Ḥanafī-Māturīdīsm: Trajectories of a Theological Legacy, with a Study and Critical Edition of al-Khabbāzī’s Kitāb al-Hādī, by Ayedh A. Aldosari.

Abstract

First Paragraph: The historical neglect of the Ḥanafī-Māturīdī tradition of Islamic theology in comparison to other schools, especially its closest rival Ashʿarism, is well-rehearsed. A price has been paid for the absence of reliable Arabic editions and translations of many texts, as well as the failure to study the development of the tradition on its own terms and in its interactions with other interlocutors. This state of affairs is starting to change with an increase of scholarly productions emerging in English and German, as well as an extremely dynamic period of Turkish scholarship. Ayedh Aldosari´s new volume, based on his 2012 doctoral dissertation, should be seen in the context of this development. He thus seeks to contribute to the field in two distinct ways: to produce a critical edition of a noted classical Māturīdī text, the Kitāb al-Hādī of Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad al-Khabbāzī (d. 691/1292) and to provide not only a thorough study of the author´s life and times, but of the entire prior development of Ḥanafī-Māturīdism.