Mu‘tezile’de Ma‘dûm Anlayışı: Ebû Reşîd En-Nîsâbûrî Örneğinde Bir İnceleme
The Concept of Ma‘dûm (i.e. Non-existent) in Mu‘tazila: A Review on Abū Rashīd āl-Nīsābūrī

Summary/Abstract: “Ma‘dûm” is a concept used to mean “non-existent”. Schools of Kalām have studied the nature of non-existent around the ma‘dûm concept. In this context, it was discussed what happened before the things exist. The movement that first started this de-bate in the Kalām was Mu‘tazila. According to Mu‘tazila, ma‘dûm is not absolute non-existent; in contrast, it is a “thing”. This view of Mu‘tazila was rejected by the Ashʿariyyah and Māturīdiyyah. Not only did the Ashʿariyyah and Māturīdiyyah scholars rejected the view of Mu‘tazila in this regard, but also formed their own view on the issue. According to this view, ma‘dûm is not a “thing”, in the contrast, it is absolute non-existent, in other words, it is nothing. Almost all of the Ahl-al-Sunna accepted this view. These two different approaches on ma‘dûm were the distinguishing qualities of both Mu‘tazila and Ahl-al-Sunna.It is possible to argue that both views, which contrasted each other, developed with certain concerns. The main concern of Ahl-al-Sunna, which advocates the view of “ma‘dûm is absolute non-existent”, is not to harm the idea that Allah is a single eternal entity. As a matter of fact, if ma‘dûm is accepted as a “thing” instead of absolute non-existent, it will be said that there is another entity that has existed with Allah since the eternity, which will damage the idea that Allah is the only eternal being. The main concern of Mu‘tazila, who advocated the view that “non-existent” is a “thing”, was to purify Allah’s knowledge from all kinds of flaws and deficiencies. As a matter of fact, if ma‘dûm is accepted as an absolute non-existent, not a “thing”, Allah will only know what he will create after he has created them, which will damage the idea that Allah has known everything perfectly since the eternity, and will undermine Allah’s omniscience attribute.The one that belongs to Ahl-al-Sunna from these two approaches about whether ma‘dûm is absolute non-existent or a “thing”, was discussed by many Sunni thinkers in detail. However, it is seen that the one that belongs to Mu‘tazila does not have adequate clarity. As a matter of fact, considering the works of their own scholars, it is understood that the ma‘dûm, which Mu‘tazila described as a “thing”, carries an epistemological nature, not an ontological nature. The position of this epistemological truth is considered as Allah’s eternal knowledge. In this case, both of the ideas of Al-lah knows everything with His knowledge, and that Allah is the only eternal being are not harmed. One of the thinkers who can be referred to on Mu‘tazila’s ma‘dûm understanding in the framework of their own resources is Abū Rashīd āl-Nīsābūrī, who conveyed the different approaches of Mu‘tazila about ma‘dûm, and then explained his opinion on this issue in detail in his book al-Masāʾil fi l-kḫilāf bayn al-baṣriyîn wal-baghdādiyîn (Ques-tions concerning the differences between the Baṣrah and Baghdad). There are two important points that come to the forefront in the non-existent view of Āl-Nīsābūrī. The first one is that ma‘dûm is considered as a “thing”, not an absolute non-existent; and the second is the claim that ma‘dûm has no physical entity, but that it has a presence in the mind. Over these two emphases, it can be speculated that two issues related to ma‘dûm are resolved. In this respect, it is stated that there is nothing that Allah does not know about in the eternity by saying that ma‘dûm is not absolute non-existent. With this acceptance, the knowledge of Allah is cleared of all kinds of deficiencies. When the idea that ma‘dûm is a mental entity, not a physical one is accepted, the idea that Allah does not have equal is not damaged. As a matter of fact, an entity in the form of knowledge is nothing other than Allah, but it is a being that is the requirement of Allah. Because Allah is the one who is All-Knowing.Āl-Nīsābūrī evaluated the ma‘dûm as a “thing” in terms of its being the substan-ce/essence, being known and being eternal. According to him, the substance should exist even in case of the non-existent of it. Since substance is substance in case of its non-existent, then it is ma‘dûm, i.e. an substance. Since there is nothing beyond the knowledge of Allah, ma‘dûm consists of the “known”. Being known requires being separated from other things with a clear attribute. Therefore, ma‘dûm is a “thing” with a distinct attribute. Since ma‘dûm is a “thing”, and since it is in the knowledge of Allah since the eternity, then it is also eternal.

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