Imom Buxoriy xalqaro ilmiy-tadqiqot markazi bukhari.uz
As regards the attitude of Imam A’zam Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafian order of Islam which is widely spread in our country, to the science of kalam in the religion, the historical sources provide two different ideas opposing each other. According to the first view, Imam Abu Hanifa was engaged in the science of kalam to some extent and wrote some monographic researches in this field. When he was in Basra, he e’ven had a fight against those parties and groups in the religion that got lost in this way and explained them the right way to follow in this matter. These facts allow us to call him as the founder of the science of kalam in Islam. However, according to the second view, we may imagine Imam Abu Hanifa as a scientist far from the ideas of the science of kalam in Islam. He may be imagined as a famous representative of the Islamic law. Perhaps under the influence of the Islamic law he could not get engaged well enough with the science of kalam. On this matter, he expresses his attitude to the science of kalam in the following lines: “In spite of the amount of knowledge they had, the Sahabas and Tabi’is did not get engaged seriously in the science of kalam and they used to prevent those who got involved in this field from learning this science. They used to use the rules of this science in teaching people and explaining the debatable problems of the laws of Shariah”. As a historian Tashkuprizada writes in his book “Miftah as-Saadat” (Keys to Happiness) that Imam Abu Hanifa even prohibited his son Hammad to learn the science of kalam.
Under such unsuitable conditions, Imam al-Maturidi did fight against the opponents of the science of kalam, founded the main principles of this science and tried to improve the psychological situation among the believers. Because at the time when Imam al-Maturidi lived there appeared different small parties and groups fighting with each other on different and unimportant questions that had nothing to do with the main laws and principles of Islam. He tried to lead the believers to the right way of understanding the essence of Islam and its basic princi pies to follow. His explanations based on mind and its expression did not leave place for those wrongdoings and different divisions in religion. He defended and saved the right and pure ideas on our sacred religion, its main laws and principles and showed their role in our spiritual life. It is perhaps because of these principles that our estimated compatriot .ind world-known scientist Imam al-Maturidi was awarded the honourable titles of the Islamic world as “Musahhih aqaid al-mus-limiyn” (Corrector of the Rules of Muslims) and “Qali’ azaliyn al-fitna va-l-bid’at” (Destroyer of the Ideas Built on Lie and Wrongdoings). In reality, the main sources Imam al-Maturidi based his views and theories on were ayahs of the Holy Qur’an with deep and clear meanings.
In dealing with the rules and laws of Islam, Imam al-Maturidi iclied on the rules and claims of the Holy Qur’an, built his ideas and views in conformity with them and made it suitable for the real lile of Muslims. The refusals he had addressed to his rivals and opponents were also based on these principles. The main discord between rivalling parties of Muslims was in the matters of belief and its practice. Because of the lack of coordination and discord, there appeared different opposing ideas and views in these matters among the Shiites, Khavarijs, Mu’tazilis, Murji’as, Karramis and other layers of Muslims.
The Salaf (the experts of the past) scientists introduced the practice into the idea of belief because their aim was to lead the Muslims to beautiful morals and qualities, encourage them to be faithful in line with the demands and rules of the ayahs of the Holy Qur’an, prevent them from unlawful acts and defend them from amoral attitude to the surrounding world. The main and the only aim of the fact that Prophet Muhammad (saas) was sent as a Prophet to the disposal of all Muslims was to keep the Muslim society safe and free from different wrong ideas and approaches to the demands of the Holy Qur’an.
The Messenger of Allah, His Excellency Prophet Muhammad (saas) called everybody to keep the souls of the Muslims free from different wrong ideas and approaches and encouraged them to be kind and patient to each other and do right and useful things for the sake of development of Islam and its followers. From the point of view of Islamic rules and ideas, iman (belief) is the acts, strivings and endeavours of Muslims for the sake of better life of all the members of the society, being kind and patient to the surrounding world, committing effective and useful acts with sincerity, being not indifferent and disloyal to the development of the society. The belief that does not find its realization in practice, i.e. in the real life, is like a fruitless tree or a soulless body. These ideas and views about belief and other matters in Islam are true in such a degree that no one who understands the essence of Islam can refuse and avoid them. One of them is the fact that no matter how strong may the belief of a Muslim be, he cannot be free from doing wrong things or sins against the rules and demands of Islam. Sometimes he may be drawn into the wish of sexual acts, or he can be impatient to the surrounding world, or may be loyal to his inner feelings (delight or admiration) without accounting the real conditions of life. Under the influence of such conditions, he may commit sin without feeling it consciously. We know that there is a saying that only the Lord of Heavens is sinless. So is it good to consider that at that moment the Muslim has left his belief or lost it and joined the society of kafirs? Is it right from the logical point of view? Is it acceptable to consider that he has lost all the blessings that he has earned by performing prayers five times a day and keeping fast, or by visiting Holy Mecca for pilgrimage and performing other claims and demands of Shariah, or by making good deeds and sacrifices?
Therefore, the Sahabas and Tabi’is did not declare the Muslim who committed a great sin against the laws of Islam as kafir but left his fate to the will of Allah. However, the representatives of the Khavarij trend in religion declared both Muslims who committed a great sin against the laws of Islam and those who committed small sins as kafirs. The representatives of the other trends and parties in religion had their own views and opinions concerning the matter under discussion.
His Excellency Imam Hanifa studied this problem thoroughly and, as a result of his studies and investigations, came to the conclusion that the Muslim who committed the sin against the laws of Islam is considered to be guilty before Allah and for his guilt he must be punished in accord with the laws of the Shariah. At the same time, it will be logically right if he is forgiven for the good deeds he has done before. The right to decide his fate is at the disposal of Allah. In accord with the will of Allah, he may be lorgiven or punished for his bad deeds and wrongdoings. Those experts who occupy neutral position in such matters consider that such a decision may be considered acceptable because they meet I he demands of the Salafs (the experts of the past). In order to upport the ideas expressed by Abu Hanifa, Imam al-Maturidi used <Iii(erent mental and practical proofs. According to them,real belief should be approved and supported by the soul of a man. He promoted the idea that without such approval there may be neither enlightenment nor speech (utterance). In order to perform the claims o| Shariah, there should be a perfect belief and practice. Thus, a Muslim who committed a great sin against the laws of Islam will neither lose his belief, nor be considered as kafir, nor as Mu’tazilis consider, be between believers and non-believers.
According to the theory promoted by Imam al-Maturidi, a perfect Muslim should be devoted to his belief and get engaged in good will, good deeds, prevent himself from doing wrong things, be able to differentiate what is halal (acceptable) and what is haram (not acceptable) for a Muslim and leave himself at the disposal of Allah. The founder of the Ash’ariya school Imam al-Ash’ari also supports these ideas.
According to the above-mentioned opinions, we can conclude that Imam al-Maturidi studied the activities of the small parties and groups who had lost their right way in religion and treated the reality one-sidedly; he tried to make logical and right conclusions and showed them the right way and approach in relation to the rules and laws of Islam. Summarizing his own views and visions of the things in reality, he founded his own school in the Sunni order called the Maturidiya School. Imam al-Maturidi’s immortal teachings later spread widely over neighbouring countries as Turkey, Afghanistan, India, China, etc. The role of Imam al-Maturidi’s teachings and the school he founded are of great importance in the introduction of the optimistic ideas of Islam to the souls of millions of Muslims.
