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Mail to a Friend Printer friendly Kitaab ut-Tawheed of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi This is one of the published works of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, "Kitaab ut-Tawheed" published in 1422H (2001CE) with the verification of Dr. Bakr Tubal Awghali and Dr. Muhammad Aarootashee (both, from Istanbul) and published by Dar Sadir (Beirut) and Maktabah al-Irshaad (Istanbul) and is 535 pages with the introduction and verified text. The book is written up the methodology of ilm ul-kalaam and covers the topics of knowledge and its sources, the affairs of divinity, the affairs of prophethood, the issues of al-qadaa wal-qadar, major sins and their perpetrators, and the issue of Islaam and eemaan. In the book, al-Maturidi often addresses the sayings of al-Ka'bee, one of the Mu'tazilah, in certain areas of creed. Emaan with al-Maturidi In this book, al-Maturidi refers to the "Hashawiyyah", a derogatory term (meaning the worthless, lowly ones) originating with the Mu'tazilah who used it against those who did not make ta'weel of the sifaat (attributes) that they (the Mu'tazilah) rejected. It was then taken up by the Maturidiyyah and Ash'ariyyah who used against the people of Sunnah and Hadeeth for their affirmation of the Attributes without ta'weel. He refers to view of the "Hashawiyyah" in the context of entering actions into eemaan, and as we shall see inshaa'Allaah, he is referring to the Imaams of the Salaf, the people of the Hadeeth, Sunnah and Aathaar. His discussion of eemaan spans around 30 pages in the printed edition from pages 471 to 499. He first spends eight pages refuting those who say that eemaan is just the saying of the tongue, and that nothing in heart (the Karraamiyyah). He writes (p. 471):
A people said: eemaan is affirmation with the tongue specifically and there is nothing in the heart. {Abu Mansur rahimahullaah said}: And we say, and with Allaah lies success: That which is most worthy through which eemaan occurs is the hearts [evidenced] by both the revealed texts and intellect. And then he brings many proofs from the Qur'an to invalidate this view of the Karraamiyyah, in the process of which, he also corroborates his own view, that eemaan is just tasdeeq (assent of the heart), and whilst the verses he brings are good proofs against the Karraamiyyah, he fails to bear in mind other verse which explicitly and implicitly indicate actions are from the reality of eemaan, and it indicates his lack of complete knowledge of the evidences and indications of the revealed texts to the reality that actions enter into eemaan and are from it. And in general this is the way of the Ahl ul-Kalaam in that they try to understand and define the religious realities purely through linguistic definitions, when in fact, it is the actual combination of the revealed texts on given topics, that explain and clarify the actual realities that are intended, and often, these realities are more than just what is known in the language.
Al-Maturidi wrote (p. 473):
And eemaan in the language is "tasdeeq" (assent, belief). And on page 475:
And as for [the proof of] intellect, then it is because it is a religion, and religions are held onto, and that by which the beliefs of the [various] religions [are held] is through the hearts. And likewise the madhaahib (schools, ways, orientations) - alongside [the fact] that eemaan in the language is "tasdeeq" (assent, belief) Thereafter (on page 478) he discusses whether eemaan is ma'rifah (knowledge) in the heart or the tasdeeq (assent, belief) of the heart. The former being the saying of the Jahmiyyah. So he explains that there is a difference between them in that ma'rifah of something is needed first in order to make tasdeeq of it, thus tasdeeq is something that implies more than just ma'rifah (knowledge) alone, and that ma'rifah is something that leads to and brings about tasdeeq. And thus, the Maturidiyyah and Ash'ariyyah, share with the Jahmiyyah in that eemaan is what is in the heart alone, whilst differing as to whether it is ma'rifah (knowledge( or tasdeeq (assent, belief). What this also indicates as a side point is that Abu Mansur al-Maturidi was in contact mainly with the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah, as is clear from his works, this one and Ta'weel Ahl us-Sunnah (collection of the ta'weels pioneered by the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah and conveyed to the Ummah through Bishr al-Mareesee al-Hanafee al-Mu'tazilee al-Jahmee), and thus, in responding to them and in dealing with them, many of their usool, their ta'weels and the necessities of the ilm ul-kalaam that they (the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah) were pioneers of, entered into his writings - as we shall demonstrate in other articles inshaa'Allaah, such as on the issue of al-Uluww. Eemaan in the View of the Salaf in Opposition to al-Maturidi and the Maturidiyyah Murji'ah This is a matter so famous and well-known from the Salaf that there is to be found no one from the opposers (Maturidiyyah, Ash'ariyyah) who can really deny it, for the viewpoint of the Salaf is manifestly clear and it is narrated from the Imaams of the Salaf from the early-mid second century onwards (around 150H onwards), and it became firmly established that eemaan is belief, speech and action. The proofs from the Book, the Sunnah, and the Salaf are very extensive and the likes of Abu Ubayd al-Qasim bin Sallaam (d. 224H) authored specific works on the subject around the turn of the third century (before al-Maturidi or al-Ash'ari were born). As for the proofs of Ahl us-Sunnah, the Salaf, that actions enter into the reality of eemaan, then amongst them are the saying of Allaah, regarding the prayer:
وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ
So he referred to the prayer with the label of "eemaan" (faith).
Also the saying of Allaah:
So Allaah made their being brothers in the religion (in faith) conditional upon repentance (i.e. believing), establishing the prayer and giving the zakaah - two outwards actions.
And also the saying of Allaah:
So Allaah negated eemaan until they refer all matters of dispute to Muhammad (alayhis salaam), which means to his Sunnah and to the revelation, and so this is an action, and Allaah negated eemaan, in the absence of this trait, indication that this action is from the reality of eemaan.
And the verses are very many in this regard.
As for the Sunnah, then there is an abundance of evidences. However, we find that the Ahl ul-Kalama are paupers when it comes to the Sunnah, and they spent most of their lives with empty pockets, with hardly anything of the Hadeeth and Sunnah, because that escaped them, and they never had the skill or capacity to memorize, preserve the Sunnah. Whilst the ahaadeeth in this regard are abundant and great in number, we can mention only some as examples:
From them the hadeeth, "The most perfect of believers are those who are best in manners", and the hadeeth, "Eemaan consists of seventy-odd branches, the most excellent of them is the saying, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah", the lowest of them is to remove something harmful from the floor, and modesty (hayaa) is from eemaan".
And upon these evidences in the Book and the Sunnah, the Salaf were unanimously agreed, without any dispute, that actions enter into eemaan.
Al-Laalikaa'ee (d. 418H) reports in his Sharh Usool I'tiqaad Ahl is-Sunnah (5/958) that Abdur-Razzaaq as-San'aanee (d. 211H) said:
And those I have not named, all of them saying: "Faith consists of speech and action, it increases and decreases."
Al-Laalikaa'ee also reports in Sharh Usool I'tiqaad Ahl is-Sunnah (4/848) from Yahyaa bin Saleem that he said:
From all of the above the following points can be noted:
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