The Asharis and Maturidis - Defenders of Ahle Sunnah by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Both Imam Ashari (descendant of the sahabi, Abu Musa al-Ashari) and Imam Maturidi (descendant of the sahabi, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari) were from the Salaf (first three Centuries after the Prophetic age). They simply defended and upheld the transmitted beliefs of the Qur'an and Sunna, as upheld by mainstream Sunni Islam in each generation before them, from the extremes of excessive literalism and excessive rationalism. Their teachings and methodology were accepted as the standard of mainstream Sunni Islam by clear general consensus of the scholarly community in their own times and in every generation. IN OTHERSWORDS TO BE A SUNNI YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW MATURIDI OR ASHARI OR ELSE YOUR ARE NOT A SUNI & A INNOVATOR. UNDERSTAND? Imam Maturidi studied under the student of Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ashari studied under the student of Imam Shafi. Maturidi refuted the heretics in Central Asia and written books against them, and Ashari did the same in Iraq. Till this day most of the Muslim follows these two.


The Prophet (s) said, "The Ash`aris among people are like a precious parcel containing musk." [Hadith of the Prophet narrated from Hasan al-Basri in the mode of mursal (missing the Companion link) in Ibn Sa`d's Tabaqat. Among those who explained the Ash`aris mentioned in the hadith to include reference to latter-day Ash`aris are Imam al-Qushayri, al-Subki, and Ibn Asakir]

"The best of men are the men of the Yemen. Faith is Yemen."
(Ahmad & Tabarani, by sound narrators by Haythami,)

The Maturidis, they are referred to in the narration of the Prophet (s) from Bishr al-Khath`ami or al-Ghanawi with a sound (sahîh) chain according to al-Hakim, al-Dhahabi, al-Suyuti, and al-Haythami: "Truly you shall conquer Constantinople and truly what a wonderful leader will her leader be [Mehmet Fatih Sultan ra] and truly what a wonderful army will that army be!" Both the leader and his army were classic Hanafi-Maturidis and it is known that Mehmet Fatih loved and respected Sufis, practiced tawassul, and followed a Shaykh. Moreover, enmity against Ash`aris, Maturidis, and Sufis, is nifâq and enmity against the Umma of Islam as most of the Ulema of Islam are thus described. (Dr. G.F. Haddad).

What about the Prophecy of our our friend Mr. Najdi? A person from Najd came to the Beloved Prophet (s) and said, "The best people are from Najd." The Prophet (s) said, "You lie! Rather the best people are from Yemen." {Abu Ya'la & Bazzar. Classifed as Sahih by Haythami in Zawa'id, volume 10}