Kitab Bayan Wahm al‑Mu'tazilah .

Kitab Bayan Wahm al‑Mu'tazilah . Kitab Radd Awa'il al‑Adillah li al‑Ka'bi . Kitab Radd Tahdhib al‑Jadal li al‑Ka'bi . Kitab Radd Wa'id al‑Fussaq li al‑Ka'bi. Radd al Usul al‑Khamsah li abi Muhammad al‑ Bahili . Radd Kitab al‑Imamah li ba'd al‑Rawafid . Kitab al‑Radd `ala al‑Qaramitah [^9] Unfortunately, not a single work of al‑Maturidi has so far been published.

His Tawilat al‑Qur'an, Kitab al‑Tauhid , and Kitab al‑Maqalat which are by far the most important and valuable of all his works, exist only in manu­scripts.

The Tawilat al‑Qur'an is a commentary on the Qur'an in the scholastic method in which he endeavoured to establish the liberal orthodox theology, both traditionally and rationally, and to provide for it a sound basis.[^10] Com­menting on this momentous work, Sheikh `Abd al‑Qadir al‑Qarashi says, “A unique book with which no book of the earlier authors on this subject can have any comparison.”[^11] In his Kitab al‑Tauhid , al‑Maturidi gave an elaborate exposition of his system and sought to harmonize the extreme views of both the traditionists and the rationalists.

The book bears testimony to his broad outlook, deep insight, and intimate acquaintance with the philosophical systems of his time. The evidence at our disposal at present shows that al‑Maturidi was the first Mutakalim to introduce the doctrine of the sources of human knowledge in a book on theology such as Kitab al‑Tauhid and thereby made a thorough attempt to build up his system on a sound philosophical basis.

This method was followed by other theologians and the subject was later on elaborately treated by the Ash'arite scholars, al‑Baqillani (d. 403/1013), and al‑Baghdadi (d. 429/1037).

Al‑Maturidi is one of the pioneers amongst the Hanafite scholars who wrote on the principles of jurisprudence and his two works Ma'khadh al‑Shari'ah and Kitab al‑Jadal are considered to be authoritative on the subject.[^12] It is evident from the list of works written by al‑Maturidi that he took great care to refute the views and ideas of the Qarmatians, the Shiites, and especially those of the Mu'tazilites. His contemporary abu al‑Qasim `Abd Allah al‑Ka'bi (d.

317/929) was the leader of the Mu'tazilite school of Baghdad.[^13] Al‑Maturidi combated the doctrines of al‑Ka'bi in his Kitab al‑Tauhid and wrote three books on criticism of al‑Ka'bi's three books.