🌿 The KIRĀMĪYAH (كرامية‎): Unraveling the Controversial Islamic Sect

🌿 The KIRĀMĪYAH (كرامية‎) Sect: Unraveling a Controversial Belief System

Comprehensive Definition

The KIRĀMĪYAH, alternatively known as Mujassīyah or Corporealists, is a historical sect within Islam founded by Muḥammad ibn Karīm. This group is characterized by its belief in the corporeality of God, interpreting Qur’anic verses and hadiths in a literal sense that attributes physical qualities and forms to the Divine.

Etymology and Background

The term “Kirāmīyah” originates from the name of its founder, Muḥammad ibn Karīm. The label “Mujassīyah,” derived from the Arabic word “jism” (جسم), meaning “body,” highlights their controversial doctrine that God possesses a physical form or attributes akin to those of created beings.

Beliefs and Teachings

Kirāmīyah teachings go beyond metaphorical interpretations of the Qur’anic descriptions of Allah. Some of their notable beliefs included:

• God is corporeal and can have physical characteristics.
• Different opinions varied on whether God’s corporeal form was finite and measurable.
• Some extremists within the sect suggested that God could be ascribed human-like features, such as flesh, blood, and body parts (hands, feet, etc.).
• Scriptures like Sūrahs xl. 10, xx. 4, and ii. 109 are taken literally to affirm God’s physical actions.

Cultural Differences and Similarities

Cultural Differences:

• Mainstream Islamic theology emphasizes God’s transcendence and non-corporeality, aligning with the majority school’s interpretation rooted in Tawhid (the oneness of God).
• Kirāmīyah was generally viewed as heretical compared to dominant Islamic sects, such as Ash’arism and Maturidism, which maintained God’s absolute transcendence.

Cultural Similarities:

• The Kirāmīyah, much like other Islamic sects, aimed to understand God’s nature based on scriptural sources.
• Their theological controversies echo historical debates found in various major religious traditions, such as Christianity (e.g., the nature of Christ).

Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms:

• Mujassīyah (مجسّية): “Corporealists” referring directly to their belief in God’s corporeality.
• Anthropomorphists: People who attribute human forms or traits to the Divine.

Antonyms:

• Transcendentalists: Those who assert God’s non-corporeal and incomprehensible nature.
• Anti-Corporealists: Denying any physical form or anthropomorphic characteristics to God.

Related Terms with Definitions

• Tawhid (توحيد): The fundamental concept in Islam denoting the oneness and uniqueness of God.
• Anthropomorphism: Ascribing human characteristics to non-human entities or deities.
• Ash’arism: A theological school within Sunni Islam emphasizing God’s transcendence and avoiding anthropomorphic descriptions.

Exciting Facts

• The Kirāmīyah movement garnered significant followers during its inception but eventually was marginalized and viewed with suspicion by mainstream Islamic authorities.
• The sect also incorporated ideas from Jewish traditions, sparking allegations of syncretism.

Quotations from Notable Writers

George Sale:

“These most blasphemous and monstrous notions were the consequence of the literal acceptation of those passages in the Koran…this sect are charged with fathering on their Prophet a great number of spurious and forged traditions to support their opinion.”

References and Suggestions for Further Studies

• Primary Sources:

  • Holy Qur’an, particularly Sūrāhs involving descriptions of God’s actions and attributes.
  • Traditional Hadith collections featuring Prophet Muḥammad’s sayings.

• Secondary Literature:

  • “The Theology of al-Ash‘arī” by Richard J. McCarthy.
  • “The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology” edited by Tim Winter.
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica and various Islamic scholarly publications detailing historical sects and movements.

Farewell thought:

“May our quest for understanding be guided by wisdom and compassion, discovering the divine truths that connect us all.”

— Samiha Al-Tayeb, 2023