Al-Qushayri’s Teleological Theology

Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri’s (d. 465/1072) theological oeuvres remain eclipsed by his celebrated achievements in Sufism, with prevailing scholarly assertions that he is a mere repeater of Ash'arite views and that his theology plays an apologetic role within al-Risalat al-Qushayriyya, anchoring its esoteric content to orthodoxy. Against this backdrop, the present study investigates al-Qushayri’s theology, in the light of intellectual developments in the fourth-fifth/tenth-eleventh centuries. His views are critically analysed on prominent epochal issues across his three most voluminous theological creeds, Luma' fi al-i'tiqad, al-Fusul fi al-usul and al-Risala. Key topics include God’s attributes; His relationship with man; and epistemological concerns. The thesis argues that al-Qushayri’s theology is, contrary to prevailing views, neither homogenous, nor entirely Ash'arite. It reveals that his variegated theology is shaped by teleological forces. Al-Luma' shows a traditionalist bent, whereas al-Fusul is distinctly semi-rationalist. In al-Risala, he lays the foundations of a mystical theology that governs the Sufi schema, whilst simultaneously delimiting the relevance of Ash'arite doctrines to the mere confines of the masses.