Wasil ibn Ata

Wasil ibn Ata (699–748), also known as al-Ghazzal, was a Muslim theologian and jurist. He is considered to be the founder of the Mu'tazilite school of Aqidah and Kalam.

Biography Born in 699 in the Arabian Peninsula, he initially studied under Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, the grandson of Ali. Later, Wasil would travel to Basra in Iraq to study under Hasan of Basra (one of the tabi'in). In Basra, he began to develop the ideologies that would lead to the Muʿtazilite school. He married Amr ibn Ubayd's sister.

Wasil's thoughts and solutions stem from the conflicts experienced by many scholars in resolving theological and political problems. His main contribution to the Muʿtazilite school was planting the seeds for the formation of its doctrine. He died in 748 in the Arabian Peninsula.