Every Rose Has its Thorns: Abū Bakr al-Jassās al-Rāzī and the Influence of the Mu‘tazila By Muntasir Zaman The proverbial statement of Imām Mālik, “The opinion of every person is subject to acceptance and rejection except the occupant of this grave [i.e. the Messenger of Allāh, may peace and blessings be upon him]”[1] is important to bear in mind when appraising Muslim personalities. From its inception until the present day, the Hanafī school of jurisprudence enjoyed a galaxy of brilliant scholars, from the likes of al-Tahāwī [d. 321 AH] and al-Qudūrī [d. 428 AH] to the likes of Ibn Nujaym [d. 970 AH] and Ibn ‘Âbidīn [d. 1251 AH]. One of the greatest Hanafī scholars to have excelled in both the fields of Hadīth and Fiqh was the renowned author of Ahkām al-Qur’ān, Abū Bakr al-Jassās al...