İlk Dönem Eş‘arî Kelâmında Müteşâbih Âyetlerin Te’vili Sorunu

The Issue Concerning the Explanation of the Mutashābih Verses in the First Period of Ash’arī Kalām

Özet

Eş‘arî kelâmının kurucusu Ebü’l-Hasan el-Eş‘arî olup ortaya koyduğu esaslar, İbn Fûrek ve el-Bâkıllânî ile yaklaşık bir asır sonrasında erken dönem olarak teşekkülünü tamamlamıştır. Bu minvalde Eş‘arî ve ilk dönem ikinci kuşak talebeleri, nasların zahirine bağlı kalmışlardır. Özellikle kelâm tarihinde ayrışmalara sebep teşkil eden muteşâbih âyetler konusunda te’vil cihetine gitmemişlerdir. Bu dönem Eş‘arî âlimler, Allah’ın sıfatları ve özellikle haberî sıfatlar hususunda âyetleri te’vil etmekten sakınmışlardır. Onlar, sadece lügat olarak bu sıfatları anlamaya çalışmış, bunların mahiyetleri hakkında sessiz kalmışlardır. Yine Kelâm tarihinde önemli bir tartışma olan kelâmullah’ın yaratılmışlığı ve Allah’ın görülmesi meselelerinde Mu‘tezile’nin aksi olarak; âyet ve sünnetten deliller sunarak Kur’ân’ın mahlûk olmadığını ve onun kadîm bir kelâm olduğunu, yine rü’yetullah konusunda Allah’ın kıyamette görüleceğini söylemişlerdir. Sonuç olarak ilk dönem Eş‘arîlik’te, Mu‘tezile’nin akılcı yöntemle nasları te’vil etmesine tepkisel bir yaklaşımın olduğu açıkça görülür. Erken dönem Eş‘arî kelâmında, müteşâbih âyetlerin te’vilinde lugavî anlamın dışına çıkılmamasına ve nassın zahirine bağlı olarak selef çizgisinde konuların anlaşılması ve yorumlanmasına önem verilmiştir.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The principles of Ash’arī kalām, whose founder is Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash’arī, completed their first period after one century with İbn Fūrak and al-Bākıllānī. In this period, Ash’arī and his second-generation students adhered to the apparent meaning of the verses. In particular, they did not choose to explain the metaphorical meanings of the expressions of the Qur’ān which caused separations in the history of Belief. In this period, Ash’arī scholars avoided to explain the verses regarding the attributes of Allah. They only tried to understand the attributes literally and kept silent about the essence of the attributes. Regarding the controversial issues in kalām history which are the creation of kelāmullah and seeing Allah, in contrast to Mu‘tazila belief, they asserted by adducing from Qur’ān and Sunnah that Qur’ān is not a creature, but an eternal Kalām and Allah can be seen in Heaven. In conclusion, in the first period of Ash’arī kalām, it was clearly seen a reactional approach to Mu‘tazila’s rational method to explain verses. In the first period of Ash’arī kalām, importance was attached to the fact that literal meaning should be used in the explanation of Mutashābih verses and salaf belief issues should be explained and interpreted by adhering to the apparent meaning of the verses.SUMMARY: The founder of Ash‘arī kalām is Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘arī (d. 324/935). The principles, which are presented by Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘arī, completed their first period after one century with Ibn Fūrak (d. 406/1015) and al-Bākıllānī (d. 403/1013). In this period, Ash‘arī and his second-generation students adhered to the apparent meaning of the verses. However, as the resources reveal, there are few scholars in this period that show the tendency to explain the attributes of Allah, and these explanations were done in a restrict way, without breaking the nature of those attributes.We have applied as the main reference two basic works, the books Ash‘arī, al-Ibāne and Kitâb al-Luma‘, for building a major head of this research. In the context of reflecting his ideas, we have applied the Works of Ibn Fūrak al-Mucerred, Bākıllānī, al-Tamhid, al-Insaf and Kitāb al-Bayān. Besides these ones, there are other works which are directly related to our subject and guide our research thus being applied in the study. We try to present the views of the first period members of Ash‘arī kalām about mutashābih (one another) verses till the term of Bākıllānī, covering a century.Concerning the method and the perspective of our study, firstly we have examined the concept of mutashābih within the context of explanation way Then, we have examined how the Kalāmallah subject was viewed during the first period of Ash‘arī. In the last part of the study, we have looked into the view of attributes of Allah and the application way of explanation method in the context of mutashābih verses of first period of Ash‘arī Sect. In addition to this, we have made the comparison of the subjects of how the explanation of these attributes was done by scholars of the succeeding periods. Lastly, we have discussed the subject of ru’yatallah (seeing Allah in Heaven), which is important for the issues of kalām.The first period of Ash‘arī kalām’s approach to mutashābih verses, how they view the attributes of istivā, kürsī, yed, vech ve ‘ayn in the context of explanation way (te’vil) and how they view the matter of Kalāmallah, is of high importance. As a matter of fact, this issue is related with the kalām’s divinity. The primary statements about Kalāmallah in Ash‘arī kalām belong to the founder of the Sect Ash‘arī. Then, He divided Kalāmallah into two parts; Bākıllānī has advocated these parts and then proceeds with them.Ash‘arī does not give information about the description of muhkem and mutashābih in his writings. Ibn Fūrak explains his viewings about this subject partly. According to Ibn Fūrak as like to other interpreters. Ash‘arī divides Qur’ān verses into two muhkem and mutashābih. In this way, Ash‘arī describes muhkem as apparent and internal meaning of verbal words (lafız). On the other side, mutashābih is described as a thing for the situation of internal meanings and verbal words are similar and guides to several meanings preferred to one another and includes regard (nazar) and inference (istidlāl). In this context, even if Ash‘arī behaves in Salaf way about attributes, some first period scholars (intellectuals) of Ash‘arī likes Ibn Fūrak, adopted to explain attributes of Allah by applying to the source of dictionary to prevent themselves from not having simile (teşbīh). This type of belonging to Salaf way maintained till al-Bākıllānī. However, the subject of explanation way of attributes has changed in Imam al-Haramayn al-Cuvaynī (d. 478/1085) and his student al-Gazzālī’de (505/1111). Accordingly, Ash‘arī kalām, especially al-Gazzālī, adopted the explanations of attributes of Allah easily. This subject has been systematized more by Sayf al-dīn Amidī. However, the explanation of attributes of Allah has been reached the level of Mu‘tazila.The subject of whether Kelāmallah is to be seen as being created is an important discussion issue along with the history of kalām. In contrast with Mu‘tazila, Ash‘arī presents proofs from verses and Sunna to be able to say that Qur’ān is not created and it is an eternal (kadīm) kalām and that is separated into two parts; kalām-ı nefsī (purely) and kelām-ı lafzī (verbely). Ash‘arī asserts that Qur’ān is not being created. However, differently, Ash‘arī try to show effort for meeting rationalists who advocate that Qur’ān is created and narrators who advocates that Qur’ān is eternal (kadīm). So that the followers of Ash‘arī choose the way of integrating kalām-nefsī and kelāmi lafzī in orders to find solution to this ancient matter. Smilarly, al-Bākıllānī, who has important contributions along with the completion process of the Sect, comes up with the theory that if ever Qur’ān was created, it could not be its own