Between Decline and Survival: Muʿtazilism in Khwārazm from the 4th/10th to 8th/14th Century

This article investigates and contextualises the nature of the Muʿtazilite presence in Khwārazm from the 4th/10th to the 8th/14th century. It begins with an examination of the biography of Maḥmūd al-Ḍabbī (d. 507–508/1113–1115), preserved in MS no. 1932, Esad Efendi Collection, for which this article provides the editio princeps , and an English translation. The article identifies a tension between two competing narratives regarding the introduction of Muʿtazilism in Khwārazm, as reflected in different versions of the biography. It argues that the Muʿtazilite school had a strong presence in Khwārazm from the time of ʿAbd Al-Jabbār (d. 415/1025) through to al-Ḍabbī and beyond. It further seeks to contextualise the rise and fall of Muʿtazilism there, thus providing a more nuanced understanding of Khwārazm’s relationship to Muʿtazilism. It also identifies the figure responsible for transmitting Abū l-Ḥusayn al-Baṣrī’s (d. 436/1044) doctrine in Khwārazm at the end of the 5th/11th century.