Thumama ibn Ashras

Thumama ibn Ashras, a theologian who was a boon-companion of al-Ma'mun. al-Mas'udi reports that a question of jurisprudence arose between him and Yahya ibn Aktham. He said of the Companions of the Messenger of God ﷺ that they had all erred and overlooked the point of the inference, and Yahya was appalled at his words ².

Ibn al-Nadim calls him Abu Bishr Thumama ibn al-Ashras al-Numayri, and counts him among the leading Mu'tazilite theologians and an eloquent secretary ³.

He reports that he reached a high rank with al-Ma'mun, and that al-Ma'mun wanted to make him vizier, but he declined, and advised him to appoint Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid ³.

He also reports that before al-Ma'mun he had been with al-Rashid, and that al-Rashid imprisoned him when he turned against the Barmakids, because of his closeness to them. In one report, al-Ma'mun asked him why he stood up for Abu al-Hudhayl but did not stand up for Tahir ibn al-Husayn, and he replied that Abu al-Hudhayl had been his master for thirty years ³.