Sihabuddin Suhrawardi’s Understanding of Prophecy

Abstract

Sihabuddin Suhrawardi’s Understanding of ProphecyMany thinkers have been subject to discussions because of their different ideas in the historical process of prophecy, which is one of the essentials of Islamic thought. One of these is Suhrawardi. He has been criticized upon allegations of “esoteric prophecy” and this has been among the reasons for his execution. However, it can be seen that no expressions proving these allegations can be found when the works of the philosopher are examined. On the contrary, it can be witnessed that he has included statements about his internalization of the understanding of prophecy that is widely accepted in Islamic thought. The explorative method, which the philosopher had based his ideas on, has been an important factor in his inclusion to these discussions.

Özet

ÖZİslam düşüncesinin önemli esaslarından biri olan nübüvvete ilişkin tarihselsüreçte birçok düşünür değişik görüşleri sebebiyle tartışmalara konu edilmiştir.Bunlardan biri de Sühreverdi’dir. O, “batınî nübüvvet” iddiasında bulunduğuileri sürülerek eleştirilmiş ve bu düşüncesi onun idam sebepleri arasında yer almıştır.Oysa filozofun mevcut eserleri incelendiğinde onunla ilgili bu tür ithamlarıhaklı çıkaracak bir ifadesinin bulunmadığı görülecektir. Aksine İslam düşüncesindegenel kabul gören nübüvvet anlayışını benimsediğine dair açıklamalara yerverdiğine şahit olunacaktır. Düşünürün felsefi düşüncelerini dayandırdığı keşfiyöntem onun bu tür tartışmalara çekilmesinde önemli bir etken olmuştur.Anahtar Kelimeler: Nübüvvet, İşrak, Filozof, Siyaset, İlham, Mucize, Vahiy ABSTRACTSihabuddin Suhrawardi’s Understanding of ProphecyMany thinkers have been subject to discussions because of their different ideas inthe historical process of prophecy, which is one of the essentials of Islamic thought.One of these is Suhrawardi. He has been criticized upon allegations of “esotericprophecy” and this has been among the reasons for his execution. However, it canbe seen that no expressions proving these allegations can be found when the worksof the philosopher are examined. On the contrary, it can be witnessed that he hasincluded statements about his internalization of the understanding of prophecythat is widely accepted in Islamic thought. The explorative method, which thephilosopher had based his ideas on, has been an important factor in his inclusionto these discussions.Keywords: Prophecy, Ishraq, Philosopher, Politics, Inspiration, Miracle,Revelation