Al-Gahiz et sa doctrine mu'tazilite

• Auteur / Autrice : Mohammed Haddou Echiguer
• Direction : Marc Bergé
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Études arabo-islamiques
• Date : Soutenance en 1986
• Etablissement(s) : Bordeaux 3

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

9e siècle

Islam -- Doctrines

Résumé

Al-gahiz, abu utman amr b. Bahr, celebre prosateur arabe, auteur d'ouvrages d'adab de theologie mutazilite et de polemique politico-religieuse, naquit a basra vers 160 776 et y mourut en muharram, 255 decembre 868 - janvier 869. A baghdad al-gahiz trouva une riche nourriture dans les multiples traductions du grec entreprises sous le califat d'al-mamun, et l'etude des philosophes de l'an- tiquite - d'aristote notamment - lui permit, a la fois, d'elargir son horizon et de mettre au point sa propre doctrine theologique qu'il avait commence d'elaborer sous la direction des grands mutazilites contemporains tels an-nazzam et tumama b. Asras qui parait avoir exerce sur lui une puissante influence (ei2, ii, al. Ajdahiz, 395, art. De ch. Pellat). Il est curieux de constater qu'abu utman est surtout apprecie comme ecrivain et non comme mutakallim mutazilite. Ceux qui se sont interesses a ses travaux, n'ont ete attires que par son adab. Nous avons pu reconstituer la doctrine mutazilite d'al-gahiz a travers ses propres ouvrages qui constituent, a defaut d'informations sures et suffisantes, une documentation de premiere main. Ces ouvrages qui ont echappe aux mains des ennemis des mutazila, a cause de leur caractere d'adab sont : kitab at-tarbi wa-t-taduir, kitab al-hayawan, kitab-al-bayan - wa-t-tabyin, kitab al-buhala et quelques epitres (rasa'il) se rapportant a notre sujet. - dans notre essai sur la doctrine mutazilite d'al gahiz, nous avons mis en relief tout ce qui le distinguait des mutazila en general et de ses maitres an-nazzam et tumama b. Asras en particulier. Cette approche nous semble englober dans l'etat ac- tuel des etudes gahiziennes le maximum de ce qui nous est accessible, dans le do- maine des theories et des opinions personnelles d'abu'utman. Al-gahiz avait un message mutazilite a transmettre a la posterite. Il l'a confie tres habilement au kitab al-hayawan.

Al-gahiz, abu utman amr b. Bahr, is a famous arab prose writer, author of several works of adab, mutazilit theology and politico-religious polemics. He was born in basra around 160 776 and died there in mouharram 255, december 868 january 869. In baghdad, al-gahiz found a rich cultural environment provided by numerous translations from the greek which were achieved under the califat al-mamun; moreover, the study of ancient philosophers, namely aristotle enabled him to widen his horizon and to come up with his own theological doctrine, which he had already started developing as a disciple of the great contemporary mutazilit such as an-nazzam and tumama b. Asras, who seems to have influenced him greatly (ei2 ii, al-djahiz, 395 art. De pellat). Oddly enough, abu utman is mostly valued as a writer, not a mutazilit mutakallim. Those who became interested in his work were attracted by his adab. We have been able to reconstruct al-gahiz mutazilit doctrine from his own writings, which are first hand documents, for lack of any reliable source of information these are works that have not been destroyed by the ennemy of the mutazilit, because they were perceived as works of adab. They are : kitab at-tarbi wa-t-taduir, kitab al hayawan, kitab al-bayan-wa-t-tabyin, kitab al-buhala, and few letters (rasail) that are relevant for our study. Our essay on al-gahiz mutazilit doctrine has brought out what distinguishes him from the mutazila in general, and in particular from his masters an-nazzam and tumama b. Asras. Given the state of the art in al-gahiz studies, this approach seems to cover most of what is available, as far as abu utman's theories and personal opinions are concerned. Al-gahiz had a mutazilit message to transmit to posterity, he did it very skilfully-to kitab al-hayawan.