Salient Features of al-māturῑdi s Epistemology Aldila binti Dato Isahak

Transcription

1 Salient Features of al-māturῑdi s Epistemology Aldila binti Dato Isahak aldila@iium.edu.my Abstract By using the conceptual framework of epistemology and worldview of Alparslan Acikgenc, the significance of the salient features of al-māturῑdi s epistemology, namely, sense perception, reason and Revelation is discussed. In proving the feasibility of his epistemology, al-māturῑdῑ demonstrates through the methodology of burhān or demonstrative proof, at length, the relevance of obtaining the correct sources of knowledge and proper methodology of seeking knowledge of the reality of existence in order to reach the certainty of truth. He applied al-sam and al- aql at the source; hand in hand to understand the meaning of al-din, and concurrently the utilisation of al- Akhbār, al- Iyān and al-naẓar as the means to understand cosmology. By doing this he places al-dῑn as the foundation of the way of life of the rational being. An exposition of al- Māturῑdi s cosmology and the functions of sources of knowledge is given, where we see the relationship of Allah, the world and human being is discussed. It is found that sense perception being one of the means of finding the reality of existence plays a paramount role in his epistemology, for, without it, the whole truth cannot be known nor realised by the rational being. Hence, showing the significant of al- Māturῑdi s epistemology is to assist the rational being to arrive at the transcendental truth of the universe, that is, the cosmos is finite in nature, and that only Allah is the One Eternal Creator and Sustainer. 1

2 INTRODUCTION Kalām is the discipline that strives to establish the wisdom, understanding or ḥikmah, that are only sought after by rational being. This wisdom or understanding sought is with regard to the existence of the rational being and other existents vis-à-vis the Ultimate Existence. It is thus, the discipline that guides the rational being to understand the reality of existence or ḥaqā iq al- āshiyā is based on the The Truth of the realities of existence, namely al-ḥaqq. It is when al-ḥaqq, The Truth or the essence of existence is found, the teleological-ontological existence of cosmology and the axiology of life based on the worldview of Tawḥῑd becomes logical and this is the aim of kalām. By using the conceptual framework of epistemology and worldview of Alparslan Acikgenc, showing how a scientific worldview is constructed through a systematic application of epistemology, this essay investigates the significance of al-māturῑdi s epistemology within the context of a systematic thinker who constructed an Islamic epistemology of kalām. It is thus, the objective of this essay to see the epistemology that has been formulated by al-māturῑdῑ through burhān or demonstrative proof leads to the correct understanding of The Truth. Where he shows that the way to the truth; whether to understand the meaning of life or the teleological existence of cosmology (ḥaqā iq al- āshiyā ) or to understand and know The Truth (al-haqq), lies in the very being or the faculties of the rational being. In other words the rational being has within their physical, mental, spiritual and physiological make up, the very constituents needed hold the key to reach the truth. 1 1 A more thorough and critical study of the functions of the three sources of knowledge of cosmology, i.e. al- Iyān, al-akhbār, and al-naẓar can be found in the article by the author, Salient Features of al-māturῑdi s Theory of Knowledge, al-shajarah, Vol. 6, No Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC. 2

3 EPISTEMOLOGY The history of epistemology dates back to the time of Plato. It is held that this discipline was born out of his efforts to rid the system of thought propagated by the Sophists, concerning the negation of certitude of knowledge that can be acquired by a rational being. 2 In so doing he started an investigation into the nature of knowledge, its validity as well as the sources from which knowledge is acquired. 3 Al-Māturῑdῑ; finding himself in a similar situation in 3rd century A.H. / 9th century C.E., amidst the genesis of peripatetic philosophy during the time of the Abbasid caliphate, was defending Islam against foreign worldviews that was encroaching upon the Islamic worldview that is based on tawhid and the internal schisms among the Muslims between the traditionalists and the rationalists of the Mu tazilites; the conflicting schools of naql and aql among the fuqahā and the mutakallimūn. By defining an Islamic epistemology he became the forerunner of the investigation of epistemology in kalām. Thereon, the discussion on epistemology became central to the Muslim thinkers in kalām. Epistemology is the study of the sources or the means as to how knowledge comes is obtained or formulated. According to Acikgenc, epistemology is concerned with only the nature of the internal knowledge acquisition process and how it takes place. 4 He, however further said that kalām philosophers always include the external process of acquiring knowledge in their epistemologies. 5 Hence, the combination of internal and external knowledge acquisition process becomes the fundamental characteristic of Islamic epistemology. 6 Epistemology, therefore, belongs to the realm of human experiences. For only 2 Paul Edwards (ed), The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (New York : Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. & The Free Press, Ibid. 4 Alparslan Açikgenç. Islamic Scientific Tradition in History. (Kuala Lumpur : IKIM, 2014) Ibid. 6 Ibid. 3

4 the rational being pursues the investigation of knowledge in order to justify their belief. The urge for the justification of belief though inherent in the rational being, is not however pursued fully by every single rational being, because most prefer to blindly follow their faith, i.e. being dogmatic in their practice because it is easier to live a life of ignorant than an enlightened life. Which means the ignorant rational being becomes blind followers of their faith and belief system, and this, according to al-māturῑdῑ will never lead them to the true understanding of cosmology. AL-MĀTURῙDI S COSMOLOGY The unique physical and nonphysical frames of the rational being consists of empirical faculties, rational faculties and spiritual faculties are in fact what distinguishes the rational being from other beings. The experiences brought about by the empirical faculties become the sense experience which the rational being perceives through their senses. After such experiences come into contact with their lives, one will be able to see the workings of the rational faculty. Henceforth, the faculties of the rational being are exercised in order to bring about logical explanations and comprehension so as to ascertain the purpose of such sense experience. This in turn will lead them to utilise their rational faculty to understand such experiences and thus, should lead one to understand manifestations of the cosmos. It is no wonder that al-māturῑdi s epistemology is two-prong, namely, the way to al-dῑn and the way to cosmology. Whence, one will see that he had carefully and logically bound the relationship between the senses and reason with Revelation to become the foundation of his epistemology. Existence is of two kinds, an existence of the world of the sensibles 7 ; ālam alshahādah, in which its manifestations can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted through 7 What is meant by the world of the sensibles is the secular, mundane world that are experienced through sense perception. 4

5 the faculties of the senses of the animate beings. The other existence is an existence of the non-sensible or the invisible existence: ālam al-ghayb, unseen, cannot be heard, smelled, touched or tasted, for the existence of this realm is not responsive to these external faculties that are the sources of the perceptible mundane existence. This world can only be known, if at all, through intuition and spiritual illumination guided by the Revelation. Both existence coexist in the same cosmology which seems to be more physical than metaphysical, and due to the unknowable nature of the invisible world through the normal channel or cognition of the rational being, it becomes a mysterious world which at times overlaps the world of the sensibles and poses questions to the rational being. As it is clear in this exposition, on the basis of the Maturidean epistemology we are putting puts forward two types of human experiences which provides data from the two world of existence: sensible experience and spiritual experience. What is the role of reason in this dichotomy? For him, reason, or to use his term, naẓar or speculative thinking, plays an essential role in helping the rational being to reach conclusions. Both the physical and the non-physical world, combined, therefore play an important role in the lives of the living being on earth. However, it is the physical world that seems to be playing a greater role in influencing their way of life that has given rise to materialism. The reason is simply because the first experience which these rational beings would encounter is various physical existence that permeates throughout cosmology. The physique of the cosmology overwhelms the other existence, hence, the rational being would either be ignorant or forget the existence of the other world, because the non-physical entity of the existence is alien to the rational being that are seemingly physical in nature. Henceforth, one will find in al-māturῑdi s epistemology the relationship between these two worlds are 5

6 connected by the role which the faculty of the senses plays. For his epistemology highlights the importance of it as the foundation of the means that should lead the rational being to the reality of existence or ḥaqā iq al- āshiyā. Allah Allah is the One, Eternal Creator who Composes and Sustains the cosmos. The cosmology 8 of the universe is the manifestation of both the physical and the invisible that can be experienced by the sensible beings. The invisible force or forces that is apparent to the senses of the rational being, is that which influence the formulations as well as the conditions of the physical manifestation of the cosmos. The conditions of these physical manifestations are experienced either directly through the senses of the sensibles, or indirectly through the exercise of reason of the rational being. It is here that we find the functions of the senses and the rational faculty works interchangeable and interdependently in the pursuance of the understanding of the position of the Creator, the world and also that of rational being, and this is the purpose of knowledge. In establishing the purpose of knowledge, we will see that al-māturῑdῑ places reason to be the faculty that play the role of an arbitrator in the understanding of the realities of existence. He had established that Allah is the Creator of all things, and that He is the sole Composer of the universe, as such, the harmony and the uniformity that is inherent in the existence of the universe are the pivots of life. 9 8 Cosmology has been defined by Osman Bakar as that which... deals with the whole reality of the cosmos. Tawḥῑd and Science: Essays of the History and Philosophy of Islamic Science, (Penang : Secretariat for Islamic Philosophy and Science, 1991), Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, xxvi. 6

7 Being the sole Creator and the Composer of the universe, it is logical to conclude that He is the only One Sustainer in respect to the life of the rational being and the cosmos. If there were to be more than one Composer, then it would mean that more than one system would be governing the cosmos. If this is so, the cosmos will not be in harmony. This understanding of the oneness in the creation of the universe is Tawhid. In order to convey this message of Tawhid or the oneness of His existence to the rational being, there must a medium whose nature is communicable with Allah and the rational being. The coexistence of the two natures - the medium - would reflect the attestation of the unseen Creator, at the same time its physical manifestation which will attest to the created nature of the existence of the rational being. This medium must be a medium of communication that will facilitate the understanding of Tawhid in a way that is intelligible to the rational being. The language or the logical coherence which it carries must be able to be acquired by the rational being either through the scriptures, sayings or practices that can be found in the prophets or messengers whom Allah has chosen. According to al-māturῑdῑ, this link between the Creator and the created is found in the institution of prophethood whose purpose is to affirm the oneness of Allah. 10 Whereupon the knowledge of the finite nature of the world can be conceived and explained. The World The world is a finite entity whose existence is the result of the creation of the One Eternal Creator. It consists of substances that can be perceived by the senses and through speculative thinking, its nature can be deduced to be temporal. Thus, it implies the dependent nature upon of the world upon another existence greater than itself, in this case the Ultimate Existent Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, xxvi. 11 Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, xx. 7

8 The creation and the temporality of the world and its constituents is the reality of existence which al-māturῑdῑ tries to prove, and that the purpose of their creation is to lead the rational being to acknowledge the Ultimate Existent, whose Being permeates the entire existence of the cosmos. Al-Māturῑdῑ postulates that the world is created wherein it is an abode of both the animate and inanimate objects. Their immutability is observable through the fact of procreation and annihilation which makes up their being and becoming. 12 This existence can be further broken down to substances, whereby their distinctive characters are ascertained by the accidents which define them. These substances consists of contradictory natures whose coming together could only be conceived as a result of another existence whose nature must be the opposite of all that can be found in the perceptible world of the sensibles. The divergent nature of substances are the elements such as life and death, young and old, generation and corruption. These observations are made and confirmed by the testimony of the tradition and the scientists, through the synthesis of the senses and reason. According to al-māturῑdῑ, if one follows the logic and the finitude of the substances, one will have no excuse but to confirm that the world is transient. 13 Substances in al-māturῑdi s natural philosophy, are made up of accidents which characterises each substance as it is in itself, which is finite. It is from this premise that he arrives at the conclusion the world is created, because it is made up of transient substances which completes its existence. If one can accept the nature of the components of the world to be true, then he cannot see any reason as to why a different conclusion can be made of such 12 Mustafa Ceric, Roots of Synthetic Theology in Islām: A Study of the Theology of Abu Mansūr al-māturῑdῑ (d. 333/944), (Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, 1995) Herewith cited as al-māturῑdῑ. 13 Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, xx. 8

9 premises. 14 From these al-māturῑdῑ affirms the creation of the world as well as its temporality. Human Beings Human beings, the sensible-rational beings, whose existence is supported by the empirical senses and reason, is able to perceive and understand the cosmology of the universe. Al- Māturῑdῑ views human beings as beings whose lives will be fulfilled if and when they conform to the prescribed morality that has been revealed by Allah. 15 As such, this objective can only be achieved if the rational being knows and understands the purpose of their existence in conformity with that of the Ultimate Being. The rational being is also capable of acquiring the knowledge of the true nature of things. As mentioned before, knowledge of aldin can only be obtained if the means to it is obtained from al-sam and al- aql taken together. WORLDVIEW Every human being has a worldview; a window to look at the outside world of their own ontological being. It is naturally formed in their minds from the time humans were babies, influenced by everything they experienced; the external factors, such as their family upbringing, their surroundings, their schooling and education. This natural view of the world that is unique to each human being is coherent though not formed in a systematic manner. It is as a result of this coherent, natural worldviews that their personalities are formed. Acikgenc says that a worldview is an architectonic network of ideas, conceptions, beliefs and aspirations in which all that make it up are organized in a coherent manner, but not 14 al-māturῑdῑ, al-māturῑdῑ

10 necessarily in a systematically interconnected network. 16 This means that a worldview is the framework within which our mind operates. 17 Hence, it is inconceivable to think that any human being is absent of a worldview. This leads one to look for an answer what makes a human being a rational being, because throughout this essay, the term rational being has been used to denote the meaning of a thinking human being who uses reason, sense perception and tradition to try and understand the teleological existence of cosmology and The Truth. The term rational being must imply a being that has a systematic framework and way of thinking that helps them to find the truth. It is on this basis that Acikgenc explains in details as to how a scientific worldview or a transparent worldview is formulated, and this scientific worldview depends on the rational being s epistemology. He says the transparent worldview can be formed in two types of societies, first, in an environment in which the dissemination of knowledge within the society takes place non-scientifically; second, in a society where scientific knowledge regulates the dissemination of knowledge. 18 In order to see the significance of al- Māturῑdῑ s epistemology, the second situation is more fitting to be applied here, and can be summed up in the table below: 16 Alparslan Acikgenc, Islamic Science: Towards a Definition (Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, 1996) 14. Herewith cited as Islamic Science. 17 Ibid, i. 18 Islamic Science,

11 Natural Coherent but not systematic Worldview Transparent Coherent and systematic (Non- Scientific and Scientific environment) 3 levels Abstraction ( ulamā ) Concretization (Intellectuals) Educational Institutions & Media (Social level) Table 1: Formation of Worldviews From the table above, it can be seen that there are two types of worldviews; natural and transparent. The transparent worldview that is coherent and systematic that leads to a scientific worldview goes through three levels of dissemination of knowledge. The first level, as can be seen there is the level of abstraction. The people responsible at the abstraction level are the ulamā ; this is the level where the ulamā created system theories or philosophy or kalām based on a constructive epistemology. The second level, the concretization level is where the intellectuals emerged because they are the illuminated personalities who develop a transparent worldview within an environment of scientific activities. 19 These are the people who could be educators, artists and architects are able to concretize the abstract ideas. Meaning to say that they are able to translate the scientific, abstract ideas of the ulamā in tangible actions, but they themselves have not reached the level of the ulamā because they were not able to construct anything that is abstract and scientific. The third level of the transparent worldview is the role which the educational institutions and media plays in 19 Ibid,

12 disseminating the scientific ideas to the society. 20 After having gone through the conceptual framework of epistemology and worldview by Acikgenc, one is able to arrive to the significance of al-māturῑdῑ s epistemology, and that is to see that al-māturῑdῑ s epistemology has placed him to be at the first level of the formation of a scientific worldview because he was able to introduce a scientific method of understanding the teleology of the universe. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AL-MĀTURῙDI S EPISTEMOLOGY Knowledge has been defined as a belief that has been justified. 21 One can assume, that, before a belief or a hypothesis becomes knowledge, that belief or hypothesis must have undergone a process or validation or verification of some sort in order to prove that the belief is justified. Once this belief is justified, it becomes knowledge. This is not an unfounded definition as one can observe this very clearly in the scientific methodology. Before discoveries of science are made, assumptions, a belief or hypothesis is tested. This is done in order to show that the answer is conclusive; experiments and observations are made or created so as to verify the findings. Only after the scientific methodology is applied and the assumptions, belief or hypothesis were verified and proven to be conclusive and true, a new scientific discovery is made. Thus, this new scientific discovery becomes a new body of knowledge. As a result of this rigorous methodology of verifying, validating their findings that science or scientific discoveries have been taken as the measure of a proven, justified belief system or assumptions or hypothesis that becomes knowledge. In Arabic, knowledge is known as al-ilm. For the non-scientific community, the usual translation of al- ilm into English is knowledge. However, in the expositions of the 20 This explanation is based on the books by Alparslan Acikgenc, Islamic Science: Towards a Definition (1996) and Islamic Scientific Tradition in History (2014). 21 Jonathan Dancy and Ernest Sosa (eds), Blackwell Companion to Philosophy: A Companion to Epistemology, (Oxford : Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1993),

13 mutakallimūn, al- ilm is used to denote the meaning of science, which means the knowledge that has gone through various validation and verification process in order to justify a belief system, so that it can be accepted to be true, i.e. knowledge. 22 It is within this context that one can see the significance of al-māturῑdi s epistemology when he says there are three sources, methods or means of al- ilm, he was implying a scientific explanation of the meaning of life that is part and parcel of the din of Islam. This can be seen much more clearly in al-māturῑdi s epistemology when he uses the world al-ilm to refer to the knowledge or the understanding of the reality of existence, 23 and ma rifah is the word used by him to refer to the knowledge of The Truth or al-haqq. This knowledge however, can only be considered to be correct if the means to reach it are correct as well. Thus, how can one know with some degree of certainty that what one knows is the truth, and at the same time how can one arrive at the truth, i.e. how can one know by what means will one be assured of the validity of the truth known or acquired? Further, what is the measure of truth, meaning to say that what is the guide that will help one to seek the right thing and whence does know that the truth sought has been achieved and that might lead one to ascertain the purpose of the creation of the universe and its constituents. It is this, which shows the relationship of epistemology and cosmology. Before we look at an overview of his epistemology, it is only logical for us to see his scope of knowledge. For only once this is established, can we see the relevance of the upcoming discussion, for one will be able to see the logic of his epistemology. Therefore, it is only pertinent that the concept of al-din be discussed first in the context of his thought, for 22 A more thorough discussion on the definition of science and Islamic science can be found in the book by Alparslan Acikgenc, Islamic Science: Towards a Definition (1996) and Islamic Scientific Tradition in History (2014). 23 Ibid, 7. 13

14 it is the only logical link which one may connect when one looks at the title of his book Kitāb al- Tawḥῑd. Al-din is a way of life that is complete in itself. 24 It does not need any other philosophy nor religious creed to compliment. It. It is the most comprehensive system of life that governs the spiritual, the physical, the sociological and the environmental factors that make up the lives of the rational being and the cosmos. It is a system that is so comprehensive and vast that its comprehensiveness cannot be comprehended within the lifespan of the human race. Its very nature of existence appeals to the psyche of the rational being in their pursuance of the wisdom mentioned above, either to satisfy their rational self, or to satisfy their sensory self or to satisfy the spiritual self. Just as it contains the impetus for rational and sensory investigations, it naturally contains the answers as well, and thus, gives us the methodology as to how to obtain the answers of cosmology, or in the case of al- Māturῑdῑ, he refers to is as the knowledge of the realities of things (al-ḥaqā iq al- āshiyā ). It can be deduced that al-din is the foundation of any knowledge, and that al-māturῑdῑ had proven this by presenting it as the premise which act as the platform unto which the cosmology lies, and thus, it is only logical for him to formulate a methodology which is conducive to rational being. According to him, the origin or the root of al-din is the interconnected faculties of the rational being, namely, al-sam and al- Aql. 25 Furthermore, in connection to these, there are three other ways or means that are further needed in order to sharpen the understanding of cosmology or the true nature of things in the universe, and they are, the senses / sense 24 A more detailed discussion about al-din can be obtained in the monograph of Syed Naquib al-attas, Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality (Kuala Lumpur : Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1992). 25 Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-samarqandi al-māturῑdῑ, Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, ed. Fathalla Kholeif, 2nd ed. (Beirut : Dar el-machreq Editeurs Sarl, 1982). 4. Henceforth cited as Kitāb al-tawḥῑd. 14

15 perception (al- Iyān), reports ands and testimony (al- al-akhbār) and speculative thinking (al- Naẓar). 26 According to him, without these, the true nature of the reality of existence which the rational being seeks to establish will not be attainable. The reason we could see above lies in the premise which al-māturῑdῑ placed on the importance of al-din as the foundation of the lives of the rational being. After having established the scope of al-māturῑdi s theory of knowledge, follows that one should see his view on cosmology, this is to help one to see the significance of his epistemology. Sense Perception: The Window of Existence Senses are faculties which the rational being and other animate beings have in common. It is the optimum use of these faculties are indispensable to the survival of both species. Whenever, or if ever one or more of the faculties of the senses are absent from the animate being, one would say that that particular being is handicapped or deformed. The reason is due to the imperfection of forms of their existence, as the perfection of the forms of the existence of any animate being are always connected with the presence of these external faculties. Each faculty is responsible for being receptive to external stimuli that are peculiar to each kind of the faculty of the senses. These faculties of the senses are the faculties which aid the animate being to retain the forms of the external perceptible world, and in order to make sense of the existence encountered, the rational being has to resort to another faculty which is internal in nature, either the reason or the heart. 27 Each faculty works individually, when the stimuli are conveyed to various faculties, the information relayed will be combined. This will help to make sense of the random or different information relayed. The intellectual power of the rational being will take over to play its part. Thus, the interpretation of the information of 26 Kitāb al-tawḥῑd, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-attas, The Nature of Man and the Psychology of the Human Soul: A Brief Outline and a Framework for an Islamic Psychology and Epistemology (Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, 1990) 9. 15

16 the raw materials will be turned into knowledge. In other words, it becomes the actualisation of the significance of the physical manifestation of cosmology. Thereafter, the constituents of cosmology are made intelligible to the rational mind so as to enable them to understand its true nature and at the same time their perception of the manifestations of the external world with be formed. Perception is defined as an awareness or a realisation of something that materialises in the mind of the rational being. It is formed when an apprehension of the manifestation of any sort are acquired either through the senses or the mind in order to provide the cognition and the understanding of the concerned object of knowledge to the rational being. 28 Once a perception of any sort is formed in the mind of the rational being, it will then become the premise from which the rational being will start to use in their pursuance of the reality of existence. However, as the perception is still raw, so to speak, it can only be used as the starting point of an investigation, and the verification of the validity of such perception will depend upon the process which will accompany it, this is to ensure that the perception perceived will not be in error. This is important because hypothesis, philosophy, theories and worldviews are the eventual results. Therefore, if the perception formed is wrong, then the conclusions, namely the hypothesis, philosophy, theories and worldviews will also be wrong. The consequence is thus, the reality of existence vis-à-vis the Ultimate Existent will be short sighted. In other words, the actualisation of the physical and the non-physical manifestations of existence will remain as potentiality, never to be fully understood. 28 Random House (ed) Webster s Encyclopedia: Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, (Avenel : Gramercy Books, 1989). 16

17 Conclusion In the pursuit of understanding and establishing the reality of existence of the world, the mutakallimūn and the philosophers has relentlessly pursued a course of empirical and rational methods, either interdependently or independently of one another respectively. The conflict of aql and naql in philosophy and sciences of the Quran and Hadith, sees a hand in marriage of aql and naql in kalām, and to be more precise in the epistemology of al-māturῑdῑ. At the time when the fuqahā and the muḥaddithūn were busy prioritising, justifying and authenticating the reliability of knowledge found in various sources of the Shariah, such as the Quran, sunnah, ijmā and qiyās, al-māturῑdῑ was preoccupied with the authentication of the external and the internal processes of acquiring knowledge in kalām. In other words he was constructing a scientific worldview of kalām by validating and verifying the sources of knowledge that will enable the rational being to fully realise their potentials as rational beings. Hence, Islamic epistemology of kalām ensued The final objective of Islam is that the transcendental reality of existence is brought into the picture of the cosmology of the rational being. In view of this, al-māturῑdῑ formulates his epistemology for the purpose of affirming as well as proving the conceivability of such existence in empirically and rationally apprehensible viewpoint for the rational being to achieve. It is due to such an objective that his thought may be classified to belong to the realm of metaphysics and to some extent speculative philosophy. However, because of the premise from which he works on that his thought is classified under kalām. It is on this basis that al-māturidῑ strives to establish in his epistemology and he demonstrates that it is knowledge that will uproot the rational being from their ignorance. Nonetheless, for those human beings who do not accept Tawhid as the measure of all things, their thought system 17

18 may not be an acceptable system of thought for the pursuit of truth of the rational being. The rise of mechanical philosophy, materialism of the Scientific Revolution of the 17 th century and postmodernism of the 21 st century illustrates this fact. 18

19 References Açikgenç, Alparslan. Islamic Scientific Tradition in History. Kuala Lumpur : IKIM, Açikgenç, Alparslan, Islamic Science: Towards a Definition, Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, al-attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib, Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality (Kuala Lumpur : Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1992). al-attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib, The Nature of Man and the Psychology of the Human Soul: A Brief Outline and a Framework for an Islamic Psychology and Epistemology (Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, 1990) Aldila Isahak, Salient Features of al-māturῑdi s Theory of Knowledge, al-shajarah, Vol. 6, No Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC. Ayub Ali, Abu l-khayr Muhammad. Aqῑdah al-islām wa al-imām al-māturidῑ. Dacca : Islamic Foundation Bangladesh,1983. Cerić, Mustafa, Roots of Synthetic Theology in Islām: A Study of the Theology of Abu Mansūr al-māturidῑ (d. 333/944), Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC, Dancy, Jonathan and Ernest Sosa (eds), Blackwell Companion to Philosophy: A Companion to Epistemology, (Oxford : Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1993). Edwards, Paul (ed), The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (New York : Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. & The Free Press, al-maghribi, Ali Abd al-fatah. Imām ahlu al-sunnah wa al-jamā ah: Abu Mansūr al- Māturidῑ. wa Ārā uh al-kalāmiyya. u.d. Maktabah Wahbah Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, An Introduction to al-māturῑdi s Tawilat Ahl al-sunnah, Dacca : Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, Osman Bakar, Tawhid and Science: Essays of the History and Philosophy of Islamic Science, (Penang : Secretariat for Islamic Philosophy and Science, Random House (ed) Webster s Encyclopedia: Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, (Avenel : Gramercy Books, 1989). Sahilun A. Nasir. The Epistemology of Kalām of Abū Mansūr al-māturῑdῑ, In Al-Jāmi ah, Vol. 43, No. 2, 2005/1426H, pp