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Kalām atomism (al-jawhar al-fard)

Ebü'l-Hüzeyl el-AllâfNazzâmBâkıllânî

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For everyone

Most theologians held that bodies consist of parts that cannot be divided further ("al-juzʾ alladhī lā yatajazzaʾ", "al-jawhar al-fard") and of qualities (accidents) inhering in them, both re-created by God at every moment. Kalām atomism was a metaphysical theory aimed at proving that the world was created, not an experimental physical theory. The Muʿtazilī al-Naẓẓām rejected atomism.

For specialists

The atoms of the Basran Muʿtazila are unextended or minimally extended units; motion is explained as atoms being re-created at successive positions (the "leap" debates). Accidents cannot endure for two instants, a principle supporting the doctrine of continuous creation. Dhanani's study examines the theory as a system distinct from Democritean atomism and original in its conception of geometry and space.

Claims

Positions

al-Naẓẓām
Bodies are divisible without end; there is no indivisible part.[3]

Connections

Sources

  1. BookDhanani, A. (1994). The Physical Theory of Kalām: Atoms, Space, and Void in Basrian Muʿtazilī Cosmology. E. J. Brill, Leiden
  2. EncyclopediaCevher. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.trarchive
  3. EncyclopediaNazzâm. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.trarchive

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APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Kalām atomism (al-jawhar al-fard). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/kelam-atomculugu/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_kelam_atomculugu,
  title        = {Kalām atomism (al-jawhar al-fard)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/kelam-atomculugu/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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