The problem of the God-universe relationship is one of the fundamental
metaphysical issues that has led to intense debates among the schools
and traditions of philosophy and kalām in Islamic thought. The aim of
this study is to analyze and comparatively examine the approaches of
Imām al-Māturīdī-one of the prominent representatives of the kalām
tradition-and al-Fārābī-one of the founding figures of Islamic philosophy-
regarding the God-universe relationship, in the context of their
respective philosophical and theological traditions. Furthermore, the
study identifies how al-Fārābī’s and al-Māturīdī’s conceptions of God
shape their understanding of the universe. The scope of the thesis is
limited to a comparative analysis of their views within the framework
of classical metaphysical and theological sources. A qualitative research
method with a critical approach has been employed. Al-Fārābī’s works
on philosophy and primary texts in al-Māturīdī’s field of kalām were
primarily utilized. In addition to the classical sources that serve the
scope of the thesis, relevant modern literature and secondary sources
have also been used. In this respect, the study makes an original contribution
to the literature as the first research that directly and comparatively
analyzes the perspectives of al-Fārābī and al-Māturīdī on the
God-universe relationship. As a philosopher of the Neoplatonic tradition,
al-Fārābī argues that the universe necessarily emanated from God
through a process of emanation.
In contrast, Imām al-Māturīdī, from the perspective of the hudūth theory,
maintains that the universe was created by God’s absolute will and
power out of nothing. Accordingly, Māturīdī’s conception of God—who
directly influences the universe with His essence and attributes—reflects
the classical kalām understanding of a volitional and purposeful
Creator. Al-Fārābī, on the other hand, presents a metaphysical view in
which the existence of the universe is necessary and eternal due to its
source, and he does not accept the idea of a creation ex nihilo.While al-
Fārābī addresses the relationship between God and the universe from a
perspective of necessary being and ontological dependence, al-Māturīdī
approaches the issue from a theological standpoint, emphasizing the
contingency and created nature of the universe. Al-Fārābī’s philosophical
framework is shaped by reason and metaphysical principles,
whereas al-Māturīdī constructs his kalām approach in a language that
integrates reason and revelation. The thesis reflects the richness and
diversity of classical Islamic thought, particularly regarding the metaphysical
tensions and distinctions between kalām and philosophy. Resolving
the God-universe relationship through the examples of al-Fārābī
and al-Māturīdī contributes both to the understanding of the classical
intellectual background and to a critical evaluation of its contemporary
significance.
Keywords: God-universe relationship; al-Fārābī; Theory of Emanation;
al-Māturīdī; Creation ex nihilo; Theory of Hudūth