A Revision of Hisham ibn Salim al-Jawaliqi’s Monotheistic Thought

Hishām ibn Sālim was a prominent Shiite theologian in 8th (2nd AH) century. He created one of the two intellectual currents of the time along with Hishām ibn al-Ḥakam. He grew in the Theological School of Kufa, leaving a precious heritage in Shiite kalam. A variety of theological views are ascribed to him, one of the most controversial among which is his monotheistic view, which led to accusations of divine corporeality (tajsīm) and divine anthropomorphism (tashbīh) against him. Writers of sects, including al-Ash‘arī, referred to him as a theorist of divine corporeality and anthropomorphism. In his Maqalat al-Islamiyyin, al-Ash‘ari counts him as an anthropomorphist. His scholarly heritage, however, presents us with a different picture of his monotheist view, involving the belief in God’s oneness. In his theorization, nevertheless, because of the freshness of the science of kalam, he deployed terminologies that might imply divine corporeality and anthropomorphism. These were corrected when he presented his views to Imam al-Ṣādiq.