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Māturīdī theology or Māturīdism ( ar, الماتريدية: ''al-Māturīdiyyah'') is one of the main Sunnī
schools of Islamic theology Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the Qadariyah, Falasifa, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Bat ...
, founded by the
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
Muslim scholar, Ḥanafī jurist, reformer (''Mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī in the 9th–10th century. Al-Māturīdī codified and systematized the theological beliefs already present among the Ḥanafite Muslim theologians of Balkh and
Transoxania Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of ...
under one school of systematic theology (''
kalām ''ʿIlm al-Kalām'' ( ar, عِلْم الكَلام, literally "science of discourse"), usually foreshortened to ''Kalām'' and sometimes called "Islamic scholastic theology" or "speculative theology", is the philosophical study of Islamic doc ...
''); he emphasized the use of rationality and theological
rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy ...
regarding the interpretation of the sacred scriptures of Islam. Māturīdī theology is considered one of the orthodox creeds of Sunnī Islam alongside the Aṯharī and Ashʿarī, and prevails in the Ḥanafī school of Islamic jurisprudence. Māturīdism was originally circumscribed to the region of
Transoxania Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of ...
in
Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
but it became the predominant theological orientation amongst the Sunnī Muslims of
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
before the Safavid conversion to Shīʿīsm in the 16th century, and the '' Ahl al-Ray'' (people of reason). It enjoyed a preeminent status in the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
and Mughal India. Outside the old Ottoman and Mughal empires, most Turkic tribes, Hui people, Central Asian, and
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
n Muslims also follow the Māturīdī theology. There have also been
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
Māturīdī scholars.


Beliefs

The Māturīdī school of Islamic theology holds that: * All the
attributes Attribute may refer to: * Attribute (philosophy), an extrinsic property of an object * Attribute (research), a characteristic of an object * Grammatical modifier, in natural languages * Attribute (computing), a specification that defines a prope ...
of
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
are eternal and not separated from God.Cenap Çakmak Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia volumesABC-CLIO 2017 page 1014 *
Ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
have an objective existence and humans are capable of recognizing it through
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
alone. * Although humans are intellectually capable of realizing God, they need revelations and guidance of prophets and messengers, because human desire can divert the intellect and because certain knowledge of God has been specially given to these prophets (e.g. the
Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
was revealed to
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
according to Islam, who
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
believe was given this special knowledge from God and only through Muhammad did this knowledge become accessible to others). * Humans are free in determining their actions within scope of God-given possibilities. Accordingly, God has created all possibilities, but humans are free to choose. * The Six articles of faith. * Religious authorities need reasonable arguments to prove their claims. * Support of science and ''
falsafa Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—falsafa (literally: "philosophy"), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, ...
'' (philosophy). * The Māturīdites state that '' imān'' (faith) does not increase nor decrease depending on one's deeds; it's rather '' taqwā'' (piety) which increases and decreases. * The Māturīdites emphasize the importance of monotheism. Regarding ''
ʿaqīdah ''Aqidah'' ( (), plural ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' go beyond concise statem ...
'' (creed), unlike many Aṯharīs (traditionalistic theologians), al-Māturīdī doesn't hold that
angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...
are necessarily infallible. Pointing at Surah
al-Baqara Al-Baqara, alternatively transliterated Al-Baqarah ( ar, الْبَقَرَة, ; "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), is the second and longest chapter ('' surah'') of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses ('' āyāt'') which begin with the "mysterio ...
, he notes that angels too, have been tested.Ulrich Rudolph Al-Māturīdī und Die Sunnitische Theologie in Samarkand BRILL, 1997 ISBN 9789004100237 pp. 54-56 Referring to Surah
al-Anbiya Al-Anbiyaʼ ( ar, الأنبياء, ; "The Prophets") is the 21st chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with 112 verses ( āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), it is an earlier "M ...
, he points out, angels who claim divinity for themselves are sentenced to hell. About Iblīs, otherwise known as Satan, he states, disputing whether he was an angel or a
jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...
before his fall is useless, as it is more important to know, that he has become a devil and enemy of humans. Māturīdism holds that humans are creatures endowed with reason, which differentiates them from animals. The relationship between people and God differs from that of nature and God; humans are endowed with
free-will is a Japanese independent record label founded in 1986 by Color vocalist Hiroshi "Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka, with branches predominantly in Japan and the United States, as well as previously in Europe. It also continues to co-manage many of its ...
, but due to God's sovereignty, God creates the acts the humans choose, so humans can perform them.
Ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
can be understood just by
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
and don't need prophetic guidance. Al-Māturīdī also considered the ''
ḥadīth Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
'' to be unreliable when they are at odds with reason. Furthermore, Māturīdī theology opposes anthropomorphism and similitude, but simultaneously does not deny the divine attributes. Māturīdism defends the idea that paradise and hell are coexisting with the temporal world, against the assertion of some Muʿtazila that paradise and hell will be created only after
Judgement Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
. The attributes of paradise and hell would already take effect on this world (''dunya'').
Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi (Arabic أبو الليث السمرقندي, Abū l-Laiṯ as-Samarqandī; b. 944; d. 983) was a Hanafite jurist and Quran commentator, who lived during the second half of the 10th century. He authored various books on ...
(944–983) states that the purpose of simultaneous existence of both worlds is that they inspire hope and fear among humans.


Concept of faith

Al-Māturīdī's doctrine, based on Ḥanafī
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
, asserted man's capacity and will alongside the supremacy of God in man's acts, providing a doctrinal framework for more flexibility and adaptability. Māturīdism especially flourished and spread among the Muslim populations in
Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
from the 10th century onwards. According to Māturīdism,
belief A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take ...
''(ʾīmān)'' does neither increase nor decrease depending on observation of religious law. Instead, deeds follow from faith. Based on
Surah A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...
Ta-Ha Ṭā Hā (; ar, طه) is the 20th chapter (''sūrah'') of the Qur'an with 135 verses ('' āyāt''). It is named "Ṭā Hā" because the chapter starts with the Arabic ''ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿāt'' (disjoined letters): (Ṭāhā) which ...
verse 112, if a Muslim does not perform the deeds prescribed by ''sharia'', he is not considered an
apostate Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of emb ...
as long they don't deny their obligation. Similarly, the angel's and prophet's obedience derive from their insights to God's nature and not result from their creation. Abu'l-Qasim Ishaq al-Samarqandi draws an analogy on
Harut and Marut Harut and Marut ( ar, هَارُوْت وَمَارُوْت, Hārūt wa-Mārūt) are two angels mentioned in Quran 2:102, who are said to have been located in Babylon. According to some narratives, those two angels were in the time of Idris. Th ...
, who are sinful yet not unbelievers.Tritton, A. S. "An Early Work from the School of Al-Māturīdī." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, no. 3/4, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1966, pp. 96–99, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25202926. Since human's rationality is expected to acknowledge the existience of a creator independently from revelation, unlike al-ʾAshʿarīyah, Māturīdism holds people who have not heard from a prophet are accountable for their unbelief. Yohei Matsuyama points to al-Māturīdī's wording, referring to the only obligation to believe in a ''maker'' (sani), not ''Allah'', and concludes, it is only necessariý for salvation to construct a belief in a creator, not necessarily accepting the theological doctrinal formualtions of Islam.
Toshihiko Izutsu was a Japanese scholar who specialized in Islamic studies and comparative religion. He took an interest in linguistics at a young age, and came to know more than thirty languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Hin ...
likewise argues that "believing in islam" refers to submission to the maker, by voluntarily surrendering to the Divine Will, and not necessarily accepting a religious formula. Yet, al-Māturīdī' did not view all religions as equal. He criticizes Christians, Jews, Zorastrians and atheists (''dahriya''). However, he draws a distinction between other monotheists and non-monotheists, criticizing Judaism and Christianity while talking about prophets not about God. Dualistic religions faced criticism about their concept of God, arguing that an omnibenevolent deity, who creates only good, opposed to a
devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
, who is responsible for everything evil, implies a deficit in God's omnipotence and is incompatible with God's nature.Bürgel, J. Christoph. "Zoroastrianism as Viewed in Medieval Islamic Sources." Muslim Perceptions of Other Religions (1999): 202-212. According to Abu'l-Qasim Ishaq, children cannot be considered unbelievers and all of them go to paradise.


See also

*
2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny The 2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny was convened to define the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah", i.e. who are "the people of Sunnah and majority Muslim community", and oppose Takfiri groups. The conference was held in the Chechen Republ ...
*
2020 International Maturidi Conference The 2020 International Maturidi Conference was an international scientific-practical conference, sponsored by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, held over three days, from 3 to 5 March 2020, in the city of Samarkand under the title ...
*
Athari Atharī theology or Atharism ( ar, الأثرية: / , " archeological"), otherwise referred to as Traditionalist theology or Scripturalist theology, is one of the main Sunni schools of Islamic theology. It emerged as an Islamic scholarly mov ...
*
Islamic schools and branches Islamic schools and branches have different understandings of Islam. There are many different sects or denominations, schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and schools of Islamic theology, or '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). Within Islamic groups themselves ...
*
List of Ash'aris and Maturidis The list of Ash'aris and Maturidis includes prominent adherents of the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of thought. The Ash'aris are a doctrinal school of thought named after Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, and the Maturidi school is named for Abu Mans ...
* Muʿtazila


References


External links


An article from a Turkish site
*


The Place of Reason in the Theologies of al-Maturidi and al-Ash'ari (Dissertation)
{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 Maturidis History of Islam Islamic philosophical schools Islamic terminology Islamic theology Kalam Sunni Islam Sunni Islamic branches