Who are the influential doctrinal scholars?

In addition to the jurists, orthodox Islam has produced a number of doctrinal scholars of great influence, such as al-Ash'uri and al-Ansari.

Aishari (874-935) is known as the man who reconstructed orthodox doctrine and the founder of Islamic dogmatics. He was a native of Basra, Iraq, and studied in Baghdad under the Mu'tazilite doctrinal scholar Zubayyah (850-915), but because of his disagreement with his teacher, he declared that he had "repented of his former wrongdoings" and separated from the Mu'tazilites and set up a new school of thought, which became the Ash'ili school. This school of thought was opposed to both the doctrinal tendencies of the Mu'tazilites and the extreme formalism of the orthodox faith. This school of thought was opposed to both the theoretical tendencies of the Mu'tazilites and the extreme formalism of orthodox beliefs, and sought to find a way between the tenets of Islam and Greek philosophical thought, with a compromise in nature. While asserting that God predetermines human behavior, it also asserts that human beings themselves have the ability to choose their own behavior, and therefore believes that each individual is responsible for his or her own actions. This school asserts that Allah is all-powerful, the Creator of all things, and has complete and eternal virtue.

This school of thought, founded by Ash?arī, was accepted by believers and thinkers in general because its views did not conflict with classical treatises. It drew on the nourishment of Greek philosophy and the method of argumentation of the Murtazirai school, which not only improved the ability of the unorthodox to respond to arguments, but also maintained the dominance of the orthodox school, and played a positive role in the consolidation of the caliphate, thus developing into the official philosophy of the scriptures, and laying down the basis of the teachings of Islam.

The one who finalized the Asharite school was Ansari (1058-1111), who was born in the city of Khorasan Tus, studied under Imam Juwayni in Neyshabur, and was later employed in teaching and research at the Nizamu University in Baghdad. He studied various philosophical and doctrinal schools, explored the ideas of various schools of Islam, and synthesized traditional, theoretical, and mystical elements to introduce mystical ideas into orthodox beliefs, thus enriching the content of orthodox thought. He also used the dialectical method in Greek philosophy to establish a practical philosophical system popular with orthodox doctrinaires. His books include The Recovery of Sacred Learning and The Contradictions of the Philosophers, all of which enjoy a high reputation. He was Islam's greatest doctrinal scholar, bringing orthodox theories to their peak, and was the mastermind of the Sunni system of thought during the classical Islamic period. He is also one of the most innovative thinkers in Islam, and has been called "the ultimate authority on orthodoxy", "whose writings and theories have had a profound impact on both Arab philosophy and Islamic religion. He was the first of the Islamic doctrinal scholars to combine philosophy and logic with Islamic doctrinal theories, and was a powerful impetus to the confined Muslim and Arab thought of his time." Ansari's doctrine enriched the doctrinal system of the Ayn Riq school and laid the foundation of Islamic religious philosophy, so he was also known as "the great reviver of Islam" by Muslims, and Western scholars called him "the Augustine of the Islamic world".