Differences between the Ash’aris and Maturidi’s highlighted by Kemal Pasha RA - Personal notes in the form of conclusions added by Cemal Muhammad Raşitoğlu not Kemal Pasha.
Shaykh Abu'l Hasan Al Ash'ari is considered an Imām of the Ahlus Sunnah and so is Shaykh Abu Mansur Maturidi is an Imam of the Ahlus Sunnah, these are the main two of the Ummah in Kalam.
The followers of Imam Shafi follow Shaykh Abu'l Hasan Ash'arī in fundamentals and Imām Shāfi'ī in peripheral issues.
The followers of Imām Abū Hanīfa follow Shaykh Abū Mansūr Māturīdī in fundamentals and Imām Abū Hanīfa in peripheral issues, just as some of our ancient scholars have clarified.
Below are 12 issues they differ about:
The 1st issue.
Imam Maturidi says: The attribute of creating [takwīn - I.e The power to create] is a beginningless attribute, which subsists through The Essence [Dhāt] of Allāh, just like the rest of His attributes.
His attribute of takwin (I.e the power to create) is infinite with no begininng and (although) is linked with the created things at the time of their creation; just as the will of Allah is beginningless and it links itself with intended things at the time they are willed; just like the power of Allah is beginningless, with its possibilities [Maqdūrāt].
Imam Ash'arī says: It is a created attribute which does not subsist through His essence. According to Imām Ash'arī, it is an attribute of action, not one of the beginningless attributes. The attributes of action, in their entirety, are created, like the attribute of creation [Takwīn] and the attribute of origination [īyjād]. The existence of the universe materialised, by its linkage with the command - 'Kun'.
Cemals Conclusion:
Imam Maturidi defines Takwin as the power to execute the creating of the creation and bring it into being and not the initiated act of creating as Imam Ash’ari seems to have understood it as and therefore mislabels them as created attributes, instead of created actions, no attribute of Allah is created, each attribute is eternal, he implies that Allah was not a creator or originator until he created and originated something, but this is flawed as Allah always had the knowledge and ability to do these even before having done so & he has always been a creator and originator.
An example (of Takwin) is that to create a thing Allah may use his knowledge, power, will & speech to initiate bringing something into being but the final execution of the creating İ.e The power to finalise the creation of a thing, is refered to as Takwin, for a measely example, you may create an image of a tree on Microsoft paint on a computer, it involves design skill, knowledge & effort to design and produce the image digitally, but to bring it into creation you must press print, Takwin one could say is the power of printing. This power of Allah is pre-eternal, it always existed and he always had it.
The 2nd issue.
Imam Maturidi says: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard; the thing which is heard is that which indicates towards it.
Imām Ash'arī says: It can be heard, just as it is famous regarding Sayyidunā Mūsā Alayhis Salām.
Cemals Conclusion:
It is not for us to say HOW Allah makes us hear his speech, Allah has speech and Musa AS heard his speech through the burning bush by Allahs permission in a way that Allah knows how and we hear his speech when we recite Qur’an and Allah makes us hear how he wills us to hear and we should not ask how and Allah is all able, the prophet SAW himself heard revelation directly and said the experience was “like the ringing of a bell”, some speecc is heard and some unheard and it is better not to ask a question that İslam did not give a technical Answer for and just accept what is said to us and we do not hear of his speech that has not been revealed to us and if the seas were to be exhausted as ink they would not be enough to write what Allah has to say & Allah knows best.
The 3rd issue.
Imam Maturidi says: The creator of the universe is attributed with 'Hikma'; whether that is in the meaning of 'the one with knowledge' or 'the one who rules'
Imam Ash'arī says: If it is in the meaning of 'knower' then it is a beginningless attribute which subsists with the essence of Allah.
If it is in the meaning of 'ruler' then it is a created attribute and therefore Allah should not be attributed with this.
Cemals Conclusion: Al Hakim - The Wise is a name of Allah and the meaning is that Allah has Hikmah (Wisdom) whether as a knower or a ruler this is an eternal attribute of Allah as Allah has always been Al Hakim “the ALL/MOST wise”.
The 4th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: Allah willed the entire universe and that which is in it, whether it be: a substance or an accident (a characteristic of a thing - in theology); obedience or sin. The difference is that obedience occurs with: the will of Allah, His intention, His rule, His power, His happiness, His love and His command. Sins occur with the Will of Allah and His rule; not with His pleasure, His love and His command.
Imam Ash'arī says: The pleasure of Allāh and His Love encompass all created things, just like His will.
Cemals Conclusion:
Imam Maturidi is correct according to the Qur’an and he refers to actions of the people.
Imam Ash’ari refers to the creatures themselves and not their actions, of course if they were not sinning and disobeying him then Allah would have no reason not to love and would also be correct but this is not the reality as man sins.
The 5th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: To burden someone [Taklīf] with that which they cannot bear is not possible but Tahmīl of that which they cannot bear is possible.
Imām Ash'arī says: both are possible.
Cemals Conclusion: Allah says in Sura Al Baqara in the Glorious Qur’an “Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bare.” I.e he doesnt give commandments to people according to what they cannot bear and his commands are lifted from those who dont have the ability to fast or perform Hajj for example, as he is not an oppressor, although a worldly oppressor may still oppress a person with more than they can bear with a physical load that in some cases may kill a person as in jihad and although this was the will of Allah he did not overburden the person with his command. Even though the person may have died from a burden too much physically, the verse still stands true as it states their “soul” is not overburdened, and their soul, as in the case of a martyr would have bore the physical death that was too much for the body.
The 6th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: Some commands, which are related to obligations, are known rationally. This is because the intellect is an instrument, through which the excellence or ugliness of some things can be known. Allah is the one who makes this known and the one who necessitates [that these things be known] but [they are identified] through the medium of the rational faculties (I.e some souls recognise one another and gravitate to one another and some repel each other) Just as the Prophet SAW made the obligations known [to mankind]; and the true necessitater was Allah but through the medium of Prophet SAW. This is what led Imam Maturidi to say that - 'there is no excuse for anyone to be ignorant of the creator. Can they not see the skies and the earth?! Even if Messengers 'alayhim as-Salam were not sent, it would still be necessary upon people to believe in the creator, through their intellect.
Imām Ash'arī says: Nothing is necessary nor forbidden except through the canon (law); not through the intellect; even if the excellence or ugliness of some things can be known through the intellect. According to Imām Ash'arī, all the things which pertain to legal obligation are taken from revelation.
Cemals Conclusion: Imam Ash’ari is correct although the rational faculty or the fitrah may understand some matters, this would not be enough to validate accoubtability. There would be no punishment until a warner is sent and it is Allah who guides one to acknowledge him whether he has revelation of a prophet available to him or not. HafizunAllah.
The 7th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: A wretched person could become felicitous and a felicitous person could become wretched.
Imam Ash'ari says: There is no importance given to felicity nor wretchedness except at the time of death.
Cemals Conclusion: Imam Maturidi is correct as there is a Hadith to support his statement and Imam Ash’ari is mistaken as there is the matter of justice and Allah says everything will be written down in a book, so on the contrary every word and deed is recorded and important on the record where on the judgement day each deed will be weighed and will either by Allahs mercy pass one into paradise or by his justice block one from Paradise, and also İnjustice done to others must be paid, therefore every act in a persons life counts but not sins before accepting Islam, may Allah have mercy.
The 8th Issue.
Al Maturidi said it is rationally impermissible for disbelief to be pardoned
Al Ash’ari said it is rationally permissible but textually impermissible
Cemal’s conclusion:
If a person dies in a state of Kufr there is no pardon.
The 9th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: for a believer to abide in hell eternally and a disbeliever to abide in paradise eternally is rationally impossible and canonically impossible.
Imām Ash'arī says: It is rationally possible and canonically impossible.
Cemals Conclusion: The Prophet SAW said “any believer with Eeman the weight of a mustard seed will be taken out of hell.” and Allah says “Shirk will not be forgiven” (if one dies in that state) and “hell is everlasting for the disbelievers” And rationale is irrelevant here.
The 10th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: The name and the named [al-ism wa al-Mussammā] are one.
Imam Ash'arī says: There is a distinction between these two [the name and the named] and the action of naming [tasmiya].
Cemals conclusion: Allah knows best.
With regards to the creation, the name and the created thing named are linked by acknowledgement or recognition of the one concerned for that thing İ.e the nameholder, the namegiver, Allah himself, or the one concerned about the thing named.
If there is no concern for the name of a created thing by an entity that recognises it then it is of no importance and has no link.
In terms of the names of Allah and the names Allah has named things even if no one were to recognise them the names would still be linked with the named entity as it is Allah who has preserved these links himself.
In the case of Allahs names they describe his being and are himself, in this case (with regard to Allahs 99 names) İmam Maturidi would be correct as his names are himself and have never and will never will change. They are established with his essence.
But in terms of created things the name is relevant to the one concerned about that thing İ.e that it is recognised, whether that be by Allah or another created being.
Some hold the view that a name has an effect on a person in terms of the resonance and meaning it has, it can be good or bad for the person and gain barakah for those who use it. The best names before Allah are Abdullah and Abdur Rahman followed by the names of the Prophets upon them be peace.
The 11th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: Being a male is a condition for being a Prophet; so it is not possible for a woman to be a Prophetess.
Imam Ash'arī says: Being a male is not a condition for prophethood; being a male is not mutually exclusive with prophethood.
Cemals Conclusion: Evidence suggests Imam Maturidi is correct as there are no recorded female prophets in history, therefore it is evident whether officially stated or not. In İslam we are taught a female cannot be the leader of men and that a state with a female leader will never prosper.
The 12th issue.
Imam Maturidi says: The action of a servant is called acquisition [Kasb], not creation [Khalq]. The action of Allah is called creation, not acquisition. Both these two are included in the term - 'action'
Imam Ash'arī says: The term 'action' denotes bringing something into existence, literally. The acqusition of a servant is only an action, metaphorically. (As Allah is the creator of that action even if the person did the action)
Cemals Conclusion: Imam Ma’turidi is correct in the sense that a man will acquire the postitive or negative consequences of the chosen action that Allah creates and he acquires the results of the action Allah created and he did not create his own action. And if Allah wants he can forgive him.
Comments