Al-Hakim_al-Samarqandi
Al-Hakim al-Samarqandi
10th-century Samarkand Sunni-Hanafi scholar, judge and sage
Al-Hakim Abu al-Qasim Ishaq al-Samarqandi (Arabic: الحكيم أبو القاسم إسحاق السمرقندي), was a Sunni-Hanafi scholar, qadi (judge), and sage from Transoxania who studied Sufism in Balkh with Abu Bakr al-Warraq. Some sources describe him as a student of al-Maturidi (d. 333/944-45) in fiqh and kalam.[2]
He was proficient in kalam and authored a Hanafi creedal statement that insists on the need for obedience to any duly appointed ruler. The creed criticizes the harsh asceticism of the Karramiyya[Note 1] and accepts traditional views of saintly marvels (karamat).[3]
Abu al-Qasim's life marked a turning-point in the formation of the ascetic doctrines and teachings of Hanafi Sunnis in the east, and his al-Sawad al-A'zam (Arabic: السواد الأعظم) was for a long time a major reference source on doctrine for many Hanafis-Maturidis.[4] Although it is not yet clear whether al-Hakim was a disciple of al-Maturidi, or whether his handbook was a mere traditional document on Hanafite doctrine.[5]