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) Mu'tazilah who remained discredited throughout the<br />
Umayyad rule gained a position of prominence and<br />
influence during the Abbasids era when Ma'mun (212H<br />
/827 CE) came to power and appointed them as judges within<br />
the state.<br />
At the behest of the Mu'tazilite theologians, who attributed<br />
themselves to Imam Abu Hanifa in jurisprudence, Ma'mun<br />
subjected the scholars, who opposed the Mu'tazili views, to<br />
severe persecution. This policy continued during the reign of the<br />
next two Abbasid rulers, al-Mu'tasim and al-Wathiq.<br />
c) Translation of numerous books on Greek Philosophy<br />
under the patronage of Ma'mun who was interested in having<br />
Aristotle's work translated.<br />
"He (Ma'mun) wrote to the Roman Emperor requesting him<br />
to send all of Aristotle's works available to him. The Emperor<br />
hesitated. He consulted his Christian scholars, who suggested,<br />
'The books on philosophy are under lock and key in our country,<br />
and none is allowed to read and teach them because they expel<br />
respect for religion from the people's heart. We must send these<br />
books to the Caliph of Islam so that the publicity of philosophy<br />
will dampen the religious spirit of the Muslims.' The Emperor<br />
had five camels loaded with these books and sent them to<br />
Mamoon Rasheed."<br />
Najeebabadi]<br />
These books were then translated by Christian<br />
scholars assigned by Mamoon.<br />
[end quote from History of Islam (vol.2) by Akbar Shah<br />
d) Mu'tazilah used 'Ilmul-Kalaam' to argue in defense of<br />
Islam,<br />
thus portraying themselves as defenders of the faith.<br />
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