the moon cannot be seen do not see it?’ He said, ‘It is as you have said. No one can deny this. The argument concerns the narrators who reported it; criticism from any other direction is unsound.’” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The Emperor then asked:
وكيف يطعن في النقلة
“How, then, are the narrators discredited?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The priest replied:
شبه هذا من الآيات إذا صح وجب أن ينقله الجم الغفير حتى يتصل بنا العلم الضروري به، ولما لم نعلم ذلك بالضرورة، دل على أن الخبر مفتعل باطل
“If such signs were true, they would be transmitted by a large group to another large group, until certain knowledge of them reached us. Since such necessary knowledge has not reached us, it indicates that the report is fabricated.” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
The Emperor then turned to me and said:
الجواب
“What is your answer?” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
I replied:
يلزمه في نزول المائدة ما يلزمني في انشقاق القمر، ويقال: لو كان نزول المائدة صحيحا لوجب أن ينقله العدد الكثير، فلا يبقى يهودي ولا نصراني ولا وثني إلا ويعلم هذا بالضرورة، ولما لم يعلموا ذلك بالضرورة دل أن الخبر مكذوب
“The same objection binds him regarding the descent of the ‘table’ as binds me regarding the splitting of the moon. It would be said to him: had the descent of the table been true, it would have been reported by a large number of people, and no Jew, Christian, or idolater would be ignorant of it. Since they do not possess necessary knowledge of it, it would imply that the report is fabricated.” Tartīb al-Madārik, as quoted in the introduction to Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (excerpt).
At this, the priest and the Emperor, as well as the entire gathering, were astonished, and the assembly concluded upon this decisive argument.
Nevertheless, he was an Ashʿarī. When Imām ad-Dāraquṭnī encountered Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī in the marketplace, he embraced him warmly, hugged him, and kissed his head. All the while, Abū Dharr al-Harawī, the student of ad-Dāraquṭnī, observed the scene attentively, reflecting upon what he had witnessed. After they had continued walking for a short distance through the market, Abū Dharr turned to his teacher and enquired about the man whom he had seen him embrace and kiss. Al-Dāraquṭnī replied:
“That was Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī, the man responsible for such-and-such, and the one who accomplished such-and-such.”
Imām adh-Dhahabī (Shams ad-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad adh-Dhahabī, d. 748 AH / 1348 CE) reported that Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī (Sulaymān ibn Khalaf al-Bājī, d. 474 AH / 1081 CE) said:
كنت ماشيا ببغداد مع الحافظ الدارقطني، فلقينا أبا بكر بن الطيب فالتزمه الشيخ أبو الحسن، وقبل وجهه وعينيه، فلما فارقناه، قلت له: من هذا الذي صنعت به ما لم أعتقد أنك تصنعه وأنت إمام وقتك؟ فقال: هذا إمام المسلمين، والذاب عن الدين، هذا القاضي أبو بكر محمد بن الطيب. قال أبو ذر: فمن ذلك الوقت تكررت إليه
“I was once walking in Baghdad with ad-Dāraquṭnī when we encountered the judge Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn aṭ-Ṭayyib. He embraced him and kissed his face and eyes. When we departed from him, I asked: ‘Who is this man whom you treated in a way I did not expect of you, when you are the leading scholar of your time?’ He replied: ‘This is the Imām of the Muslims and the defender of the religion, the judge Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn aṭ-Ṭayyib.’ From that time onwards, I repeatedly visited him.” Abū Dharr, reported by Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī, Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, 17:558 (excerpt).
This report illustrates the high esteem in which Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī was held by leading scholars of his era, and how their respect and recognition contributed to the scholarly orientation of those who observed them.
Imām adh-Dhahabī further stated:
هو الذي كان ببغداد يناظر عن السنة وطريقة الحديث بالجدل والبرهان، وبالحضرة رؤوس المعتزلة والرافضة والقدرية وألوان البدع، ولهم دولة وظهور بالدولة البويهية، وكان يرد على الكرامية، وينصر الحنابلة عليهم، وبينه وبين أهل الحديث عامر، وإن كانوا قد يختلفون في مسائل دقيقة، فلهذا عامله الدارقطني بالاحترام
“In Baghdad, al-Bāqillānī used to debate in defence of the Sunnah and the way of the people of ḥadīth through argument and demonstration, in the presence of the leaders of al-Muʿtazilah, ar-Rāfiḍah, al-Qadariyyah and other kinds of innovation, who had power and prominence under the Buwayhid state. He refuted al-Karrāmiyyah and supported the Ḥanbalīs against them. His relations with the people of ḥadīth were good, even though they differed over subtle matters. This is why ad-Dāraquṭnī treated him with respect.” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, biography of Abū Dharr (excerpt).
As time passed, Abū Dharr al-Harawī returned to his homeland carrying this esteem for al-Bāqillānī in his heart. He began to study the books of Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī and was profoundly influenced by his theological creed.
Al-Ḥasan ibn Baqī al-Mālaqī reported that it was once said to Abū Dharr:
أنت هروي فمن أين تمذهبت بمذهب مالك ورأي أبي الحسن
“You are from Herat. How did you come to adopt the madhhab of Imām Mālik and the creed of al-Ashʿarī?” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, biography of Abū Dharr (excerpt).
He replied:
قدمت بغداد
“I visited Baghdad,” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, biography of Abū Dharr (excerpt).
and he then mentioned an account similar to that previously narrated, concluding:
فاقتديت بمذهبه
“So I followed his creed.” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, biography of Abū Dharr (excerpt).
Subsequently, Abū Dharr al-Harawī moved to Mecca. Owing to his possession of highly regarded chains of Prophetic narrations, students of knowledge began to flock to him, particularly from North Africa. They would attend his gatherings in order to hear and study these chains. Indeed, the most authentic and strongest chain of transmission for Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, upon which Ibn Ḥajar relied in Fatḥ al-Bārī, is the chain of al-Harawī. Having adopted the creed of al-Bāqillānī, al-Harawī would impart it to those who came to him seeking ḥadīth. Thus, alongside the transmission of Prophetic narrations, students would also absorb his theological views. In this manner, he became a principal cause for the spread of the Ashʿarī creed from the East to the West, particularly through the students of North Africa who studied under him.
Ibn ʿAsākir (d. 571 AH / 1176 CE) stated:
“It was al-Harawī who transmitted the creed of al-Ashʿarī to the Ḥijāz. Abū Dharr adopted this methodology from al-Bāqillānī and introduced it into Mecca. It is said that he was the initiator of this creed there. The people of North Africa adopted it from him when they listened to Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī from him.”
Adh-Dhahabī further remarked:
وقبل ذلك كانت علماء المغرب لا يدخلون في الكلام، بل يتقنون الفقه أو الحديث أو العربية، ولا يخوضون في المعقولات
“The scholars of North Africa did not previously engage in rhetorical theology. Rather, they specialised in fiqh, ḥadīth, and the Arabic language.” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, biography of Abū Dharr (excerpt).
Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī (d. 1447 AH/2025 CE) stated:
“The narrator of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, the eminent authority in ḥadīth, Abū Dharr, was influenced by the praise of ad-Dāraquṭnī for al-Bāqillānī. This praise affected him to such an extent that he became ensnared in the Ashʿarī creed and became one of its callers. Because of him, the Ashʿarī creed spread throughout North Africa. The people of that region would come to him, visit him, and he would instil in them the Ashʿarī methodology, whereas previously they knew no methodology other than that of the Salaf. He introduced to them an evil tradition. The Prophet said: ‘Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to that of those who follow him, without their reward being diminished in any way. And whoever calls to misguidance will bear a burden of sin similar to that of those who follow him, without their sins being diminished in any way.’ (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2674) We ask Allah for protection.”
The Arabic of the Prophetic report cited here is:
مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى هُدًى كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لاَ يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا وَمَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلاَلَةٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الإِثْمِ مِثْلُ آثَامِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لاَ يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آثَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2674.
ʿAbd Allah al-Anṣārī (d. 481 AH / 1089 CE) said:
“I heard al-Ḥasan al-Makkī say: I heard my father say, ‘May Allah curse Abū Dharr, for he was the first to introduce rhetorical theology into Mecca and the first to spread it among the North Africans.’”
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar Bāzmul stated:
“The Ashʿarī creed spread from the East to the West through the students of knowledge from North Africa who studied with al-Harawī. The cause of al-Harawī’s deviation was a mistake committed by ad-Dāraquṭnī. At the very least, he should have clarified and said to him: ‘I kissed his head in appreciation of his efforts, but beware of his creed.’”
In conclusion, the presence of the Ashʿarī creed in North Africa resulted from the students who studied under al-Harawī in Mecca. Al-Harawī himself adopted this methodology due to what he observed from his teacher, ad-Dāraquṭnī. We ask Allah to forgive us and this great Imām.
References
Adh-Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām, reference 28/89.
Ibn ʿAsākir, ʿAbd Allah al-Anṣārī, Rabīʿ al-Madkhalī and Muḥammad Bāzmul:
ʿIyāḍ, Tartīb al-Madārik, embassy account quoted in Aḥmad Ṣaqr’s introduction to al-Bāqillānī, Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān. 2/210.
Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, 5/379, concerning al-Bāqillānī.
Muslim, Aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 2674; 4/2060.
Shams ad-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad adh-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, vol. 17, biography of Abū Dharr al-Harawī, pp. 554–563, especially pp. 557–559.
