Abu al-Hudhayl al-'Allaf

Abû al-Hudhayl Muhammad ibn al-Hudhayl al-'Abdî, or Abu al-Hudhayl al-‘Allâf (752 CE – 841 CE), was an Mu'tazilite theologian and philosopher. He was one of the early Mu'tazila theologians in the development of Islamic rationalism. Abu al-Hudhayl was one of the philosophers who brought atomism into Islamic philosophy.^[1][2]

Abu al-Hudhayl al-'Allaf
Personal life
Born	c. 752 Basra
Died	c. 841 Samara
Era	Islamic Golden Age
Main interest(s)	Islamic theology, Islamic philosophy
Notable idea(s)	Islamic rationalism, Mu'tazila atomism, Five principle of Mu'tazila
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Mu'tazila
Muslim leader
Influenced by Wasil ibn Ata, Amr ibn Ubayd
Influenced Ibrahim an-Nazzam, Al-Jahiz, Al-Jubba'i, Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad, Abu al-Husayn al-Basri

Abu al-Hudhayl introduced the concept of atoms as the basis of material ontology. According to him, the universe consists of atoms created by Allah, and the movement is the result of changes in atoms. This theory became the foundation for the development of atomism philosophy in Early Islamic philosophy, especially in Mu'tazilism.^[3]