Ottoman Scholars Research Articles

Social History of Islamic Banking and First Example: Bank-I Awqāf

The cash waqf was a special category of Islamic endowment and played an important role in the economic/financial history of the Ottoman Empire. As such, it can be considered an important Islamic financial institution that facilitated the flow of funds from those who could save to those who needed capital, i.e. primarily entrepreneurs as well as the general public. This institution is also considered one of the most important Ottoman contributions to Islamic civilisations. Ottoman scholars have been discussing Islamic banking since Suleiman the Magnificent (1574). Islamic banking was known in the Ottoman state as Mu'amalah al-Shar'iyyah, which we can simply call murâbahah. The Ottoman state established the "Awariḍ Akcasi Sandiklari", which means "The Box of Waqf Money". Ottoman scholars preferred "Mudaraba" and murâbahah or qarḍ. This practice continued with the establishment of the Awqaf Bank in 1914. On 1914, the Ottoman Ministry of Awqaf decided to establish the first Islamic bank, Bank-i Ewqaf, with its central branch in Istanbul and possible new branches in all provinces. The bank's system was entirely Mu'amalah al-Shar'iyyah or simply Murâbahah. This bank had the right to issue bonds, certificates, transfer money, etc.

Contesting ‘Truth’: A Late Ottoman Response to Protestant Missionary Writings

This study delves into the polemical exchange between the 19th-century Ottoman scholar Harputlu İshak Hoca (d. 1892) and the protestant missionary Karl Gottlieb Pfander (d. 1865). By examining the historical context surrounding their controversy, this research sheds light on the interaction between the Ottoman state and British and American missionaries, particularly during the expansion of missionary activities in Anatolia. This paper also explores the responses of the Ottoman authorities to the missionary printing activities and the impact of the Church Missionary Society’s work on societal and governmental levels. Furthermore, it provides an analysis of Pfander’s Mizan ul-haqq (The Balance of Truth) and Harputlu’s Şemsü’l-hakîkat (The Sun of Truth) and Ziyâü’l-kulûb (The Light of Hearts), portraying them as not only engaging in interreligious polemics but also as creators of textual products that reflect the complex historical realities of their time. This research underscores the Ottoman scholars’ close attention and prompt responses to missionary literature.

Confronting Modernity and the Transformation of the Muslim Family in Ömer Nasuhi̇ Bi̇lmen’s Writings in the 20th Century

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Ottoman State underwent a process of modernization driven by political, legal, and social reforms. This period was marked by a cautious approach to change by Ottoman scholars, including Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen. Bilmen was a highly influential Muslim intellectual and Islamic legal scholar during the late Ottoman era and the early years of secular Turkey. This article examines Bilmen’s confrontation of modernity and his responses to societal changes through specific issues relevant to his time in the late Ottoman era. It discusses his role in addressing obstacles, his observations of ongoing transformations, and his critiques of European hegemony and modernization. The study focuses on Bilmen’s articles written in Ottoman Turkish between 1920 and 1922, particularly on marriage, divorce, polygamy, and population growth policies.

14th Century Ottoman Mufassirs and Their Works

The Ottoman state, like other Muslim states that came before it, tried to serve Islam and the Qur'ân al-kerîm and endeavored to contribute to the science of tafsir, which aims to reveal the meaning of the divine book. In this context, great importance was attached to education and training along with other institutions from the very beginning, and it was aimed to establish madrasahs from the earliest periods. The first madrasah in the Ottomans was established by Orhan Gazi (725-764/1324-1362) in Iznik in 731/1330, and later, in parallel with the development of the borders of the state, new madrasahs were opened in centers such as Bursa, Edirne, etc. Since the science of tafsir was one of the most important courses taught in madrasahs, care was taken to ensure that the scholars assigned to teach this course were well-equipped and skilled in the science of tafsir. Therefore, Ottoman scholars exegeted all or some sūrahs and verses of the Qur'ân al-kerîm, in Arabic or Turkish (Ottoman Turkish), and wrote commentaries or glosses in order to explain the word of God. Due to reasons such as the inability to leave the Principality system immediately, the state's struggle for existence, and the fact that the madrasah system had not yet been formed, the Ottoman scholarship, especially in the early years of its establishment, was more primitive and minimal compared to the later centuries. Nevertheless, it is observed that the first works of Ottoman scholarly tradition were written in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Consequently, the vast majority of the scholars who would guide those who would come after them were trained in this period and they produced many works. The aim of this study is to periodically identify the mufassirs who lived in the Ottoman geography in the 14th century or who were accepted as Ottoman scholars, even if indirectly, and to identify their works. In this direction, the lives of the scholars who lived in the relevant period and contributed to the science of tafsir and the works they wrote will be mentioned and information about their tafsirs will be given as far as possible. While preparing the study, a detailed examination was made in the catalogs of “Isam Turkey Libraries Database” and “Yazmalar.gov.tr”, taking into account the specified period and the field of tafsir, the works reached were classified and examined together with their authors, and the information obtained was added to the end of the study as a table. In conclusion, after the Turks became Muslims, especially in the first centuries, no independent Ottoman (Turkish) work was written. Scholars such as Khattāb b. Abī Qāsim al-Karahisarī (d. 717/1317), Shaykh Edebālī al-Karamānī (d. 726/1325), Dursun Fakih (d. 726/1325), Qāḍī Mahmūd al-Bursawī, who was the first Ottoman qadi, did not publish works despite their knowledge in the field of tafsir, and contented themselves with reading the previous works. In this period, Shaykh Shihāb al-dīn al-Sivāsī (d. 1006/1597) wrote a tafsir titled 'Uyūn al-tafāsīr lil al-fuzalāʾi al-samāsīr, but he could not bring a significant innovation to the Ottoman tafsir movement; nevertheless, he was accepted as the pioneer of the tafsir movement in the Ottoman Empire as he wrote an independent tafsir. In the 14th century, only Muslihiddîn Mustafa b. Muhammad wrote a tafsir in Turkish on the surahs Amme Juz, Fâtiha, Ihlâs, Mülk and Yâsin. In addition, a total of twenty-seven tafsir commentaries exist from the 14th century, based on the available records. The first commentary writer in the Ottoman Empire was Jamal al-Dīn al-Aksarāyī, who played a major role in introducing the method of reason used by Zamakhsharī, Qāḍī and al-Rāzī in their commentaries into Ottoman madrasahs. It is also said that he pioneered the teaching and popularization of Zamakhshari's work in Ottoman madrasahs with his work on Kashshāf. After Aksarâyî, it is known that some scholars such as Ekmelüddîn al-Bâbertî also contributed to this field by writing commentaries.

Speaking of what is not: Hatibzâde and Taşköprizâde Kâsım on the existential import of negative propositions

ABSTRACT This paper undertakes an in-depth examination of the intriguing argument for the existential import of negative propositions by the fifteenth-century Ottoman scholar Hatibzâde Mehmed (d. 1496) and the counterarguments by his disciple, Taşköprizâde Kâsım (d. 1513). It argues that this discussion is a significant example of Ottoman scholars engaging in long-standing disputes concerning the nature and ontological ground of negative propositions, which date back to Plato and Aristotle. It is also intended to underline the need for considering not only logic texts but also works primarily associated with other disciplines in order to attain a comprehensive picture of logical discussions in the post-classical period of Islamic thought.

Popularitas Nukhbatul Fikar dalam Tradisi Studi Hadis Turki 'Uthmānī

This article delves into the ascendancy of Nukhbat al-Fikar within the realm of Hadith scholarship during the Ottoman era. It posits that the book’s rise to authority was intricately tied to the establishment of Islamic madrasas under Ottoman rule, an influence stemming from educational practices in Egypt and its environs. Through a comprehensive exploration of Turkish sources, this paper contends that Nukhbat al-Fikar held a prominent place in Ottoman madrasa curricula due to the genealogical connections between Ottoman Hadith scholars and Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī. Additionally, the work’s author, Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī, enjoyed a lofty reputation among Ottoman scholars, which further solidifying the book’s status. This study underscores the popularity of Nukhbat al-Fikar by examining the proliferation of works by Ottoman Hadith scholars. These scholars sought to amplify its impact through translations, commentary notes (ta’līq), comprehensive explanations (sharh), and concise summaries. In doing so, they contributed to the enduring legacy of Nukhbat al-Fikar within Ottoman scholarly and educational circles. This research sheds light on the intricate interplay between educational systems, scholarly authority, and the dissemination of Islamic knowledge in the context of Ottoman Turkey

Noel Malcolm, Useful Enemies: Islam and the Ottoman Empire in Western Political Thought, 1450-1750,

Ottoman historians in the last decade have focused a lot on Ottoman political thought. This means how the thoughts and writings of different Ottoman scholars, which mainly included the religious strata and other intellectuals, influenced political thought and political decisions in the Empire. Now with the book written by Oxford Professor Noel Malcolm, we have another side of that story.

Examination of the Works Written by Ottoman Scholars in Terms of Quality and Quantity Specially of eş-Şakâ’iku’n-Nu’mâniyye

Osmanlı Devleti’nin; askeri, siyasi, idari, ekonomik ve sosyal tarih alanlarına dair çok sayıda araştırma yapılmıştır. Fakat ilmi hayat, âlimler ve eserleri genellikle arka planda kalmıştır. Bunun nedeni ise, İslam’da ilmi hayatın Abbasi Devleti’nden sonra gerilediği veya durağanlaştığı şeklindeki genel kanaattir. Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi tarafından kaleme alınmış olan eş-Şakâ’iku’n-Numâniyye fî Ulemâi’d-Devleti’l-Osmâniyye, Osmanlı âlimleri (1299-1566 yılları arasında) hakkında kısa bilgilerin verildiği biyografik bir eserdir. Bu çalışmada, Şakâ’iku’n-Numâniyye özelinde, Osmanlı âlimlerinin kaleme aldıkları eserler nitelik ve nicelik bakımından incelenecektir. Şakâ’ik’den elde edilen veriler, konuyu somutlaştırmak ve daha kolay anlaşılır kılmak üzere kantitatif bir yaklaşımla değerlendirilerek, mümkün olduğunca tablo ve grafikler vasıtasıyla sunulacaktır. Bu çalışmada, Osmanlı âlimlerinin kaleme aldıkları eserler tür ve konu bakımından neler ifade ediyor? Tür olarak telif eser mi ortaya koymayı tercih etmişlerdir yoksa şerh türü eserler mi kaleme almışlardır? Tercihlerinde neler etkili olmuştur? gibi soruların cevapları aranacaktır. Sonuç olarak bu veriler ışığında Osmanlı ilim hayatı ile ilgili bir kesit sunulmaya çalışılacaktır.

Types of Political Administration and the Rule of Sultan Abdülhamid II According to Cemil Molla, One of the Last Ottoman Period Scholars

Cemil Molla, Osmanlı Devleti’nde 17. yüzyıldan itibaren ilmiye sınıfının çeşitli üst kademelerinde görev yapmış bir ulema ailesi olan Üryanizâdelerin son temsilcilerinden biri olarak Osmanlı bürokrasisinde çeşitli görevler almıştır. Ulema ailesinin geleneksel eğitim anlayışı çerçevesinde İslâmî ilimleri tahsil ettikten sonra müspet ilimlerde, özellikle hukuk alanında söz sahibi olabilecek kadar eğitim alma fırsatı bulmuştur. Cemil Molla’nın daha önce basılmamış Dağarcığım adıyla bilinen hatıratı bu çalışmanın ana kaynağıdır. Bu çalışmada, hatırattan yola çıkılarak padişaha ve saraya yakınlığı ile tanınan Osmanlı’nın son dönem ulemasından Cemil Molla’nın siyasal yönetim biçimlerine ve II. Abdülhamid iktidarına yönelik fikirlerinin yansıtılması amaçlanmıştır. Ayrıca söz konusu döneme tanıklık etmiş aydın ve bürokratların yönetim anlayışları ve bu konudaki temel iddialarına değinilmiştir. Dönemin mutlakiyet ve meşrutiyet yönetim biçimlerine dair tartışmaları çerçevesinde Cemil Molla’nın zihin dünyasına ışık tutulmaya çalışılmıştır. Konu ile ilgili araştırma eserleri ve makalelerin yanı sıra biyografi kaynaklarından, vakanüvis tarihlerinden, Aile Özel Arşivi’nden, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Devlet Arşivleri ve İstanbul Müftülüğü Şer’iyye Sicilleri Arşivi’nden istifade edilmiştir.

AN ODE OF İSMAİL SADIK KEMAL PASHA ABOUT THE WATCHER OF BUDİN GÜL BABA

The Ottoman Empire did not only enter the lands it had conquered as a political authority, but also conquered the hearts of the people with its cultural, social and spiritual elements. These lands have hosted many personalities with spiritual aspects as well as historical artefacts belonging to the ancestors. Gül Baba, buried in Budin, is also a person we can mention in this context. Many saints known as Gül Baba are encountered in Anatolia and the Balkans. The saint who is the subject of our study is one of the Bektashi dervishes who lived in the 16th century and it is stated that he was mentioned in this way because he constantly wore roses. Gül Baba, who participated in many wars during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, was martyred in the Budin campaign and was buried there. The place where his tomb is located is called Gültepe or Gül Baba Bayırı. At the same time, he is the spiritual owner of Budin and a person who has become the symbol of the city. There is an eulogy of 57 couplets about Gül Baba, who has different information about his life and historical personality, in the third work of İsmail Sadık Kemal Pasha's corpus named Âsâr-ı Kemâl, one of the last period Ottoman scholars and poets. The author, who was born in Edirne, both gave some information about Gül Baba and told about the dream he had in this ode he wrote. The dream is about his father, Vecihi Pasha, who served in different government positions and served in the Balkans. In the poem, it is explained how the dream emerged with Gül Baba's help and patronage. While describing the process of the change of his father Vecihi Pasha's place of duty, the poet also gave information about some historical and social events of the period. When he was appointed as the governor of Ankara in 1848, the social problems experienced by the people as a result of the pressures of the tribes in Ankara, Yozgat and Kayseri and how these problems were resolved were reflected in the ode. In this article, first of all, information about Gül Baba will be given, and then İsmail Sadık Kemal Pasha will be briefly introduced. Then, based on the poet's poem about Gül Baba, general information will be given about the poet's dream, and some social problems and distresses experienced at that time will be mentioned. Keywords: Gül Baba (Father of Roses), Budin, Ismail Sadık Kemal Pasha, Āsâr-ı Kemāl, Vecihi Pasha, Mustafa Rashid Pasha.

ÂŞIK PAŞA’NIN GARÎB-NÂME ADLI ESERİNDE GEMİNİN FAALİYET VE İSTİKAMETİ İÇİN GEREKLİ SEKİZ UNSUR

In Turkish literature, in addition to the works that deal specifically with the sea and the ship, we also see that more comprehensive works dealing with different subjects devote certain parts of them to the issues related to the sea and the ship. Garîb-nâme is one of the works that addresses this subject from a sufistic/mystical point of view in one of its chapters. Completed in 1330 by Âşık Paşa, one of the 14th century Ottoman scholars, poets and sufis, Garîb-nâme is a mesnevi of more than 10,000 couplets. It is an exceptional work in terms of content and form and has a distinguished place in Turkish literature in terms of the richness of the subjects it handles. In each chapter of the book, which is organized in 10 chapters, 10 stories are told about each of the chapter numbers and the issues related to that number are addressed. The 10th story of the eighth chapter of Garib-nâme concerns eight elements necessary for a ship to sail safely. In the work, each of these elements, which are listed as “deniz/su” sea/water, “gemi (geminin gövdesi)” ship (ship's hull), “yelken” sail, “yel” wind, “lenger” anchor, “üstâd/gemici/keştîbân” master/sailor/captain, “âdemi/halk (yolcu)” mankind/people (passengers) and “metâ‘ (mal)/kâle (kumaş)” commodity/cloth, is explained in detail by returning to the beginning four times and adding new layers of meaning to the subject each time. Âşık Paşa first focuses on the apparent/overt meanings of these elements, which we find important in terms of shipping history, and then refers to the esoteric/covert/mystical equivalents of each of these elements. In his discussion, he draws on the verse “Do you not see that Allah Almighty has put at your service all the inhabitants of the earth and the ships that glide in the sea in accordance with His command..." (Quran 65:22) and uses a didactic style.
 This article consists of a total of four sections with an introduction and a conclusion. In the introduction section, a brief review has been made about the Turkish maritime history and the issues related to the sea and the ship in Turkish literature. In the first chapter of the article, its author Âşık Paşa and his work are briefly introduced in order to determine what kind of place Garîb-nâme occupies in this field. In the second section, the eight elements necessary for the ship, which is the tenth story of the eighth chapter of the work, have been tried to be explained in the sub-headings together with their apparent and mystical meanings, based on the words of Âşık Paşa. In the conclusion section, a general evaluation is made on the basis of the information obtained as a result of this study. The aim of this study is to reveal the shipping elements used in Garib-nâme in detail, thus contributing to the maritime history by drawing attention to the reflections of the elements related to the ship on literary and sufi texts as well as on our cultural life.

THE SCIENCE OF DRESS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY: AVANZADE MEHMET SÜLEYMAN

Bir insanın göz, kulak, burun, saç, diş ve muhtelif uzuvlarından yola çıkarak karakterinin ve ahlakının yorumlandığı ilme “kıyafet ilmi” adı verilmiştir. Bedensel özelliklerinden kişinin huyunun ve yapısının analiz edilmesi halk inanışlarında çok eskiden beri var olmuştur. Eski Mısır, Yunan, İran, Sasani, Roma ve Hind kültürlerinde bu ilim bilinmekte olup çeşitli eserler kaleme alınmıştır. Katip Çelebi, Hipokrat’ın hastalara teşhis koyup tedavi etmekte bu ilmi ustalıkla kullandığından bahsetmektedir. Eflatun’un da inzivada bulunurken bir nakkaşa kendisiyle sohbete gelenlerin resmini çizdirdiği, bu resimle sohbet etmeye karar verdiği bilinmektedir. İslam dünyasında ise ilk eser 768’de İmam Şafi tarafından verilmiştir. Osmanlı dönemine gelindiğinde Bedri Dilşad tarafından II. Murad’a sunulan “Murad-name” adlı eserde sima konusuna değinilmiştir. İlk Türkçe müstakil eser ise Akşemseddin-zade Hamdullah Hamdi’nin 1449’da kaleme aldığı Kıyafetname’sidir. Daha sonraki dönemlerde Osmanlı ilim dünyasında ilgi gören kıyafetname türü eserler Osmanlı son dönemine kadar devam etmiştir. 1871-1922 arasında yaşayan Avanzade Mehmet Süleyman, muhtelif alanlarda eserler vermesinin yanında hayatının sonlarına doğru kıyafet ilmi ile alakalı dört eser kaleme almıştır. Bunlardan ikisini telif etmiş, ikisini ise çeviri yapmıştır. İlk olarak ayaklar üzerine Ahvali’l-kadem adlı eserini kaleme alan Avanzade, eserinde aslında kadem ilmini tanıtmakta, bununla ilgili çalışmalar yapılması gerektiğine vurgu yapmaktadır. Daha sonra yüz doksan iki sayfa olan Musavver ve Mükemmel Kıyafetnamesini kaleme almıştır. Eserinde resimlere yer vermesinden dolayı “musavver” adını verdiği bu kitabında klasik kıyafetname literatüründen farklı olarak ülkelerden, milletlerden, ırklardan, kadın ve aile yaşamından bahsederek çok yönlü bir külliyat oluşturmaya çalışmıştır. Avanzade’nin milletlere geniş bir şekilde yer vermesinde dönemin coğrafya anlayışının da etkisi söz konusudur. Öyle ki özellikle II. Abdülhamid döneminden itibaren Osmanlı ilim adamları Osmanlı dışındaki ülkelere ilgi duymuşlar, oralara gitmeye çalışmışlar, üzerine yazılar yazmışlardır. Avanzade bu anlayışın etkisiyle milletlerle ve ülkelerle ilgili kendisi hem müstakil çalışmalar yapmış hem de kıyafetnamesinde buna geniş bir yer ayırarak ilm-i kıyafete farklı açıdan yaklaşmıştır. Diğer tarafta yaşadığı dönemde var olan kadın tartışmaları bağlamında kendi görüşlerini dile getirmiş, Besim Ömer’den aldığı yazılarla da bunu desteklemeye çalışmıştır. Avanzade Mehmet Süleyman’nın ilm-i kıyafet alanında en hacimli eseri olan Musavver ve Mükemmel Kıyafetname bu anlamıyla dönemin ilmi hayatının ve düşüncesinin tam içerisinde yer almakta, dönemin ruhunu yansıtmaktadır. Bahsedilen telif eserlerinden sonra bu alanda iki tercümesi bulunan Avanzade’nin kimden çeviri yaptığı hususu belirsizdir. İlk olarak 1917’de “Musavver ve Mükemmel İlm-i Sima Ahlak ve Tebayi-i Beşerin Simadan Keşfi” adıyla bir eser tercüme eden Avanzade, Avrupa dillerinde mükemmel bir eser gördüğünü, bunun faydalı olacağını düşünerek tercüme etmeyi uygun gördüğünü eserinin başında yazdığı mukaddimede dile getirmektedir. Öyle görünüyor ki Avanzade bu eseri Johann Kaspar Lavater’den özetleyerek tercüme etmiş olup aslında bakıldığında Musavver ve Mükemmel Kıyafetname’sinin de bir özeti niteliğindedir. Diğer eseri “Ulum-ı Hafiyeden İlm-i Kıyafet Sima ve Kıyafet Vasıtasıyla Keşf-i Ahlak ve Tebayi” adıyla yaptığı bir tercümedir. Eserin müellifi belli olmamakla birlikte eserin içerisinde Avanzade’nin bir eserine atıf yapılması bu tercümesinin Avrupa dillerinden yapılmamış olduğunu düşündürmektedir. Avanzade Mehmet Süleyman, ilm-i kıyafet sahasına sadece simadan karakter analizi yapmayarak farklı bir yöntemle yeni bakış açısı getirmiştir. Bu çalışmada Avanzade’nin eserlerinin detaylı bir kritiği yapılarak bahsedilen anlayış ortaya çıkarılmaya çalışılmıştır. Böylece hem Osmanlı’da kıyafet ilmine hem de Avanzade Mehmet Süleyman’ın biyografisine bir katkı sunulmuştur.

Osmanlı’da Afyon, Kahve ve Tütün Hakkında Bir Usul Tartışması: Câbîzâde Halil Fâiz Efendi ve el-Kelimâtü’l-Usûliyye’si

Individual treatises in the Hanafi jurisprudential tradition provide an opportunity and space of legitimacy for the madhhab’s legal positions. Jurists (fuqahāʾ) mainly refer to the literature to consult texts (mutūn), collections on legal opinions (fatāwā), and treatises for examining social changes. The treatises addressed various subjects, including coffee, tobacco, cash waqfs, and hunting with firearms.
 Tobacco drew the attention of Ottoman scholars (ulema), who began writing on the matter in the seventeenth century. The government’s strict measures against tobacco use and challenges among some scholars over their legal opinions on tobacco further kindled debates in the eighteenth century. Scholars, including Shaykh al-Islams, articulated various opinions on tobacco in their treatises and fatāwā. The variety of these opinions reflected methodological issues in jurisprudence. Notably, the scholars’ positions on various issues such as independent reasoning (ijtiḥād), the divisibility of ijtiḥād, imitation (taqlīd), and derivation of rules from legal principles or sources (takhrīj) all factored into the outcome and legitimacy of a jurist’s studies as well as to the level of a madhhab’s bindingness in the society. Therefore, treatise authors supporting the permissibility (ibāḥa) of tobacco argue, “No jurist capable of practicing qiyās (analogical reasoning) exists in their own times and thereby the item whose permissibility is discussed is permissible by the principle of original permissibility.” The others holding the opposite argument emphasized that qiyās was possible and still applied.

The Legacy of a Literary Man in Islamic Legal Theory: Surūrī Chalabī’s Criticisms in his Super- Commentary on al-Talwīḥ and His Arguments

Al-Taftāzānī (d. 792/1390), a well-known theorist/theologian of the post-classical era of Islamic thought, not only elucidated the statements of Ṣadr al-sharīʿah in his ḥāshiyah (super-commentary), titled al-Talwīḥ, which he wrote on al-Tawḍīḥ, but also introduced several criticisms against his arguments. Al-Taftāzānī’s work, al- Talwīḥ, was received with great interest by Ottoman scholars, who then composed many ḥāshiyahs on it in the fifteenth century. Although the number of ḥāshiyahs significantly diminished, the practice of ḥāshiyah writing on al-Talwīḥ continued in the sixteenth century. Surūrī Chalabī (d. 969/1562) was one of the scholars who penned a ḥāshiyah on al-Talwīḥ during this period. The literary works of Surūrī Chalabī have recently been the subject of numerous academic studies, yet his legacy in Islamic sciences has not received the same interest. This article, aiming to fill this gap in the literature,scrutinizes synchronically and diachronically the place of Surūrī’s Ḥāshiyah on al-Talwīḥ within the tradition of Ottoman ḥāshiyah writing on al-Talwīḥ and eventually demonstrates that Surūrī primarily dealt with the arguments and comments of Ḥasan Chalabī, a previous ḥāshiyah author who commented on al-Talwīḥ and criticized them in his argument-based ḥāshiyah thus endeavors to position himself within the tradition of ḥāshiyah writing of the previous century through Ḥasan Chalabī’s work.

The Method of Tafsîr of Muhammed Tevfîk Bosnevi in the Context of Tafsîru ve'd-Duhâ li'l-Hammâmî

19. yüzyıl askerî, siyasî ve ilmî anlamda Osmanlı’nın en çalkantılı döne-mini teşkil eder. Bununla birlikte önceki asırlar kadar olmasa da bu yüzyılda da saygın ilim adamları ve mutasavvıflar yetişmeye devam etmiştir. Mu-hammed Tevfîk Bosnevî (öl. 1866) de mezkûr dönemde Osmanlı ilim ve irfân ikliminde yetişmiş önde gelen âlim mutasavvıflardan biridir. İstanbul’da aktif irşâd faaliyeti yürüten on bir tarikatta hilafet makamına yükseldikten sonra dönemin meşhur Halvetî-Şabanî Şeyhi Kuşadalı İbrahim Efendi’nin mübtedî müridi olmaya rıza göstermiş, onun gözetiminde baştan sona seyrüsülûkunu ikmâl ederek icâzet almıştır. Şeyhinin vefatıyla birlikte onun irşâd postuna oturmuş, yirmi yıl irşâd vazifesini deruhte etmiştir. Şeyhinin en ayırt edici vasfı olan taç, hırka, post vb. tarikat ritüellerinin reddedilmesi anlayışını o da benimsemiş, ömrü boyunca böylesi göstermelik imgelere itibar etmemiştir. Meclis adı verilen ders halkalarında yaptığı tedrisatın öğrencileri tarafından yazılmasıyla oluşan eserlerden fıkıh, tefsir, hadis, kelâm vb. İslâmî ilimlere derin bir vukûfiyetinin olduğu anlaşılır. Tefsîru ve’d-Duhâ li’l-Hammâmî adlı eserin incelendiği bu çalışmada onun tefsir metodu ele alınmıştır. Çalışma sonunda Kur’ân’ı, Kur’ân, hadis-i şerifler, sahâbe sözleri ışığında açıkladığı, konuların pekişmesi için Hz. Peygamber’in, sahâbenin ve evliyânın hayatından menkıbelere yer verdiği tespit edilmiştir. Kelime tefsiri yapmakla birlikte asıl önceliğinin lafız değil mana olduğu; âyetlerin vermek istedikleri mesajlara odaklandığı ve onları muhataba ulaştırmayı hedeflediği müşâhede edilmiştir. Âyetleri kişisel olarak yorumlamadan ziyade geçmiş ulemanın yorumlarını tercih ettiği, aynı anda hem Arapça yazılmış ilk dönem tefsir müellefâtına hem de Osmanlı ulemâsı tarafından kaleme alınmış tefsirlere atıfta bulunduğu tespit edilmiştir.

İsmail Hakkı Bursevî’nin Furûk İlmine Katkıları (Furûk-ı Hakkî Örneği)

Bu makale Osmanlı mutasavvıfı ve âlimi İsmâil Hakkı Bursevî’nin (ö. 1653/1725) Furûk-ı Hakkî adıyla bilinen ve Arap dili ilimlerine dair dört bölümden oluşan kitabının furûk ilmine katkıları hakkındadır. Furûk-ı Hakkî’nin son bölümü mânası aynı olduğu düşünülen kelimeler arasındaki nüansların tespitine yani ilm-i furûkun pratik boyutuna tahsis edilmiştir. Eserin yazıldığı tarihten itibaren gördüğü ilgi Osmanlı döneminde üzerine yapılan çalışmalardan anlaşılmaktadır. Bu önemine binâen Furûk-ı Hakkî özelinde yapılacak akademik bir tetkikin faydalı olacağı ve furûk literatürünün zenginleşmesine katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmüştür. İki ana başlık halinde kurguladığımız çalışmanın ilk bölümünde Furûk-ı Hakkî tanıtılmış, muhtevası incelenmiş; ikinci bölümde ise eser, furûk ilmine katkıları, müstakil furûk kitapları arasındaki yeri ve kaynakları yönüyle analiz edilmiştir. Bu çerçevede yapılan çalışmada Furûk-ı Hakkî’nin sadece bir bölümünün furûkla alâkalı olmasına rağmen incelediği beş yüzden fazla furûk maddesiyle alanın önemli bir kaynağı olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca birçok eserden derlenmesi ve bunların önemli bir bölümünü Osmanlı dönemi eserlerinin teşkil etmesi yeni furûk kaynaklarına ulaşma ve Osmanlı ilim geleneğine ilişkin yapılan tespit ve değerlendirmelere katkı sağlayabilme noktasında Furûk-ı Hakkî’nin kıymetini pekiştiren unsurlar olarak görülmüştür. Diğer yandan eserin; tasavvuf, nahiv ve diğer İslâmî bilimlerle alakalı birçok ıstılah arasındaki nüansa ışık tutan yönleri sebebiyle dilcilerin yanı sıra temel İslâmî bilimlerle iştigal eden tüm araştırmacılar için bir müracaat kitabı olabileceği mülahaza edilmiştir.

‘Ayn Al-A‘yān

Muḥammad ibn Ḥamza Shams al-Dīn al-Fanārī (1350-1431) was one of the prominent early Ottoman scholars. After years of education in Anatolia and Egypt, he served as a mudarris and a judge in the Ottoman lands and was consequently promoted to the post of Shaykh al-Islām, the highest office in the Ottoman religious bureaucracy. ‘Ayn al-a‘yān, Fanārī's partial commentary on the opening chapter of the Qur’an, is an outstanding Tafsīr work, in which Fanārī presents his exegetical theory. In his theory, the Qur’anic text is assessed as having multi-layered meanings, including an esoteric sense, and as being open to endless attempts at interpretation. Fanārī connects the multiple layers of Qur’anic meaning with the hierarchical structure of existence theorised in Akbarī metaphysics. Since the text encodes the secrets of existence at the level of esoteric sense, the task of the commentator involves spiritual experience beyond intellectual inquiry. Therefore, in Fanārī’s commentary, the Qur’anic text functions as an epistemological medium that connects Akbarī ontology to spirituality. The appropriation of Akbarī hermeneutics led Fanārī to question the nature and the authority of Tafsīr and to re-define the Qur’an and exegesis of the Qur’an.

Role of religious tentions in Afsharid - ottoman relations

The aim of this study was discuss to role of religious tentions in afsharid - ottoman relations. The method of this research is historical in which researchers seek past works and documents to meet the objectives of the research. In historical studies, the researcher should seek to answer the ambiguities by referring to the documents and studying them and analyzing and interpreting them accurately. The results showed documents and correspondences left from this period indicate that Sultan Mahmoud II refused to accept these suggestions despite tendency to settle disputes and accept religious suggestions of Nader Shah due to avoidance of negative reaction of Ottoman scholars and subjects and their opposition to these suggestions and expressed his inability to assume such heavy responsibility in his letter to Nader Shah by mentioning the presence of lawful and reasonable prohibitions and excuses.

The Sultan’s Syllabus Revisited: Sixteenth-Century Ottoman Madrasa Libraries and the Question of Canonization

Abstract This study revisits the question of the early modern Ottoman madrasa curriculum, which, ever since the famous Studia Islamica article of Nenad Filipovic and the late Shahab Ahmed in 2004, has come to be recognized as the “sultan’s syllabus,” implying a strict imposition of a centrally-designed course of study. By utilizing a host of endowment lists, book registers, and autobiographical writings of high- to low-ranking Ottoman scholars from the sixteenth century that escaped Ahmed’s and Filipovic’s attention, I aim to redress an argument that was based on a misinterpretation of a single document but has been extensively cited and recycled since its first articulation almost two decades ago. All of these sources, some of which have never or only partially received scholarly attention, shed more accurate light, not only on the scope of learning, teaching, and canon formation in the early modern Ottoman world of scholarship but also on the mediating role the Ottoman court played by supplying copies of books wherever and whenever needed.

Sünbül Sinan Efendi’nin Risâle-i Tahkîkiyye’sine Bir Reddiye: er-Rahs ve’l-Vaks

From the 3th/9th century until today, the concepts of samā, raqs/davrān and jahri dhikr have been central concepts in the discussions among Sufis and jurists. The Ottoman State regarded the role of the Sufis in the state’s decisionmaking mechanisms as important as of the day it was founded, and regulary conducted intellectual and political consultations with them. Until the 15th century, the Halvatī Sufis had a scientific approach to the issues mentioned by Ottoman scholars. In the 11th/17th century, during the Kadızādeliler period, this opposing attitude went as far as physical intervention. The written studies suggest that these reactions against the Sufis were carried to the dimension of social and political intervention and were exhibited by the people, the jurists, and the state. The 15th century is generally considered the period when the discussions on samā, raqs/davrān and jahri dhikr began in the Ottoman Empire. We will evaluate the beginning of these discussions and the evidence presented within the framework of the Risālah al-tahqīqiyya of Halvatī sheikh Sunbul Sinan Efendi (d. 936/1529). Sunbul Efendi is a Sufi scholar who lived during the period when the Ottoman Empire was ruled by Bayezid II (d. 918/1512), Selim I (d. 926/1520), and Suleyman I (d. 974/1566), and scientific studies were led by famous sheikhs such as Efdalzāde (d. 908/1503), Zenbilli Ali Efendi (d. 932/1526), and Kemalpaşazāde (d. 940/1534). Ibrahim al-Halabī, the imam of Fatih Mosque, was another scholar who lived at the time of Sunbul Efendi. The work of Sunbul Efendi is important for revealing the scientific discussions of samā, raqs/davrān and jahri dhikr during the 9th/15th century. Sources state that both scholars lived during the same period. Ibrahim al-Halabī has a work named ar-Rahs va’l-vaks on the mentioned concepts. This study was created on the basis of the hypothesis “ar-Rahs va’l-vaks is a rejection of Risālah al-tahqīqiyya.” As a result of the investigations made in line with the hypothesis, following the order of evidence mentioned by Sunbul Efendi on the subjects of samā, raqs/davrān and jahri dhikr, and considering the dates of the works, it is believed that ar-Rahs va’l-vaks was written as a rejection of the Risāle-i tahqīqiyya. This study is also important because it examines the concepts and subjects of the science of sufism with the methods of fiqh, handling the subject with an interdisciplinary approach.