The Islamic al-Maghrib was upon the madhhab (way) of the Salaf (first three generations of Muslims) with regards to their belief in the apparent meaning of the texts as well as (their understanding of) Allāh’s Attributes, which are in those texts without any distortion of them (making taʾwīl[2]) or changing their linguistic connotation. At the same time, they disregarded any possibility of resemblance between Allāh, His Exalted Self, and the attributes of the creation. This was their belief concerning the attribute of Allāh’s Face, His two Hands, His descending, His approaching, His laughing and other attributes that describe Allāh, the Most High in the Book and the Sunnah. Consequently, they understood these texts in light of their apparent meanings and did not distort their meanings by explaining them to mean His Power or His Self. They were upon this methodology so as to not mislead or concoct a meaning that betrays the texts, which describe Him with these attributes. Rather, they believed that Allāh is far removed from any imperfection or deficiency and that He does not resemble the creation, which came into existence after having not existed.

The situation remained as such until the time of Ibn Tūmart and his return from travelling to the lands of the East. Upon his return, he worked to change the people from the madhhab of the Salaf to the Ashʿarī creed.

Several scholars from the lands of the East and the Maghrib have covered this matter in their research endeavors and studies. This, as well as covering the persona of Ibn Tūmart and his major role in converting the people of al-Maghrib to the methodologies of the Mutakallimīn (the people of rhetorical and analogous argumentation) and becoming from the Ashʿarīs with regards to the subject matters of belief.[3]

 

[1] The region of al-Maghrib is referred to in Arabic as al–Maghrib al- ʿArabī and historically comprised the countries of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania.

[2] Taʾwīl is the distortion of the texts by giving a word another meaning with no proof that the apparent, literal meaning was not intended. Misguided groups like the Ashʿarī distort the Attributes of Allāh by falsely claiming that the apparent, evident meaning was not intended as this necessitates drawing a similitude between Allāh and His creation. However, this is not the case as Allāh mentions in al-Qurʾān {Nothing resembles Allāh and He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing}. In this verse, Allāh has negated any likeness to Him, and then affirms that He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing despite the fact that from His creation are those who hear and see, which denotes that affirming these attributes for Allāh does not necessitate drawing similitudes between Allāh and His creation. Rather, Allāh’s Attributes are in a manner suitable and befitting to His Greatness and are perfect and complete. Whereas these attributes, despite having similar linguistic meanings, when used to describe the creation are in a manner suitable to their deficiencies and incompleteness.

[3] Juhūd ʿUlamā ʾal-Maghrib fī al-Difā ʿi ʿan ʿAqīdati Ahli al-Sunnah, (pg.245)