Abd al-Jabbar al-Hamadhani

Abd al-Jabbar al-Hamadhani was a Mu'tazili theologian and a Shafi'i in law, known as Abu l-Hasan. He was born about 325 and was called to Rayy in 367/978 by Ibn 'Abbad, the powerful ruler of that region. He was appointed chief qadi of the province, which is why later Mu'tazili writers call him qadi al-qudat. He died in 415/1025. ¹

After Ibn 'Abbad died, the ruler Fakhr al-Dawla deposed and arrested him for a slighting remark about his late patron. The record does not say whether he was restored to office. ²

His main dogmatic work, al-Mughni, survives in large part, in manuscripts in San'a and some volumes in Cairo. His pupil Ibn Mattawayh compiled a handbook of his dogmatics, al-Muhit bi-l-Taklif. His monograph on prophecy, Tathbit Dala'il Nubuwwat Sayyidina Muhammad, discusses the views of other schools, especially the Shi'a. He also wrote a commentary on the Usul al-Khamsa. Much of what is known of his system comes from later Zaydi writers in Yemen, who preserved his books and quoted his opinions. The entry calls him the chief figure of the last phase of Mu'tazilism and says his teaching has not yet been studied. ³