What do you think?
Rate this book
Roots of Synthetic Theology in Islam: A Study of the Theology of Abu Mansur Al-Maturidi
Roots Of Synthetic Theology In Mustafa Ceric 0A4,A Study Of The Theology Of Abu Mansur Al- Maturidi (D. 333/944), Istac
- GenresIslamTheologyPhilosophy
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 1995
7 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 3, 2021
Pretty well written and researched book, essential for those who want to grasp core doctrines in Abu Mansur al-Maturidi's theology.
November 24, 2023
The orthodox Sunnites consists of two main schools: the Ash'arites and the Maturidites. As Islam was brought to the Malay Archipelago by the Shaffites' school, which traditionally follows the Ash'arites, it is no wonder if the Muslims here are not accustomed to the thoughts of Maturidism. The acolytes in pondoks (madrasahs) might recall the name of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in few isolated instances mentioned by their masters. They might recall on how the Attributes attributed to the Idea Realities (sifat al-ma'nawiyyah) are proposed by al-Maturidi rather than al-Ash'ari, but that's just about the extent of Maturidism as we know it.
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari, who origin were from Mu'tazilites, rose into prominence in the prodromal days before the full battle between the Mu'tazilites and the Traditionalists erupted. If he were to choose one side to go for and to secure his position as one of the orthodox theologians, he has to anchor his support to the Traditionalists. By doing so, this would lend some orthodox authority to his voice and ideas. Thus, Ash'arism clearly could not capitalize and utilize the full breadth of the wings of kalam (philosophy) due to the turbulence of its times.
But that was not the case to al-Maturidi. Born and lived all his life in the frontier of Islam at its farthest corner, where the Muslims still mingled with all kinds of ideology which tends to prosper at the periphery of the strong Caliphate. There were orthodox Christians, heretical Christians, Jahmites, Shiites, Kharijites, dualists among others sectarian groups thriving in al-Maturidi community. Unshackled by the political situations like al-Ash'ari and besieged by so many sectarian fragments, al-Maturidi can unfurled the full wings of Reason here.
And so, it is the teachings of al-Maturidi that we can truly call as a synthetic theology, as the method of al-Maturidi proceeds as follows: Reason is to be used to its very limit (provided its line of thoughts do not clash with any of the doctrine in the very first place), and where Reason could no longer provide answers, then we must utterly submit ourselves to the Doctrine.
Islamic theology is essentially a synthetic one, because it was born as an answer to the call for a middle-way solution between two extreme poles (al-madzhhab al-mutawassitah). Again and again, in any theological feuds between two contending party, the Sunnites would take the middle ground. For an instance, Kharijites believes that faith necessarily requires external good deeds; those who commit grave sins has performed an utter contradiction and his faith is forfeited. While its opponents were the Murjiites, with complete conformity believing that faith does not need any demonstration of external deeds howsoever; faith is a mere matter of cognition.
While al-Maturidi primarily took the Murjiites' side by believing that faith does not necessarily requires external deeds, as God Himself postpones the judgment of everybody to the Day of Hereafter, and also the Tradition also permits someone to externally forfeit their conviction in the face of danger, following the maqasid al-syariah, to preserve our lives, he rejected the Murjiite's idea that faith is a matter of cognition.
Cognition or ma'rifah, said al-Maturidi, does not necessarily brings about the knowledge of the things you believe in. You believe in the prophets and their teachings even we never seen them. And we believe there is Satan, but we do not believe in him. So, faith surely must not belong to such volatile state, it must then belong to assent. Assent is an act of grounding complete trust to God etc...The act of assent differs from cognition in terms of assent is bringing the object of conviction inside, while believing is an act of acknowledging the object of belief outside. Cognition is yet a complete act of faith, it stands at an equal level with scientists or mathematicians, while clearly believing their field of research, but yet to take it as a Sign of a Creator.
This book essentially a crystallisation of al-Maturidi's magnum opus Kitab al-Tawhid. I am sure it would be very hard to find an original text in English for the book, and it would be harder to find a commentary on the text. This book provides everything you need to know regarding Maturidism.
Personally, while I was certainly struck on how much of my thoughts brush way too closely with Mu'tazilism (especially in their thoughts that the non-existent is a something, which clashes with the principle of monotheism, as by saying that they are affirming there is another eternal existence aside from God), but it put some comfort in my heart, that my Analogy of the Last Train Station bears some credit within the orthodox Islamic metaphysics.
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari, who origin were from Mu'tazilites, rose into prominence in the prodromal days before the full battle between the Mu'tazilites and the Traditionalists erupted. If he were to choose one side to go for and to secure his position as one of the orthodox theologians, he has to anchor his support to the Traditionalists. By doing so, this would lend some orthodox authority to his voice and ideas. Thus, Ash'arism clearly could not capitalize and utilize the full breadth of the wings of kalam (philosophy) due to the turbulence of its times.
But that was not the case to al-Maturidi. Born and lived all his life in the frontier of Islam at its farthest corner, where the Muslims still mingled with all kinds of ideology which tends to prosper at the periphery of the strong Caliphate. There were orthodox Christians, heretical Christians, Jahmites, Shiites, Kharijites, dualists among others sectarian groups thriving in al-Maturidi community. Unshackled by the political situations like al-Ash'ari and besieged by so many sectarian fragments, al-Maturidi can unfurled the full wings of Reason here.
And so, it is the teachings of al-Maturidi that we can truly call as a synthetic theology, as the method of al-Maturidi proceeds as follows: Reason is to be used to its very limit (provided its line of thoughts do not clash with any of the doctrine in the very first place), and where Reason could no longer provide answers, then we must utterly submit ourselves to the Doctrine.
Islamic theology is essentially a synthetic one, because it was born as an answer to the call for a middle-way solution between two extreme poles (al-madzhhab al-mutawassitah). Again and again, in any theological feuds between two contending party, the Sunnites would take the middle ground. For an instance, Kharijites believes that faith necessarily requires external good deeds; those who commit grave sins has performed an utter contradiction and his faith is forfeited. While its opponents were the Murjiites, with complete conformity believing that faith does not need any demonstration of external deeds howsoever; faith is a mere matter of cognition.
While al-Maturidi primarily took the Murjiites' side by believing that faith does not necessarily requires external deeds, as God Himself postpones the judgment of everybody to the Day of Hereafter, and also the Tradition also permits someone to externally forfeit their conviction in the face of danger, following the maqasid al-syariah, to preserve our lives, he rejected the Murjiite's idea that faith is a matter of cognition.
Cognition or ma'rifah, said al-Maturidi, does not necessarily brings about the knowledge of the things you believe in. You believe in the prophets and their teachings even we never seen them. And we believe there is Satan, but we do not believe in him. So, faith surely must not belong to such volatile state, it must then belong to assent. Assent is an act of grounding complete trust to God etc...The act of assent differs from cognition in terms of assent is bringing the object of conviction inside, while believing is an act of acknowledging the object of belief outside. Cognition is yet a complete act of faith, it stands at an equal level with scientists or mathematicians, while clearly believing their field of research, but yet to take it as a Sign of a Creator.
This book essentially a crystallisation of al-Maturidi's magnum opus Kitab al-Tawhid. I am sure it would be very hard to find an original text in English for the book, and it would be harder to find a commentary on the text. This book provides everything you need to know regarding Maturidism.
Personally, while I was certainly struck on how much of my thoughts brush way too closely with Mu'tazilism (especially in their thoughts that the non-existent is a something, which clashes with the principle of monotheism, as by saying that they are affirming there is another eternal existence aside from God), but it put some comfort in my heart, that my Analogy of the Last Train Station bears some credit within the orthodox Islamic metaphysics.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews