Athariyya

The Athariyya Sect, apparently, are among the Shi'ites who are opposed to Abu Hanifa and his school, which is based on analogy (Qiyas), and in order not to be persecuted by the Hanafis and Ahl al-Sunnah, they invoke the name of Satan instead of Abu Hanifa to subject him to insult and protest.

Beliefs

The Athariyya believe that every legal and religious matter concerning the Islamic community is fully stated in the Quran and also explained and specified in Prophetic traditions. Therefore, whatever is not stated in the verses and narrations does not need to be proven by analogy regarding another ruling, nor should one subject oneself to scrupulosity. Thus, we have no need for such a task and analogy which is rooted in Satanic thought, since the first person who established analogy was Iblis, upon whom the collar of curse remained. Because Iblis was created from Jinn and from fire, he considered the essence of fire as luminous and the absolute truth, and the mass of soil as dirty and dark, and arrogantly said that fire is better than soil, and a being created from fire is not obliged to prostrate to soil. Satan's scrupulosity and his analogy weighed heavily upon him and caused his expulsion from the presence of God Almighty, and the wings of his angelhood collapsed, and he was transformed, becoming terrestrial instead of celestial. God subjected Iblis to various trials until He finally revealed his inner self, because he sought to understand his own opinion and followed analogy; had he been obedient to God's command and obeyed His order, he would not have been distant from God's mercy. And thus we say that the Quran and the Report, meaning (Hadith), suffice for us, because in legal matters analogy has no place, and any ruling proven by analogy will be void.

See also

• Ahl al-Sunnah
• Hanafis
• Iblis
• Jinn

Sources

• Mohammad-Javad Meshkur, Culture of Islamic Sects, Mashhad, Astan Quds Razavi Publishing, 1372 SH, 2nd ed., Date of entry: n.d., Access date: 16 Dey 1404 SH.