What is the Ash'ari/Maturidi theological tradition in Sunni Islam?

The Ash'ari and Maturidi schools are the two major systematic theological (kalam) traditions followed by the majority of Sunni Muslims, alongside the four schools of law. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries through the work of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari in Iraq and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi in Central Asia, both of whom sought to defend core Islamic doctrines using structured rational argument in response to challenges from various philosophical and theological currents of the time. Both schools affirm God's absolute oneness (tawhid) and transcendence, echoing the Quranic statement that there is nothing like unto Him, while addressing difficult questions such as the nature of God's attributes, the relationship between divine decree and human free will, and the createdness or eternity of divine speech. Ash'ari theology became especially associated with the Shafi'i and Maliki schools of law, while Maturidi theology became closely tied to the Hanafi school, though the two theological traditions differ only on relatively technical points and are both considered mainstream, orthodox expressions of Sunni belief, taught side by side in traditional seminaries for centuries.

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