The Jabariyah Flow in Islamic Theological Thought: History, Thought, and Its Implications for the Concept of Destiny

Abstract

The phenomenon of theological debate regarding the limits of human freedom and the absoluteness of God's will continues to move dynamically in the history of Islamic thought, where the Jabariyah school is present as a representation of a radical deterministic view. This study aims to comprehensively examine the history of the emergence, main thoughts, theological arguments, and the role of the main figures of the Jabariyah school in the conceptualization of the development of theology. The research method applied is a qualitative method through an in-depth library research approach by analyzing various valid classical and contemporary theological literature sources. The results of the study show that Jabariyah developed rapidly during the reign of the Umayyad Dynasty, pioneered by figures Ja'ad bin Dirham and Jahm bin Shafwan, with the central doctrine that all human existence and actions are completely determined by the destiny of Allah SWT without free choice. In conclusion, this extreme view reduces the basic concept of human endeavor, thus triggering widespread criticism from scholars because it is considered to negate human accountability for their sins. The implication is that the rigid understanding of Jabariyah has the potential to foster an attitude of resignation (fatalism) that hinders the social, intellectual, and productivity of Muslims to this day. Therefore, further research is recommended to examine the transformation of the Jabariyah movement's thinking in the modern era as well as the psychological implications of this fatalistic doctrine on the economic work ethic of contemporary Muslim society.