Maturidism

Founder

The founder of maturide is Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, whose full name is Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmoud al-Maturidi al-Samarkandi . He was born in the Samarkand Mahalla Maturid. The exact date of birth of al-Maturidi is unknown, there are also no reports of his teachers and mentors, only a few mention some of her sheikhs , like Nasir or Nasr ibn Yahi al-Balkhi and Muhammad ibn Mukatil ar-Razi. Maturidites call al-Maturidi the “Imam of the Mutakallims” ( Imam al-Mutaclemin ) ^[2] .

Al-Maturidi was a contemporary of another famous Mutakallim theologian - Abu-l-Hasan al-Ashari . His ideas were largely in contact with the ideas of al-Ashari, but there are no reliable reports of their meetings or correspondence ^[2] .

Early Formation Period (994–1100)

After the death of al-Maturidi, his students and followers in Samarkand began to engage in the development of his ideas and doctrines. They wrote the main treatises of the Maturidites, as well as works on the fundamentals of fiqh of the Hanafi madhhab (most of the Maturidites are Hanafi ). It was here, in Central Asia , that maturide gained the most serious distribution and became the official school of philosophy of local religious figures and theologians ^[2] .

The most famous maturides of this period are: Abu al-Qasim Ishak ibn Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Khakim al-Samarkandi, known as Abul-Qasim al-Hakim (died 342 AH / 953 year), and Abu Muhammad Abd al-Karim ibn Musa ibn Isa al-Bazdawi (died 390 AH / 999) ^[2] .

Also worth mentioning is Abu al-Yusra al-Bazdawi (Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hussein ibn Abd al-Karim; 1039-1099), known as al-Qadi al-Sadr , who was the sheikh of the Hanafis after his elder brother Ali al-Bazdawi (born in 1039). He studied with his father, who studied with his grandfather Abd al-Karim al-Bazdawi, who was a student of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. His disciples were: his son Abu al-Maani Ahmad, Najm ad-Din Umar ibn Muhammad an-Nasafi (author of al-Aqaid an-Nasafiya , 1068–1142) and others ^[2] .

Period of final formation (1100–1300).

This period was marked by the fact that Maturide convictions were fully formed, a large number of theological works were written by the followers of al-Maturidi, examining in detail the beliefs of this school of philosophy ^[2] .

The brightest representatives of that time:

• Abu-Mo'ayan en-Nasafi (1046–1115), full name: Maimun ibn Muhammad ibn Mutamid an-Nasafi al-Makhuli . Nisba "an-Nasafi" due to the fact that he was born in the city of Nasaf , which is located between the Amu Darya and Samarkand. Abu-Muayyan is considered the greatest maturide theologian, but there is no information about his mentors and sheikhs. As Dr. Fathullah Khalif says, Abu-l-Muayan an-Nasafi occupies the same position among the Mathurids as al-Ghazali and al-Bakilani among the Asharites. He is the author of the book Tabsirat al-Adilla , which is considered to be the best book about the Maturide madhhab after the Book of Monotheism by al-Maturidi himself, and Bahr al-Qalam , in which he examines various philosophical questions. He died on May 22, 1115 (25 sul-hija, 508 AH ) at the age of 70 ^[2] .

• Najmuddin Umar al-Nasafi (1069–1142), full name: Abu Hafs Nadj ad-Din Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Akhmad Ismayl al-Nasafi al-Hanafi al-Samarkandi . He studied with more than five hundred sheikhs; He was a student of Abu al-Yusrah al-Bazdawi and Abdullah ibn Ali ibn Isa al-Nasafi. Najm ad-Din al-Nasafi is the author of about a hundred different works, among them the book Majma al-ulum , at-Taysir fi tafsir al-Quran , an-Najah fi sharh kitab Akhbar al-Sihah (explained to Sahihu al-Bukhari ), al-Aqaid an-Nasafiya (one of the most important tracts of Maturidi, is an abridged version of the book of Abul-Muayyana an-Nasafi Tabsirat al-Adilliah ). Najm ad-Din al-Nasafi died in Samarkand on Thursday, December 2, 1142 ^[3] (12 Jumada al-ulya 537 Gh) ^[2] .

Period of Propagation (1300–1900)

Due to the fact that the Ottoman sultans were adherents of Maturide creed, Maturidism became widespread among Muslims throughout the Ottoman Empire . Among the well-known representatives of maturide in this epoch, one can note al-Kamal ibn al-Hammam , the author of the book “Al-Musayar fi'l-Aqaid al-Manjiy fi-Ahira”, which is still taught in some Islamic universities ^[2] .

During this period, several Maturide movements appeared on the Indian subcontinent :

• Deobandits ( eng. Deobandi ) - the religious movement of the Hanafi-Maturidi. The name "Deobandi" was given in honor of the Indian city of Deoband , in which the center of Dar ul-Ulum Deoband is located . The movement was founded on May 30, 1866 (the year of discovery of Dar al-Ulum), inspired by the Indian theologian Valiullah Dehlevi . Representatives of the Deobandi school pay a lot of attention to Hadish studies , they have written many works on this discipline. Among the Deobandites, the cult of worshiping the graves is widespread, which is reflected in their religious treatises, for example, in the book of Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanfuri “al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad” ^[2] .
• Barelwites - a movement founded by Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi ( eng. Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi ). Barelvites are opponents of deobandits ^[2] .
• Kawsaritah is a movement founded by Sheikh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawsari. The Kawsarites condemn some Sunni imams of the past, call them Mudjassimites and Musabbihites (who give the body to Allah and liken his works). Such Sunni books as “Tawhid” by Ibn Khuzaima , “al-Sharia” by al-Lyalakai , “al-Sifat” by al-Baykhaki , “al-Uluv” by al-Zahabi , al-Kawsari called books “likeness” (see comments al-Kawsari to the book of al-Bayhaq "al-Sifat") ^[2] .

The philosophy of al-Maturidi and his views are generally close to the convictions of Abul-Hasan al-Ashari (eponym asharitov ), who was his contemporary. Both philosophers developed their doctrines in response to the views of the Mu'tazilites . The differences between these schools is in questions about the "being of God", in which al-Maturidi allowed, in addition to revelation, to rely on reason, but at the same time he recognized that it is impossible to comprehend God's commands by reason ^[1] .

Arguments of Reason

In terms of giving credibility to the “reasoning of the mind,” Mathurids were similar to the Mutazilites, but, unlike them, did not go to extremes. On the question of the “Divine Providence”, the Mathurids take a middle ground between the Asharites, who prohibit discussing this, and the Mu'zililites, in whose opinion God creates according to a certain plan and creates only the good. They believed that God creates according to his plan, but does not report to anyone and does what he wants ^[1] .

Free will

On the question of the free will of man, the asharites and maturides approached the deniers of free will — the Jabrit . Asharites believed that all human affairs were created by God and are embodied if the act and desires of a person are combined with God's will ( Kasb ). Maturidites recognized the Asharit kasb , however, they said that Allah implements what comes from the choice of the person himself, that is, the person himself performs the act, but with the help of God's power ^[1] .

Divine Attributes

In terms of the divine attributes, the Mathridites, like the Asharites, recognize their existence, but do not attribute them to the personality of God. That is, the concept of personality ( zat ) and attribute ( sifat ) are not identical. But at the same time, al-Maturidi argued that attributes are inseparable from the personality of God. This is similar to the views of the Mutazilites, who denied all the attributes of Allah described in the Quran and recognized the existence of only the personality of God, and the qualities listed in the sacred texts were called “names” ^[1] .

All the attributes of Allah in Maturidites are divided into two types: personality ( az-zatiy syphate ) and evidentiary ( as-subutia syphate ).

Personal qualities that nobody possesses except Allah:

1. Wujud - the need for the existence of Allah ( al-Hadid 57: 3 )
2. Kydam - pre-eternity ( al-Hadid 57: 3 )
3. Bakaa - Eternal Existence ( ar-Rahman 55:26, 27 )
4. Vahdaniya - the uniqueness ( al-Ikhlas 112: 1 , al-Baqara 2: 163 , al-Isra 17:42 , Fatir 35: 3 )
5. Muhalifat al-Havadis - Inimitability ( an-Nur 24:11 )
6. Kayamun bi-nafshihi - consistency and independence ( Fatir 35:15 , al-Ikhlas 112: 2 )

Evidence-based attributes for Maturidites 8 (as opposed to 7 attributes for asharites):

1. Khayat - life ( al-Furqan 25:58 , Gafir 40:65 , al-Baqara 2: 255 )
2. Ilm - knowledge ( at-Tahrim 66: 2 , Ta Ha 20: 111 , al-Mulk 67:14 , al-Anfal 8:73 , al-Muminun 23:17 , al-Baqara 2: 284 )
3. Sam ' - rumor ( al-Isra 17:30 , an-Nur 24:11 , al-Mujadil 58: 1 , Gafir 40:56 )
4. Basar - sight ( al-Isra 17:30 , an-Nur 24:11 , al-Mujadil 58: 1 , Gafir 40:56 )
5. Irada - will ( al 'Imran 3:47 , al-Baqara 2: 105 , al' Imran 3:40 , al-Ma'ida 5: 1 )
6. Kudra - might ( al- Ahkath 46:33 , an-Nahl 16:77 , an-Nur 24:45 , Fatir 35: 1 )
7. Kalam - the word ( al-Nisa 4: 144 )
8. Thakvin - the ability to create ( al-Hashr 59:24 ), which contains 4 more provisions:
   • Ihya - the ability to revive
   • Imata - the ability to kill
   • Tahlik - the ability to create
   • Tarzik - the ability to confer various benefits

Seeing God

Maturidites, unlike the Mu'tazilites, recognize that the righteous will have the opportunity to see Allah in paradise , but they do not describe how this will happen. In this they rely on ayah ^[1] :

Quran

Maturidits consider the Quran uncreated by the word of God, but the ink with which it is written and the paper on which it is written are created. The source of the Quran is God himself, he can speak, and the Quran is his word ^[1] .

About sinners Muslims

Maturidits are convinced that even a Muslim who does not repent for his sins will not remain in hell forever. That is, the punishment must be adequate to sin, and therefore God must not punish the believing and unbelieving sinner in the same way — eternal torment in hell. In this al-Maturidi relied on the ayah:

• World Islamic Conference in Grozny

• Alizade A. A. Maturidizm // Islamic Encyclopedic Dictionary . - M .: Ansar , 2007. - 400 p. - (Golden Fund of Islamic thought). - ISBN 5-98443-025-8 .