LIFE AND WORKS OF IMAM MATURIDI
Sarvar Sharopov,
a second-year student of the
International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan
Introduction
In this article, I will try to inform you about the life and work of Imam Maturidi, his teachers, writings and followers. Please read the article to increase your knowledge.
Main part
Abu Manṣur[1] Muḥammad bin Muḥammad bin Maḥmud as-Samarḳandi al-ḥanafi (853–944) often referred to as Abu Manṣur al-Maturidi for short, or reverently as Imam Maturidi by Sunni muslims, was a Persian Sunni Hanafi jurist, theologian, and scriptural exegete from ninth-century Samarkand who became the eponymous codifier of one of the principal orthodox schools of Sunni theology, the Maturidi school, which became the dominant theological school for Sunni Muslims in Central Asia and later enjoyed a preeminent status as the school of choice for both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire.
Al‑Maturidi was born at Maturid, a village or quarter in the neighbourhood of Samarkand. He came from the renowned family of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari of Madinah. This statement is also corroborated by the fact that some other Arab families of Madinah also settled in Samarkand Relatively little is known about the life of Maturidi, as the sources available “do not read as biographies, but rather as lists of works that have been enlarged upon by brief statements on his personage and a few words of praise.” What is evident, however, is that the theologian lived the life of a pure scholar, as “nothing indicates that he held any public office, nor that he possessed more disciples, popularity, or association with the Samanid court of Bukhara than anyone else.” It is accepted, moreover, that Maturidi had two principal teachers, namely Abū Bakr al-Jūzjānī and Abu Naṣr Aḥmad b. al-ʿAbbās al-ʿIyadi, both of whom played significant roles in the shaping of Maturidi’s theological views. Maturidi is said to have lived the life of an ascetic (zahid), and various sources attribute numerous miracles to him. Although he is not usually considered a mystic, it is nevertheless very possible that Maturidi had some interaction with the Sufis of his area, as “Hanafite theology in the region could not always be sharply separated from mystical tendencies,” and many of the most important Hanafi jurists of the area were also Sufi mystics.
He studied under his teachers, Muhammad bin Muqatil al-Razi, Abu Nasr al-Ayadi “al-Faqih al-Samarqandi”, Nusayr bin Yahya al-Balkhi (died 268 H/ 881 CE) and Abu Bakr al-Juzjani He narrated Abu Hanifa’s Kitab al-Alim wa Mut’alim from Abu Bakr al-Juzjani, who narrated it from Muhammad ibn Muqatil ar-Razi (and Abu Sulayman al-Juzjani).
His chains to Abu Hanifa are given as follows:
1. He took from Muhammad bin Muqatil al-Razi (died 248 H), from Muhammad al-Shaybani(died 189 H), from Abu Hanifa (died 150 H).
2. He took from Abu Nasr al-Ayadi, Nusayr al-Balkhi (died 268 H) and Abu Bakr al-Juzjani who all took from Abu Sulayman al-Juzjani, who took from both Muhammad al-Shaybani and Abu Yusuf (died 182 H), who both took from Abu Hanifa.
3. He took from Muhammad bin Muqatil al-Razi and Nusayr al-Balkhi, who additionally both took from Abu Muti al-Hakam al-Balkhi (died 199 H) and Abu Muqatil Hafs al-Samarqandi (died 208 H), who both took from Abu Hanifa.
4. He took from Abu Nasr al-Ayadi, who took from Abu Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Juzjani (died mid- third century), who took directly from Muhammad al-Shaybani, who took from Abu Hanifa.
His books
Kitab al-Tawhid [2](‘Book of Monotheism’)
Ta’wilat Ahl al-Sunnah or Ta’wilat al-Qur’an (‘Book of the Interpretations of the Quran’)
Kitāb 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
Kitāb Bayan Awham al-Mu’tazila (‘Book of Exposition of the Errors of Mu’tazila)
Kitāb 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.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that the scientific legacy left to us by Imam Maturidi is invaluable. We, the students, have to take care of them and pass on our knowledge to others, because their path and position will definitely lead us in the right direction. We should be proud of that. It will be of great benefit if we read and understand their books and translate them to the people.
[1] Main information about Imam Maturidi
[2] A book about the oneness of Allah
Notes