THE METHODOLOGY OF AL-MATURIDI’S QUR’ANIC EXEGESIS: Study of Ta’wilat Ahl al-Sunnah

<p><em>According to Islamic theology, al-Maturidi is one of the three prominent Muslim theologians of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama</em><em>‘</em><em>ah who are called </em>aqt\ab<em> </em>madhhab Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah <em>(the leaders of Sunnite school of thought). In addition to his reputation as a theologian, al-Maturidi actually was competent in various Islamic sciences. In Qura</em><em>’</em><em>nic exegesis, he has </em>Ta’wilat<em> </em>Ahl al-Sunnah <em>or </em>Ta’wilat al-Qur’an<em>. Unfortunately, this fact isn</em><em>’</em><em>t known well by Islamic researchers. This article is going to elucidate the features of his work that encompass at least seven characteristics. Al-Maturidi prefers to combine the </em>naqli <em>(traditional) and </em>‘aqli <em>(rational) sources. Consequently, it can be identified as </em>tafsir bi’l-izdiwaj <em>or the exegesis that amalgamates </em>tafsir bi’l-ma’thur <em>(traditional exegesis) with </em>tafsir bi’l-ra’y <em>(rational exegesis). He is not an interpreter who uses excessive grammatical analysis to interpret the Qura</em><em>’</em><em>nic verses. He sometimes presents many styles of </em>qira’ah<em> (recitation of the Qur</em><em>’</em><em>an) without thorough explanation. He almost never uses </em>Isra’iliyyat <em>(the Judeo-Christian traditions and tales) to interpret the Qura</em><em>’</em><em>nic verses. He favors </em>tawassut <em>(nonaligned and independent standpoint) when he deals with different viewpoints among theologians. He tends to follow the Hanafite school of thought in discussing the jurisprudential Qura</em><em>’</em><em>nic verses. He applies </em>asbab al-nuzul <em>(the causes of revelation) loosely.</em></p> <p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Qura’nic studies, Qura’nic Exegesis, al-Maturidi, <em>Ta</em><em>’</em><em>wilat Ahl al-Sunnah.</em></p&gt