A critical appraisal of AL MATURIDI'S contributions to theological exegesis in his book TA'WILAT AHLU SUNNAH: A study of the verses related to some of the attributes of God

Qur'anic exegesis is one of the fundamental sciences in the Islamic Sunni literature. The genre of theological exegesis developed gradually in the Muslim world and was influenced greatly by the political, social and religious circumstances in it as established by Goldziher, Abdul Raof, Hussein and Rahman among others. A review of the studies undertaken in theological exegesis in the Islamic Sunni literature, in both English and Arabic, demonstrates that the works of Al Maturidi in this genre has not been studied or analysed despite the pivotal role he played in the formation of the Sunni synthetic theological movement in the Muslim world during his time and until today. This study refocuses the light on the works of Al Maturidi in theological exegesis, in his book Ta'wilat Ahlu Sunnah, specifically the aspect of the theological verses that address the attributes of God. It examines the contributions of Al Maturidi to the field by undertaking a qualitative content analysis of the theological verses that relate to three main attributes of God. Within this method, it commences a thematic“analytical study of Ta'wilat Ahlu Sunnah to discover the methodology, techniques and maxims employed by Al Maturidi in explaining these verses. In addition, it compares it and contrasts it with the works of the Sunni exegetes that preceded him to investigate the inventiveness and uniqueness of his contributions. The assessment revealed that Al Maturidi played a fundamental role in the development of the genre of theological exegesis in the Sunni exegetical literature and provided important contributions to it through the interpretation of verses related to the nature and attributes of God.