The Founding Moment
The standard account: in al-Hasan al-Basri’s teaching circle in Basra, a question arose about the Muslim who commits a major sin (kabira) — murder, adultery, or another grave transgression. Is he a believer? A disbeliever? The Kharijites said: disbeliever, to be killed. The Murji’a said: believer, his status unchanged, to be left to God.
Wasil ibn Ata gave a third answer: neither believer nor disbeliever — but a fasiq (transgressor) in an intermediate state. Before al-Hasan could respond, Wasil walked to another pillar of the mosque and began teaching his own position.
Al-Hasan said: “He has withdrawn from us (i’tazala).” Amr ibn Ubayd joined Wasil, and the school now had two founders.
The Five Principles of the Mu’tazila
What Wasil and Amr built into the school’s platform:
- Al-Tawhid (divine unity): God cannot have multiple attributes that are ontologically distinct — attributes are not entities
- Al-‘Adl (divine justice): God cannot do what is unjust; evil cannot be attributed to God; human free will is necessary for divine justice to be meaningful
- Al-Wa’d wa’l-Wa’id (promise and threat): God’s promises and threats are real; no intercession can override the divine promise of punishment for the unrepentant
- Al-Manzila bayn al-Manzilatayn (intermediate position): the grave sinner is between faith and disbelief
- Al-Amr bi’l-Ma’ruf wa’l-Nahy ‘an al-Munkar (commanding good and forbidding wrong): obligatory political activism against injustice
His Personal Piety
Despite his theological liberalism (by classical standards), Amr ibn Ubayd was personally austere — refusing gifts, living simply, praying much. When Caliph al-Mansur offered him money, he refused. When the Caliph died, he reportedly wept, saying: “I have lost a man who kept secrets and understood.”
See also: Ilm Al Kalam, Seerah Al Hasan Al Basri, Ilm Al Aqida, Fiqh Al Wasatiyyah, Tasawwuf, Ilm Al Usul