Abu Mansur Maturidi

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Abu Mansur Al Maturidi
Born 853 A.D.
Maturid, Samarqand, Samanid Empire
Died 944 A.D. (333 A.H.)
Samarkand
Residence

Samarqand, Uzbekistan

Fields Theology, Qur'anic Exegesis, Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic Law

Muhammad Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (853944 AD) (Persian:
) was an Persian[1] Muslim theologian, and a scholar of Islamic
jurisprudence and Qur'anic exegesis. Al Maturidi is one of the pioneers[2] of Islamic
Jurisprudence scholars and his two works are considered to be authoritative on the
subject.[3] He had a "high standing" among the scholars of his time and region.[4]
Early life and education
He was born in Maturid near Samarkand, (possibly) in 853.[5] He was educated in
Islamic theology, Qur'anic exegesis, and Islamic jurisprudence. He was a Muslim
theologian and his background is claimed as Tajik.[1] The area of Samarkand was at
his time under the Samanid and its urban population were predominately Tajik while
the surrounding steppes was largely populated by Turkic-speaking people.[6]
His Teachers were Abu Nasr Ahmed b. Abbas b. Husayin al-Iyazi, Abu Bakr Ahmed b.
Ishak b. Salih el-Juzjani (writer from Al-Farq wat Tamyiz),Nusayr b. Yahya al-Balkhi
and Qadilqudat Muhammad b. Mukatil ar-Razi. Abu Nasr al-Iyazi was his teacher and
friend. Abu Bakr al-Juzjani was the pupil of Abu Sulayman Musa b. Sulayman elJuzjani, who was the pupil of Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad Ash-Shaybani.
Muhammad b. Mukatil did learn from Imam Muhammad as-Shaybani too.
Work
When al-Maturidi was growing up there was an emerging reaction[7] against some
schools within Islam, notably Mu'tazilis, Qarmati, and Shi'a. The Sunni scholars were
following Abu Hanifa. Al-Maturidi, with other two preeminent scholars,[8] wrote
especially on the creed of Islam and elaborated Abu Hanifa's doctrine, the other two
being Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari in Iraq, and Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahawi in Egypt.
[9]

While Al-Ash'ari and Al-Tahawi were Sunni together with Al-Maturidi, they
constructed their own theologies diverging slightly from Abu Hanifa's school. AlAsh'ari, enunciated that God creates the individual's power (qudra), will, and the
actual act[10] giving way to a fatalist school of theology, which was later put in a
consolidated form by Al Ghazali.[11] Al Maturidi, followed in Abu Hanifa's footsteps,
and presented the "notion that God was the creator of mans acts, although man
possessed his own capacity and will to act".[12] Al Maturidi and Al-Ash'ari also
separated from each other in the issue of the attributes of God,[13] as well as some
other minor issues.
Later, with the impact of Persianate states such as Great Seljuq Empire[14] and
Ottoman Empire,[15] Hanafi-Maturidi school spread to greater areas where the
Hanafi school of law is prevalent, such as Afghanistan, Central Asia, South Asia,
Balkan, Russia, China, Caucasus and Turkey.
Maturidi had immense knowledge of dualist beliefs (Sanawiyya) and of other old
Persian religions. His "Kitb al-tawhld" in this way has become a primary source for
modern researchers with its rich materials about Iranian Manicheanism (Mniyya), a
group of Brahmans (Barhima), and some controversial personalities such as Ibn alRawandi, Muhammad al Warraq, and Muhammad b. Shabib.[16][17]
Writings
Kitab Al Tawhid ('Book of Monotheism')
Kitab Radd Awa'il al-Adilla, a refutation of a Mu'tazili book
Radd al-Tahdhib fi al-Jadal, another refutation of a Mu'tazili book
Kitab Bayan Awham al-Mu'tazila ('Book of Exposition of the Errors of Mu'tazila)
Kitab Ta'wilat al-Qur'an ('Book of the Interpretations of the Quran')
Kitab al-Maqalat
Ma'akhidh al-Shara'i' in Usul al-Fiqh
Al-Jadal fi Usul al-Fiqh
Radd al-Usul al-Khamsa, a refutation of Abu Muhammad al-Bahili's exposition of the
Five Principles of the Mu'tazila
Radd al-Imama, a refutation of the Shi'i conception of the office of Imam;
Al-Radd 'ala Usul al-Qaramita

Radd Wa'id al-Fussaq, a refutation of the Mu'tazili doctrine that all grave sinners will
be eternally in hell fire.
Maturidi
Beliefs
Monotheism Prophethood / Messengership Holy books Angels Judgement Day
Predestination
Five Pillars
Declaration of Faith Prayer Charity Fasting Pilgrimage
Rightly-Guided Caliphs
Abu Bakr Umar ibn al-Khattab Uthman ibn Affan Ali ibn Abi Talib
Schools of Law
Hanafi Maliki Shafi'i Hanbali hir
Extinct
Awza'i Laythi Thawri Jariri
Schools of theology
Maturidi Ash'ari Athari
Political movements
Ahl al-Hadith Barelvi Deobandi Salafism
Hadith collections
Kutub al-Sittah Sahih al-Bukhari Sahih Muslim Al-Sunan al-Sughra Sunan Abu
Dawood Sunan al-Tirmidhi Sunan ibn Majah
In Islam, a Maturidi (Arabic: )is one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidi's
systematic theology, which is close to the Ash'ari theology (Aqidah). The term also
denominates the School of Kalaam, or systematic theology, of those who follow AlMaturidi's theology. In this article, the term "Maturidis" will refer to the adherents of
this School. The Atharis, Maturidis and Ash'aris are the three principal schools of
systematic theology that are recognized by Sunni Islam.
Points about which the Maturidis differ from the Ash'aris are, among others, the
nature of belief and the place of human reason. The Maturidis state that iman (faith)
does not increase nor decrease, but remains static; it is rather taqwa (piety) which

increases and decreases. The Ash'aris and Atharis both say that belief does in fact
increase and decrease.
Regarding the increased emphasis placed on the role of human reason, the
Maturidis say that the unaided human mind is able to find out that the more major
sins such as alcohol or murder are immoral and evil without the aid of revelation.
The Ash'aris disagree, and conclude that the unaided human mind is unable to
determine if something is good or evil, lawful or unlawful, moral or immoral, without
the direct aid of divine revelation. Another point where Ash'aris and Maturidis differ
regarding the role of human reason is divine amnesty for certain non-Muslims in the
afterlife. The Ash'ari view as explained by al-Ghazali says that a non-Muslim who
was unreached by the message of Islam, or was reached by it in a distorted fashion,
is not responsible for this in the afterlife. The Maturidi view states that the existence
of God is so evident and rationally discernible, that every human being who has
intellect and the ability to think (thus excluding children and the mentally ill and
disabled) and was unreached by the message of Islam and does not believe in God
will end up in hell, and divine amnesty is only available to those non-Muslims who
believed in God and were unreached by the message.
Both the Ash'aris and Maturidis follow occasionalism, a philosophy which refutes the
basis for causality, but also proves the existence and nature of the Islamic belief of
the tawhid (oneness of God) through formal logic.
This theology is popular where the Hanafi school of law is followed, particularly the
lands of the former Ottoman and Mughal empires, viz. in Turkey, the Balkans, the
Caucasus, the Levant, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.