DEVELOPMENT OF ASH‘ARITE THEOLOGY IN THE NORTH AFRICA: THE SHAPING OF RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL UNITY OF THE REGION

Abstract

Understanding the socio-cultural identity of contemporary North Africa (Maghreb) and the
background of much of its political development should not be held away from its religious,
theological and juristic history. The reason being that neglect of the religious history of the
region only obscures our vision of the real driving forces shaping much of today‟s religious and
cultural progress in the Maghreb. This study examines the historical stages and characteristics of
the Ash„arite intellectual development in the Maghreb while exploring factors contributing to the
shaping of its intellectual unity. The scope of this inquiry is to examine the historical and
intellectual evolution of Asharism in the Maghreb; some of its profound implications on society,
religious instruction, and eventually the political history of the region will also be inspected. This
research touches on fundamental evolutionary stages in the formation and consolidation of
Ash„arism in the Maghreb, each of which exerts socio-political implications on the region while
also reflecting the intellectual, political and cultural interaction with the Muslim East. This
research is instrumental to the understanding of the efforts made by respective governments in
the Maghreb to strengthen Ash„arism to preserve viable and sustainable unity between Muslims
in the region.