Māturīdī Renaissance in the 12th/18th century. With an annoted Translation and Analysis of Muḥammad b. Walī b. Rasūl al-Qīršahrī al-Izmīrī's (died 1165/1751) Kitāb al-Masāʾil al-ḫilāfiyya bayna l-Māturīdiyya wa-l-Ašāʿira and the Author's Commentary.

• Applicant: Dr. Angelika Brodersen
• Subject Area: Islamic Studies, Arabian Studies, Semitic Studies
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 513826643

The Māturīdite current of Sunni kalām enjoys great popularity today even outside its transoxanic region of origin. Originating in the territory of present-day Uzbekistan and becoming tangible as a theological school at the turn of the 5th/11th century, it refers to the work of the Ḥanafite theologian and jurist Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944). From the late 5th/11th century onward, we can observe a dispute with the competing Sunni school of the Ašʿariyya. However, this demarcation softens over time, culminating in a series of writings in Ottoman times in which the points of difference between the two schools are enumerated but presented as ultimately so insignificant that one can speak of a harmonizing tendency toward a unified Sunni school. This project aims to illuminate details of 12th/18th century Sunni theology from a Māturīdī perspective. The focus is on the "Kitāb al-Masāʾil al-ḫilāfiyya bayna l-Māturīdiyya's wa-l-Ašāʿira" ("Book of the controversial issues") and its commentary by Muḥammad b. Walī b. Rasūl al-Qīršahrī al-Izmīrī (d. 1165/1751). For at this Ḥanafite Muftī and versatile scholar's lifetime, a paradigm shift occurred within Sunnism in that some theologians were again increasingly turning to Māturīdite sources and endeavoring to prove the superiority of this type of theology over the Ašʿarite system. Starting with an annotated translation of the text, we will first analyze which theological topics were the focus of interest and were particularly controversial between the Māturīdiyya and the Ašʿariyya. In this way, the "Kitāb al-Masāʾil" proves to be an important testimony for the analysis of theological discourse during the 12th/18th century. Moreover, the "Kitāb al-Masāʾil al-ḫilāfiyya" also represents a hitherto unnoticed source for reconstructing earlier phases in the formation of the Māturīdiyya. This is because the author not only refers to well-known sources, but also names individuals as Māturīdī mutakallimūn who are not perceived as such in previous research. Through this reception of early Māturīdite works, the "Kitāb al-Masāʾil al-khilāfiyya" can thus also serve as a source for reconstructing the early Māturīdiyya or modifying statements of previous research. Furthermore, against the background of the increasing popularity of Māturīdī theology in contemporary Muslim communities, the translation and analysis of the "Kitāb al-Masāʾil" should contribute to placing current developments in intellectual and social history in their historical context and to questioning them. The theological work under investigation thus represents an important link between writings from the early period of the Māturīdī school and their interpretation in modern discourse.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants