An essay outlining the differences between the Ashʿarīs and Māturīdīs By Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Kamāl Pāshā
Know that Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī is the Imām of the Ahl al-Sunnah and stands at its forefront, and thereafter is Shaykh Abū Manşūr al-Māturīdī. The followers of Imām al-Shāfiʿī [generally] follow Shaykh Abū al-Hasan al-Ashʿarī in the fundamentals of doctrine and [the Ashāʿirah follow] Imām al-Shāfiʿī in jurisprudential laws; and the followers of Imām Abū Hanīfah follow Shaykh Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī in the fundamentals of doctrine and [the Māturīdīyyah follow] Imām Abū Hanīfah in jurisprudential laws. This is what some of the scholars have clarified for our benefit.
There are no [major] contentions between the two scholars and those that follow them in the fundamentals of doctrine except in 12 issues[concerning the peripheral matters of creed.]
The 1st issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The attribute of creation (takwīn) is a pre-eternal attribute, which subsists with the Entity (dhāt) of Allāh, just like the rest of His attributes. It is completely unlike that which has been brought into existence (mukawwan). The attribute of takwīn is linked with every single thing which has been brought into existence within the boundaries of the universe – including each and every single particle – from the moment of its inception. It is like the will of Allāh in that it is pre-eternal, linked with that which is willed from the moment of its inception; just as the power of Allāh is pre-eternal with its possibilities (maqdūrāt).
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is a contingent attribute which does not subsist with the Entity of Allāh. According to Imām Ashʿarī, it is an attribute of action (ṣifat al-fʿil) and is not of the pre-eternal attributes. The attributes of action, in their entirety, are contingent, like the attribute of creation (takwīn), the attribute of origination (īyjād), and the materialisation of the universe by its linkage to the command – ‘Kun’.
The 2nd issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard; the thing which is heard is that which indicates towards it.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It can be heard, just as it has been prolificated regarding Sayyidunā Mūsā (peace be upon him).
Imām Ibn Fūrak said: Two things are heard when the speaker recites, the voice of the speaker and the speech of Allāh.
Al-Qāđi al-Bāqillānī said: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard with regards to the conventional concept; rather, it is possible that Allāh can make it audible to whomever He wills from His creation, contrary to the intuitive concept [in that it occurs] without the means of words and noises.
Abū Isḥāq al-Isfarāyīnī and those who follow him say: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard at all, and this is the stance Imām Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī has adopted, just as is reported in al-Bidāyah.
The 3rd issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The Creator of the universe is attributed with Wisdom (ḥikma); whether that is in the meaning of ‘knowledge’ or ‘mastery of actions’.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: If it is in the meaning of knowledge then it is a pre-eternal attribute which subsists with the Entity of Allāh.
If it is in the meaning of ‘mastery of actions’ then it is a created attribute like Takwīn and therefore the Entity of Allāh should not be attributed with this.
The 4th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Allāh wills obedience or disobedience for the entirety of creation, regardless of whether they are bodies (jawhar) or accidents (ʿarḍ). The difference is that obedience occurs with the will of Allāh, His Decree, His Pre-ordainment, His Pre-destination, His Pleasure, His Love and His Command. Sins occur with the Will of Allāh and His rule; not with His pleasure, His Love and His Command.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: The pleasure of Allāh and His Love encompass all contingent things, just like His Will.
The 5th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: To burden someone with that which they cannot endure (taklīf mā lā yuṭāq) is not possible but the tasking (tahmīl) of that which they can endure is possible.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Both are possible.
The 6th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Some rulings, which are related to legal accountability (taklīf), are known rationally. This is because the intellect is an instrument through which the excellence or ugliness of some things can be ascertained. And with it, the necessity of faith and the expression of gratitude to the One who Bestows Favours can be understood.
Allāh 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. Just as the Prophet ﷺ made the obligations known [to mankind]; and the one who truly necessitated it was Allāh whilst through the medium of Prophet ﷺ.
This is what led Imām Māturīdī to say that – ‘there is no excuse for anyone to be ignorant of the Creator for he can verily see the [signs] of creation in the Heavens and the Earth,’ and, ‘even if a Messenger was not sent, it would still be necessary upon him to ascertain their own cognisance of the Creator through their intellects.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Nothing is necessary nor forbidden except by the Sacred Law – not by the intellect; even if the excellence or ugliness of some things can be known through it. According to Imām al-Ashʿarī, all things which pertain to legal accountability are from revelation.
The 7th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: A wretched person could become felicitous and a felicitous person could become wretched.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: There is no consideration given to felicity nor wretchedness except at the time of death.
The 8th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The forgiveness of disbelief is rationally impossible.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is rationally possible but impossible according to scripture.
The 9th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: It is rationally and legally impossible for a believer to abide in Hell eternally and for a disbeliever to abide in Paradise eternally
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is rationally possible and legally impossible.
The 10th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The name (al-ism) and the named (al-musammā) are one.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: There is a distinction between these two [the name and the named] and the action of naming [tasmiyyah]. Some from amongst them [the Ashʿarīs] divided ‘the name’ into three categories:
1) “Itself”
2) “Other than itself”
3) “Neither itself nor other than itself”
The consensus is upon [the belief] that this action of naming (tasmiyyah) is separate from these [three] categories and it is this (i.e. tasmiyyah) which is established with the one who is named, just as is mentioned in ‘Bidāyah al-Kalām‘.
The 11th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Being a male is a condition for Prophethood; consequently, it is not possible for a woman to be a Prophetess.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Being a male is not a condition for Prophethood; [therefore] being a female is not mutually exclusive with Prophethood, just as is mentioned in ‘Bidāyah al-Kalām‘.
The 12th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The action (f ʿil) of a servant is called acquisition (kasb), not creation (khalq). The action of Allāh is called creation, not acquisition; and the term ‘action’ can be used for both of them.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: The term ‘action’ refers to bringing something into existence in reality and that the acquisition of a servant is only called “action” metaphorically.
It has been said: ‘That which is permissible for the creator to be exclusively described with is creation. That which it is not permissible for the creator to be described with is acquisition.
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Know that Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī is the Imām of the Ahl al-Sunnah and stands at its forefront, and thereafter is Shaykh Abū Manşūr al-Māturīdī. The followers of Imām al-Shāfiʿī [generally] follow Shaykh Abū al-Hasan al-Ashʿarī in the fundamentals of doctrine and [the Ashāʿirah follow] Imām al-Shāfiʿī in jurisprudential laws; and the followers of Imām Abū Hanīfah follow Shaykh Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī in the fundamentals of doctrine and [the Māturīdīyyah follow] Imām Abū Hanīfah in jurisprudential laws. This is what some of the scholars have clarified for our benefit.
There are no [major] contentions between the two scholars and those that follow them in the fundamentals of doctrine except in 12 issues[concerning the peripheral matters of creed.]
The 1st issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The attribute of creation (takwīn) is a pre-eternal attribute, which subsists with the Entity (dhāt) of Allāh, just like the rest of His attributes. It is completely unlike that which has been brought into existence (mukawwan). The attribute of takwīn is linked with every single thing which has been brought into existence within the boundaries of the universe – including each and every single particle – from the moment of its inception. It is like the will of Allāh in that it is pre-eternal, linked with that which is willed from the moment of its inception; just as the power of Allāh is pre-eternal with its possibilities (maqdūrāt).
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is a contingent attribute which does not subsist with the Entity of Allāh. According to Imām Ashʿarī, it is an attribute of action (ṣifat al-fʿil) and is not of the pre-eternal attributes. The attributes of action, in their entirety, are contingent, like the attribute of creation (takwīn), the attribute of origination (īyjād), and the materialisation of the universe by its linkage to the command – ‘Kun’.
The 2nd issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard; the thing which is heard is that which indicates towards it.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It can be heard, just as it has been prolificated regarding Sayyidunā Mūsā (peace be upon him).
Imām Ibn Fūrak said: Two things are heard when the speaker recites, the voice of the speaker and the speech of Allāh.
Al-Qāđi al-Bāqillānī said: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard with regards to the conventional concept; rather, it is possible that Allāh can make it audible to whomever He wills from His creation, contrary to the intuitive concept [in that it occurs] without the means of words and noises.
Abū Isḥāq al-Isfarāyīnī and those who follow him say: The speech of Allāh cannot be heard at all, and this is the stance Imām Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī has adopted, just as is reported in al-Bidāyah.
The 3rd issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The Creator of the universe is attributed with Wisdom (ḥikma); whether that is in the meaning of ‘knowledge’ or ‘mastery of actions’.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: If it is in the meaning of knowledge then it is a pre-eternal attribute which subsists with the Entity of Allāh.
If it is in the meaning of ‘mastery of actions’ then it is a created attribute like Takwīn and therefore the Entity of Allāh should not be attributed with this.
The 4th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Allāh wills obedience or disobedience for the entirety of creation, regardless of whether they are bodies (jawhar) or accidents (ʿarḍ). The difference is that obedience occurs with the will of Allāh, His Decree, His Pre-ordainment, His Pre-destination, His Pleasure, His Love and His Command. Sins occur with the Will of Allāh and His rule; not with His pleasure, His Love and His Command.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: The pleasure of Allāh and His Love encompass all contingent things, just like His Will.
The 5th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: To burden someone with that which they cannot endure (taklīf mā lā yuṭāq) is not possible but the tasking (tahmīl) of that which they can endure is possible.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Both are possible.
The 6th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Some rulings, which are related to legal accountability (taklīf), are known rationally. This is because the intellect is an instrument through which the excellence or ugliness of some things can be ascertained. And with it, the necessity of faith and the expression of gratitude to the One who Bestows Favours can be understood.
Allāh 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. Just as the Prophet ﷺ made the obligations known [to mankind]; and the one who truly necessitated it was Allāh whilst through the medium of Prophet ﷺ.
This is what led Imām Māturīdī to say that – ‘there is no excuse for anyone to be ignorant of the Creator for he can verily see the [signs] of creation in the Heavens and the Earth,’ and, ‘even if a Messenger was not sent, it would still be necessary upon him to ascertain their own cognisance of the Creator through their intellects.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Nothing is necessary nor forbidden except by the Sacred Law – not by the intellect; even if the excellence or ugliness of some things can be known through it. According to Imām al-Ashʿarī, all things which pertain to legal accountability are from revelation.
The 7th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: A wretched person could become felicitous and a felicitous person could become wretched.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: There is no consideration given to felicity nor wretchedness except at the time of death.
The 8th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The forgiveness of disbelief is rationally impossible.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is rationally possible but impossible according to scripture.
The 9th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: It is rationally and legally impossible for a believer to abide in Hell eternally and for a disbeliever to abide in Paradise eternally
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: It is rationally possible and legally impossible.
The 10th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The name (al-ism) and the named (al-musammā) are one.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: There is a distinction between these two [the name and the named] and the action of naming [tasmiyyah]. Some from amongst them [the Ashʿarīs] divided ‘the name’ into three categories:
1) “Itself”
2) “Other than itself”
3) “Neither itself nor other than itself”
The consensus is upon [the belief] that this action of naming (tasmiyyah) is separate from these [three] categories and it is this (i.e. tasmiyyah) which is established with the one who is named, just as is mentioned in ‘Bidāyah al-Kalām‘.
The 11th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: Being a male is a condition for Prophethood; consequently, it is not possible for a woman to be a Prophetess.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: Being a male is not a condition for Prophethood; [therefore] being a female is not mutually exclusive with Prophethood, just as is mentioned in ‘Bidāyah al-Kalām‘.
The 12th issue
Imām al-Māturīdī said: The action (f ʿil) of a servant is called acquisition (kasb), not creation (khalq). The action of Allāh is called creation, not acquisition; and the term ‘action’ can be used for both of them.
Imām al-Ashʿarī said: The term ‘action’ refers to bringing something into existence in reality and that the acquisition of a servant is only called “action” metaphorically.
It has been said: ‘That which is permissible for the creator to be exclusively described with is creation. That which it is not permissible for the creator to be described with is acquisition.
The Differences between the Ashʿarīs and Māturidīs
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