Papers by Takyettin Karakaya
Ilahiyat Studies, 2023
The allusive (ishārī) method of exegesis is the name given to the
process of interpreting the Qur... more The allusive (ishārī) method of exegesis is the name given to the
process of interpreting the Qurʾān depending on the particular type of
knowledge called maʿrifah, which is accepted to be based on
spiritual experience. In the ishārī exegesis, the meanings of the verses
of the Qurʾān are revealed to the Sufi’s mind, and then, the Sufi
expresses those senses through symbols and signs by employing an
implicit style. Comprehensive and advanced works have been written
over time in the field of ishārī exegesis, whose first examples were
encountered in the early eras of Sufism. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad alGhazālī (d. 505/1111) wrote works in various fields such as fiqh
(Islamic law), theology, philosophy, and Sufism. Although he did not
have any complete book in the field of ishārī exegesis, his vast
corpus is overflowing with his ishārī interpretations of verses of the
Qurʾān. For this reason, he is recognized as one of the most
influential figures in the field of ishārī exegesis. This article aims to
determine the basic principles on which al-Ghazālī’s ishārī interpretations of the Qurʾān in his various works are built in the
context of the basic principles of his understanding of the Qurʾān.
The article firstly gives al-Ghazālī’s approach to the Qurʾān and then
attempts to determine the basic principles of the method of his ishārī
exegesis. It also analyzes some ishārī interpretations of al-Ghazālī in
his various works to better understand these principles.
Teknolojinin hızlı ilerleyişi ve sanayileşme ile birlikte şehirleşmenin artışı maddi anlamda göre... more Teknolojinin hızlı ilerleyişi ve sanayileşme ile birlikte şehirleşmenin artışı maddi anlamda görece bir iyileşmeye sebep olsa da beraberinde manevi anlamda birçok problemin de ortaya çıkmasına yol açmıştır. Manevi problemlerden kastedilen hem bilinen anlamda ruhsal ve psikolojik sorunlar hem de ahlaki zafiyetlerdir. Bilimsel anlamda dinsel ve ruhsal problemlerin çözümüne yönelik arayışlar bilim adamlarını tek bir bilimle değil interdisipliner bir bakış açısıyla meseleye yaklaşmaya sevk etmiştir. Bu bağlamda günümüz bilim dünyasında psikoloji, ilahiyat, psikiyatri gibi farklı bilim alanlarında yapılan ortak çalışmaların aktüel manevi problemlerin çözümünde daha etkili olacağı kabul görmektedir. Söz konusu interdisipliner çalışmaya katkı sağlaması açısından genel anlamda Tasavvuf düşüncesinin özel olarak da klasik dönem olarak adlandırabileceğimiz Gazzâlî (ö. 505/1111) öncesi sûfî düşünce ve tecrübesinin modern dünyanın manevi problemlerin çözümüne katkı sağlayacağı ve bu meseleye dair derinlikli bir bakış açısı kazandıracağı düşünülmektedir. Bu bağlamda manevi sorunlara karşı Kuran ve sünnet merkezli bir mutluluk reçetesi sunma iddiasındaki sûfîlerin tecrübe eksenli fikri birikimlerinin bilim dünyasına arz edilmesi, bilimsel birikime katkı sağlayacak olmasının yanında yaşanan hayata dönük tezahürleri açısından da önem taşımaktadır.
GHAZALİ'S METHOD OF THE SUFİ İNTERPRETATİON OF QUR'AN
Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary is the interpretat... more GHAZALİ'S METHOD OF THE SUFİ İNTERPRETATİON OF QUR'AN
Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary is the interpretation of Qur’ân verses by sûfîs in the light of mystic experiences and knowledge that entitled by the sûfîs as the inner knowledge (gnosis). The beginning of the sûfî commentary of Qur’ân dates back to hijrî first and second centuries. Hasan-ı Basrî (d. 110/728) and Ca’fer es-Sâdık (d. 148/765) are the pioneers of this kind of interpretation.
Although great İslamic scholar Ebû Hâmid Muhammed al-Ghazâlî (d. 505/1111) wrote on a wide range of fields including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy, he had not a separate book on Qur’ânic interpretation. But his voluminous corpus is full of sûfî Qur’anic commentaries. Accordingly, he is accepted one of the most important sûfî Qur’anic interpreter. The aim of this study is to specify the sufî commentaries in Ghazâlî’s corpus and so determine the main principles of his commentary method.
The study is divided into three sections: In the first section, Ghazâlî’s view of Qur’an will be clarified. In the second section, the central theme of the study will be treated: Ghazâlî’s sufî commentary method. In this section firstly the main principles of the method which Ghazâlî adopted will be handled and then the commentary examples made by Ghazâlî’s in his several books will be presented. The last section of the study will be on the Ghazali’s allegorical/esoteric interpretation of Qur’ân.
Keywords: Qur’ân, Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary, al-Ghazâlî, Allegorical Interpretation.
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Papers by Takyettin Karakaya
process of interpreting the Qurʾān depending on the particular type of
knowledge called maʿrifah, which is accepted to be based on
spiritual experience. In the ishārī exegesis, the meanings of the verses
of the Qurʾān are revealed to the Sufi’s mind, and then, the Sufi
expresses those senses through symbols and signs by employing an
implicit style. Comprehensive and advanced works have been written
over time in the field of ishārī exegesis, whose first examples were
encountered in the early eras of Sufism. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad alGhazālī (d. 505/1111) wrote works in various fields such as fiqh
(Islamic law), theology, philosophy, and Sufism. Although he did not
have any complete book in the field of ishārī exegesis, his vast
corpus is overflowing with his ishārī interpretations of verses of the
Qurʾān. For this reason, he is recognized as one of the most
influential figures in the field of ishārī exegesis. This article aims to
determine the basic principles on which al-Ghazālī’s ishārī interpretations of the Qurʾān in his various works are built in the
context of the basic principles of his understanding of the Qurʾān.
The article firstly gives al-Ghazālī’s approach to the Qurʾān and then
attempts to determine the basic principles of the method of his ishārī
exegesis. It also analyzes some ishārī interpretations of al-Ghazālī in
his various works to better understand these principles.
Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary is the interpretation of Qur’ân verses by sûfîs in the light of mystic experiences and knowledge that entitled by the sûfîs as the inner knowledge (gnosis). The beginning of the sûfî commentary of Qur’ân dates back to hijrî first and second centuries. Hasan-ı Basrî (d. 110/728) and Ca’fer es-Sâdık (d. 148/765) are the pioneers of this kind of interpretation.
Although great İslamic scholar Ebû Hâmid Muhammed al-Ghazâlî (d. 505/1111) wrote on a wide range of fields including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy, he had not a separate book on Qur’ânic interpretation. But his voluminous corpus is full of sûfî Qur’anic commentaries. Accordingly, he is accepted one of the most important sûfî Qur’anic interpreter. The aim of this study is to specify the sufî commentaries in Ghazâlî’s corpus and so determine the main principles of his commentary method.
The study is divided into three sections: In the first section, Ghazâlî’s view of Qur’an will be clarified. In the second section, the central theme of the study will be treated: Ghazâlî’s sufî commentary method. In this section firstly the main principles of the method which Ghazâlî adopted will be handled and then the commentary examples made by Ghazâlî’s in his several books will be presented. The last section of the study will be on the Ghazali’s allegorical/esoteric interpretation of Qur’ân.
Keywords: Qur’ân, Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary, al-Ghazâlî, Allegorical Interpretation.
process of interpreting the Qurʾān depending on the particular type of
knowledge called maʿrifah, which is accepted to be based on
spiritual experience. In the ishārī exegesis, the meanings of the verses
of the Qurʾān are revealed to the Sufi’s mind, and then, the Sufi
expresses those senses through symbols and signs by employing an
implicit style. Comprehensive and advanced works have been written
over time in the field of ishārī exegesis, whose first examples were
encountered in the early eras of Sufism. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad alGhazālī (d. 505/1111) wrote works in various fields such as fiqh
(Islamic law), theology, philosophy, and Sufism. Although he did not
have any complete book in the field of ishārī exegesis, his vast
corpus is overflowing with his ishārī interpretations of verses of the
Qurʾān. For this reason, he is recognized as one of the most
influential figures in the field of ishārī exegesis. This article aims to
determine the basic principles on which al-Ghazālī’s ishārī interpretations of the Qurʾān in his various works are built in the
context of the basic principles of his understanding of the Qurʾān.
The article firstly gives al-Ghazālī’s approach to the Qurʾān and then
attempts to determine the basic principles of the method of his ishārī
exegesis. It also analyzes some ishārī interpretations of al-Ghazālī in
his various works to better understand these principles.
Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary is the interpretation of Qur’ân verses by sûfîs in the light of mystic experiences and knowledge that entitled by the sûfîs as the inner knowledge (gnosis). The beginning of the sûfî commentary of Qur’ân dates back to hijrî first and second centuries. Hasan-ı Basrî (d. 110/728) and Ca’fer es-Sâdık (d. 148/765) are the pioneers of this kind of interpretation.
Although great İslamic scholar Ebû Hâmid Muhammed al-Ghazâlî (d. 505/1111) wrote on a wide range of fields including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy, he had not a separate book on Qur’ânic interpretation. But his voluminous corpus is full of sûfî Qur’anic commentaries. Accordingly, he is accepted one of the most important sûfî Qur’anic interpreter. The aim of this study is to specify the sufî commentaries in Ghazâlî’s corpus and so determine the main principles of his commentary method.
The study is divided into three sections: In the first section, Ghazâlî’s view of Qur’an will be clarified. In the second section, the central theme of the study will be treated: Ghazâlî’s sufî commentary method. In this section firstly the main principles of the method which Ghazâlî adopted will be handled and then the commentary examples made by Ghazâlî’s in his several books will be presented. The last section of the study will be on the Ghazali’s allegorical/esoteric interpretation of Qur’ân.
Keywords: Qur’ân, Sûfî Qur’ânic commentary, al-Ghazâlî, Allegorical Interpretation.