Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Maturīdī raḥimahullāh; Imām Ahl-us-Sunnah; Imām ul Hudā
Adapted & Translated from Al-Fārūq, Karachi; vol.35 no.2 (Safar 1440), vol.35 no.3 (Rabi-ul-Awwal 1440)
In the beginning of Al-Muhannad ‘alal Mufannad, Shaykh-ul-Muḥaddithīn Mawlānā Khalīl Aḥmad Sahāranpūrī raḥimahullāh has clarified that in Fiqhī Ijtihādāt, we follow Imām Abū Ḥanīfah Nu’mān Ibn Thābit raḥimahullāh, and in Aqīdah discussions and methodology, we follow Imām Abul Ḥasan Al- Ash’arī raḥimahullāh and Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh.
At
this point, the answers to two questions must be borne in mind.
First:
In matters of ‘Aqīdah, Taqlīd is not permitted. So, what is the meaning of
following Imām Abul Ḥasan Ash’arī raḥimahullāh
or Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh?
Answer:
There are two angles of the answer:
1.
There are two types of ‘Aqā’id; (i) Uṣūl Al-‘Aqā’id (ii) Furū’ Al-‘Aqā’id
With
regards to the topic of ‘Aqīdah, one does not adopt Taqlīd in the Uṣūl
al-‘Aqā’id. In the Furū’ of Aqā’id, Taqlīd is permitted. This is because the
Furū’ (subsidiary) matters are not found in the clear texts, but they are the
results of the Ijtihādāt of the ‘Ulamā’. Subsequently, just as the jurists are
followed in Fiqhī Ijtihādāt, in the same way, the masters of ‘Aqīdah are
followed in matters of belief. The scholars engaged in ‘Aqīdah are called
‘Mutakallimīn’.
2.
Following these scholars in matters of ‘Aqīdah does not mean that they have
made up the beliefs from their own side and the ‘Ulamā’ of the Ummah followed
them. Nay, this means that the Mutakallimīn have explained and clarified the
Islāmic beliefs and spent their entire lives defending them according to a
defined methodology and system. Those that came, later on, found this methodology
and system to be extremely beneficial and hence adopted it. Therefore, it is
clarified that this Taqlīd or following, is in terms of the methodology of
explanation and way of clarification, there is no Taqlīd in the ‘Aqā’id
themselves.
This issue has been clarified by the great jurist, Qāḍī ‘Iyāḍ Al-Mālikī raḥimahullāh in Tartīb-ul-Madārik under the biography of Imām Abul Ḥasan Al-Ash’arī raḥimahullāh.
Second:
When the Aḥnāf follow Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh
in Fiqhī matters, then why do they not follow him in matters of belief? Why did
they leave him and follow Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh?
Answer:
The Aḥnāf did not leave Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh.
The methodology in matters of ‘Aqīdah that came down from Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh was strengthened and solidified by
Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh.
He spent most of his life in this. Amongst the Aḥnāf, he was the one that
basically encapsulated this field and its service. Whichever scholars
came later on and mastered this field, they were either the direct students of
Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh or the students of his students. They all took benefit from his books.
Therefore, the link was then established to him. From this, it is clear that
there is no negation of the link to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh at all.
After
this introduction, let us study the biography of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh,
Name
& Lineage:
Muḥammad
ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd; Abū Manṣūr Māturīdī, Samarqandī. He hails from the
city of Samarqand and the town where he was born is called Māturīd. Some
scholars like ‘Allāmah Bayāḍī Ḥanafī raḥimahullāh
have stated that the lineage of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh meets with that of Sayyidunā Abū
Ayyūb Ansārī raḍiyallāhu ‘anhu. However, this is not supported by any of the
older and reliable sources.
Māturīd
is read as Māturīd and Mātarīd. Some also read it as Mātarīt. ‘Allāmah ‘Abdul
Karīm Al-Sam’ānī raḥimahullāh visited
this place a number of times and said, ‘Virtuous people of knowledge have come
from it.’[1]
The
same is mentioned by Yāqūt Ḥamawī raḥimahullāh
in Mu’jam Al-Buldān and Ibn Al-Athīr Al-Jazarī raḥimahullāh
in Al-Lubāb.
Samarqand
is one of the most famous cities of Mā warā un Nahr, i.e., Transoxiana. According
to some historical reports, Alexander the Macedonian had built this area anew and
some of the historians who travelled there have written, ‘Whatever has been
heard of the beauty of this city is correct. In fact, the reality is that its
beauty is much more than what was imagined.’
Birth:
Most
historians have not dealt with the biography and especially the date of birth
of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh.
Therefore, one will find most sources silent on this aspect. However, all
gratitude is for Allāh Ta’ālā, those who search will definitely find it.
The
research scholars state that the most preferred view is 238 A.H. This is because
one of his teachers was Muḥammad Ibn Muqātil Ar-Rāzī raḥimahullāh. He passed away in 248 A.H. It necessitates that when
Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh
took benefit from him, his age should have been at least 10 years. It is very
difficult to take benefit from a senior scholar if one’s age is less than this.
Teachers:
Imām
Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh was
born in an area full of knowledge and jurisprudence. There was an abundance of
scholars of the Aḥnāf in that particular region. The entire area was bright and
lit with the knowledge of these luminaries. Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh shone out because of his great
ability and his excellent teachers. His efforts and works acquired widespread
acceptance and the scholars of the Aḥnāf adopted his way in the matters of
‘Aqā’id. He became the spokesperson for the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah.
Imām
Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh has
the good fortune of being amongst the transmitters of the books of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah
raḥimahullāh, especially his brief works
on ‘Aqā’id. He transmitted these books with an unbroken chain and spread their
teachings.
Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh narrated these ‘Aqīdah books of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh (1) Al-Fiqh Al-Absat (2) Risālah ilā ‘Uthmān Al-Battā (3) Al-‘Ālim wal Muta’allim (4) Wasiyyat ilā Yūsuf ibn Khālid, from his Shuyūkh, Shaykh Abū Naṣr Aḥmad ibn ‘Abbās Al-‘Iyāḍī raḥimahullāh, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq Al-Jauzjānī raḥimahullāh and Shaykh Nuṣayr ibn Yaḥyā Al-Balkhī raḥimahullāh. These three Shuyūkh narrated from Shaykh Abū Sulaymān Al-Jauzjānī raḥimahullāh and he from Imām Muḥammad Ibn Ḥasan Shaybānī raḥimahullāh and he from Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh.
This
unbroken chain of transmission is proof that whatever works Imām Abū Manṣūr
Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh did in the field
of ‘Aqā’id and the methodology he adopted, the basis of it all was the same thought
and concern that was laid down by Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh.
Those who have studied the life of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh know very well that just as he laid the foundations of
Fiqh, in the same way, he gave shape and form to the discussions of ‘Aqīdah, in
speaking on behalf of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah, because of the emergence
of deviated groups. Although later on, Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh was devoted to Fiqh and this field became that which
he was recognized for, the student of his student, Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh took on this particular science
and developed it. It is due to this aspect that this field of study was then
ascribed to Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh,
rather than Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh.
And Allāh Ta’āla knows best.
Renowned
Teachers:
A
few of the renowned teachers of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh are mentioned below:
1.
Imām Muḥammad ibn Muqātil Ar-Rāzī raḥimahullāh.
He was a high-ranking Faqīh and Muḥaddith. ‘Allāmah ibn Kamāl Pāsha raḥimahullāh has written that this scholar was
in the fourth rank of the students of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah raḥimahullāh in the field of ‘Aqā’id. He was the judge of Rayy for
a while too. He passed away in 248 A.H. ‘Allāmah Muḥammad Zāhid Al-Kawtharī raḥimahullāh has mentioned this to be the
preferred view.
2. Imām Abū Naṣr Aḥmad Al-‘Iyāḍī raḥimahullāh. Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh had a special relationship with this teacher. The lineage of this teacher shows that he was from the family of the ṣaḥābī, Sayyidunā Sa’d Ibn ‘Ubādah raḍiyallāhu ‘anhu. Imām Abū Naṣr Aḥmad Al-‘Iyāḍī raḥimahullāh was extremely virtuous and high ranking, to the degree that some have said, ‘Indeed the proof of the veracity of the madh-hab of Abū Ḥanīfah is that Imām Aḥmad Al-‘Iyāḍī adopts it.’[2]
3.
Abū Bakr Aḥmad Ibn Isḥāq Al-Jauzjānī raḥimahullāh.
He was a great scholar and a master of Uṣūl and Furū’. He studied under Imām
Abū Sulaymān Al-Jauzjānī raḥimahullāh.
4.
Nuṣayr Ibn Yaḥyā Al-Balkhī raḥimahullāh.
He was a master in Ḥanafī Fiqh and ‘Ilm-ul-Kalām. He passed away in 268 A.H.
Status
in Knowledge:
The
status of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh
can be gauged from his written works, the chain of his students and the titles
that were given to him by the biographers. He has been referred to as
Imām-ul-Hudā, Imām-ul-Mutakallimīn, Muṣaḥḥiḥ ‘Aqā’id Al-Muslimīn.
His
written works testify to his great standing. Some of his outstanding works are:
1.
Ta’wīlāt Ahl-us-Sunnah
2.
Kitāb-ul-Jadal
3.
Kitāb-ut-Tauḥīd
4.
Sharḥ Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar
5.
Ad-Durar fī Uṣūl-id-Dīn
6.
Bayān Wahm Al-Mu’tazilah
7.
Ar-Radd ‘alal Qarāmitah
8.
Radd Al-Imāmah
9.
Ar-Radd ‘alā Furū’ Al-Qarāmitah
10.
Radd Al-Uṣūl Al-Khamsah
The
oldest institutions in the Muslim world, like Al-Azhar in Egypt, Az-Zaytuna in
Tunis and others in Transoxiana, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have been
teaching the works of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh for centuries. Great scholars have studied his works
and continue to teach them.
Students:
1.
Abul Qāsim As-Samarqandī raḥimahullāh
2.
Shaykh ‘Alī Ar-Rastaghnī raḥimahullāh
3.
Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul Karīm ibn Mūsā Al-Bazdawī
raḥimahullāh
Demise:
There
is a slight difference of opinion regarding the date of his demise, but the
preferred view is 333 A.H. He raḥimahullāh
was buried in Samarqand.
A brief overview of his life:
There
were a number of deviated sects that arose in Mā warā’ un Nahr during the life
of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh.
Three of them are worthy of mention; the Mu’tazilah, the Shia and the
Karrāmiyyah. The non-Muslim philosophers had also an influence in the area once
their books were translated into Arabic.
Imām
Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh stood
up and spoke on behalf of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah, he defended their
creed and refuted the deviated sects and their ideologies. His Tafsīr bears
testimony to his great work in this field. He presents the views of the
Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah and together with this, he refutes the incorrect
views and beliefs promulgated by the deviants.
Conclusion:
The
life of Imām Abū Manṣūr Al-Māturīdī raḥimahullāh
demands that we study it deeply and go deep into the lives of our senior and
elder scholars; it is his right that we benefit from his knowledge and
munificence. Although his works were difficult to access before, now that
they have come out in published form, it is not difficult to draw benefits from
them.
The attack today upon Islām is from outside; from other religions, and from inside. The attack is launched by many, but the attack of the Modernists and Liberals, from the inside, seems to go unnoticed. Every Muslim must stand up and understand what is happening and how his life as a Muslim is being made more difficult as the days go by. We must focus our attention in the direction of the arrows being fired at the Muslims, and not on each other.
May
Allāh Ta’āla reward him on behalf of the ummah and grant us the ability to
follow in his footsteps. Āmīn
