Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī is considered to be an important Muslim theologian, who significantly contributed to the development of Ashʿarite teaching and its consolidation as one of the most influential schools of Sunni kalām. Kalām is a form of theology which – as opposed to scripture-based approaches – attempts to demonstrate its doctrinal claims by rational arguments and proofs. Al-Bāqillānī belonged to the third generation of Ashʿarites, and he studied with several disciples of the school’s founder. He broadened the conceptual framework (...) of Ashʿarite theology, specifically under the impact of his debates with his intellectual rivals from the Muʿtazilite school of kalām. (shrink)