Aḥmad Zarrūq and the Ashʻarite school

Ash'arite theology in and after the 7th/13 th century has received little attention in studies of Islamic theology and philosophy. Works like the commentary of the Moroccan ṣufi Aḥmad Zarruq (d. 899/1493) on the creed found in the Iḥya' 'ulum al-din of Abu Ḥadmid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) are unknown to historians of Sunni theology. A close analysis of the sources used by Zarruq in his commentary reveals a unique concern with mystical as well as theological subjects. As a result, Zarruq displays an anachronistic preference for early Ash'arite themes while also shying away from involved philosophical discussion which typifies later Ash'arite kalam. Nevertheless, Zarruq's commentary does demonstrate the challenges posed by the two drastically different faces of Ash'arism and how each individual scholar, based on his particular interests and concerns, chose to harmonize these discordant sources