The emergence and development of the mutakallim school

This study covers three main stages of the development of the mutakalliman school in the methodology of Muslim law. The stage of origin and foundation: Imam ash-Shafiʼi laid the foundations of this school with his method in the book “ar-Risala”, proposing an approach based on deriving legal principles from Sharia texts in accordance with their linguistic meanings, with minimal use of logical arguments. At this stage, the foundation of the school began to form under the leadership of ash-Shafiʼi and other scholars such as Abu Bakr alBaqillani and Abdul-Jabbar ibn Ahmad al-Hamadani. Stage of Development and Maturity: Characterized by the establishment of legal principles for each madhhab and the emergence of comprehensive works covering various areas of the science of usul. The introduction of kalam and philosophical issues into the science of methodology, especially with scholars such as Qadi Abu Bakr al-Baqillani and Abdul-Jabbar ibn Ahmad alHamadani. This stage saw vigorous scientific activity and prosperity due to the support of the rulers and the emergence of outstanding scholars such as Qadi Abdul-Wahab, Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi and al-Ghazali. Stage of Decline and Weakening: Scientific activity suffered from political events and social catastrophes, leading to stagnation of science and ijtihad. This stage was characterized by a significant decline in the school of mutakallims, with scholars beginning to abridge previous books or re-comment on them without offering new ideas. Despite this, science continued to flourish in some regions thanks to the support of rulers and the construction of famous madrasas.