Islamic Studies

Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in the Face of Oppression

by Suhaib Webb
January 1, 2009
1 min read

Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in the Face of Oppression

“Nuh bin Saman was an evil governor near Samarqand who lived in the 3rd century A.H. He decided to rebel against Samarqand’s leaders and her entire populous putting many in great harm. He dispatched a messenger to the leader of Samarqand to intimidate him. The leader called the scholars and noble men to listen and seek their consultation. Amongst them was the great scholar and Imam, Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. After listening to Nuh bin Saman’s messenger, al-Maturidi told him to deliver the following message to Nuh bin Saman:

زدنا ظلماً حتى نزيد في دعاء الليل
“Increase us in oppression until we increase our supplications in the night!”

The messenger left and a few days latter Nuh bin Saman was found dead.
In his side there was a spear and written on it was the following:

بغى وللبغي سهام تنتظر   أتته من أيدي المنايا والقدر
“Oppressor! And for the oppressor is the arrow waiting.
Coming to him from death and destiny

سهام أيدي القانتات في السحر…………………………..
Arrows from the obedient women [supplicating] at dawn”

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About the author

Suhaib Webb

Suhaib Webb is a contemporary American-Muslim educator, activist, and lecturer. His work bridges classical and contemporary Islamic thought, addressing issues of cultural, social and political relevance to Muslims in the West. After converting to Islam in 1992, Webb left his career in the music industry to pursue his passion in education. He earned a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and received intensive private training in the Islamic Sciences under a renowned Muslim Scholar of Senegalese descent. Webb was hired as the Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, where he gave khutbas (sermons), taught religious classes, and provided counselling to families and young people; he also served as an Imam and resident scholar in communities across the U.S.

From 2004-2010, Suhaib Webb studied at the world’s preeminent Islamic institution of learning, Al-Azhar University, in the College of Shari`ah. During this time, after several years of studying the Arabic Language and the Islamic legal tradition, he also served as the head of the English Translation Department at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah.

Outside of his studies at Al-Azhar, Suhaib Webb completed the memorization of the Quran in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He has been granted numerous traditional teaching licenses (ijazat), adhering to centuries-old Islamic scholarly practice of ensuring the highest standards of scholarship. Webb was named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in 2010.

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  • I pray that Allah makes us steadfast in worshiping Him at night and to alleviate the pain and suffering of our oppressed sisters, brothers, mothers, and fathers in Gaza, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, China, Iraq, Kashmir and all over the world.

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  • […] school in most of the issues and the Maturidi school in some of the issues, or vice-versa? …Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in the Face of Oppression …Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in the Face of Oppression Nuh bin Saman was an evil governor near […]

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