Harith al-Muhasibi

Al-Muḥāsibī (781–857 CE) was a Muslim Arab, theologian, philosopher and ascetic. He is considered to be the founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy which combined Kalam and Sufism, and a teacher of the Sufi masters Junayd al-Baghdadi and Sirri Saqti.

His full name is Abu Abdullah Harith bin Asad bin Abdullah al-Anizi al-Basri, and he hailed from the Arab Anazzah tribe. He was born in Basra in about 781. Muhasibi means self-inspection or audit. He was a founder of what later became the mainstream Sufi doctrine, and influenced many subsequent theologians, such as al-Ghazali.

The author of approximately 200 works, he wrote about theology and Tasawwuf (Sufism), among them Kitab al-Khalwa and Kitab al-Ri`aya li-huquq Allah ("Obeying God's Permits").

Life Al-Muhasibi was born in Basra, and his parents later moved to Baghdad, which had become the Abbasid capital. His father accumulated considerable wealth, which al-Muhasibi is reported to have rejected due to theological disagreements concerning his father’s views on the createdness of the Qur'an. Despite this background, al-Muhasibi adopted an ascetic lifestyle and was influenced by the teachings of al-Hasan al-Basri.

Al-Muhasibi wrote extensively on ethical self-discipline and spiritual introspection. He addressed contemporary Sufi practices such as wearing woolen garments, night recitation of the Qur'an, and dietary restraint, arguing that while such practices could aid in controlling the passions, they could also foster hypocrisy or pride if they became outward displays of piety rather than expressions of inner reform. He emphasised the importance of continual self-examination in preparation for the Day of Judgement as a means of purifying the inner self.

He studied jurisprudence under al-Shafi'i before later associating with a group of theologians led by Abdullah ibn Kullāb. This circle opposed the doctrines of the Jahmis, Mu'tazilis, and anthropomorphist theologians. Ibn Kullab argued against the Mu'tazilite position that the Qur'an was created, introducing a distinction between God’s eternal speech and its temporal expression.

In 848 (or possibly 851), the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil formally ended the Mihna, the inquisition enforcing Mu'tazilite doctrine, and subsequently prohibited Mu'tazilite theology.

In his work al-Khalwa, al-Muhasibi discussed the themes of fear and hope, advocating renunciation of worldly attachment as a prerequisite for spiritual discipline: Know that the first thing that corrects you and helps you correct others is renouncing this world. For renunciation is attained by realisation, and consideration is attained by reflection...