The Problem of Anthropomorphism in Abū l-Yusr al-Bazdawī

Abstract

The problem of anthropomorphism has been an important source of the conflict between traditionalism and rationalism in Islamic theology. Theologians have had to reconcile the anthropomorphic expressions about God in the Koran and hadiths with their conceptions of His unity (tawḥīd) and transcendence (tanzīh). The Māturīdite theologian Abū l-Yusr al-Bazdawī devoted several chapters of his Uṣūl al-dīn to dealing with the problem. He lays the mainly rational grounds for God’s incomparability and incorporeality before turning to the anthropomorphic expressions, some of which he interprets symbolically, and others simply accepts. He also refutes the later Karrāmite idea that God is “elevated,” which creates ambivalence in his position towards the Prophet’s Ascension. His negotiation between the traditionalist and rationalist approaches to the topic highlights the impact of his intellectual environment on his thought as well as the rise of Māturīdite theology in Transoxania.