Muhammed Abduh'un Risâletü't-Tevhîd'inde Din Anlayışı

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Muhammed Abduh’un özellikle Auguste Comte’un pozitivist düşüncesi bağlamında, on dokuzuncu yüzyıl Avrupa bilimsel rasyonalizmiyle karşılaşmasını incelemektedir. Abduh çoğu zaman İslam’da ıslahatçı veya modernist perspektifinden ele alınmış olsa da, Pozitivizmle kurduğu entelektüel ilişki akademik literatürde yeterince araştırılmamıştır. Bu makale, Abduh’un ne Pozitivizmi benimsediğini ne de bütünüyle reddettiğini; seçmeci bir tavır geliştirerek Risâletü’t-Tevḥîd adlı Kelam eserinde pozitivist ilerleme düşüncesinin belirli unsurlarını din anlayışına entegre ettiğini ileri sürmektedir. Abduh, Comte’un “üç hâl kanunu”nu pozitivist şemadan farklı şekilde İslami perspektiften yorumlayarak, dinlerin ilkel aşamaları olan Yahudilik ve Hristiyanlıktan sonra İslam’ın entellektüel olarak en yüksek ve en rasyonel ifadesini temsil ettiğini ileri sürmüştür. Risâletü’t-Tevḥîd’de İslâm’ı akıl, doğal hukuk ve bilimsel araştırma ile benzersiz biçimde uyumlu bir din olarak tasvir etmiştir. Abduh’un eserleri ile Pozitivizm üzerine modern araştırmaları birlikte analiz eden bu makale Abduh’u bilimsel modernite ile dinî gelenek arasındaki gerilimde yol alan kritik bir figür olarak konumlandırmaktadır. Böylece, Abduh’u “modernist” ya da “gelenekçi” gibi katı kategorilere yerleştirmek yerine onun düşüncesinin bütünleştirici yapısını vurgulamaktadır. Sonuç olarak, Abduh’un, bilimsel rasyonalizmle ilişki kurabilen ancak sekülerliğe teslim olmayan yenilikçi Kelam inşası, İslâm modernizminin kendine özgü bir entelektüel yöneliminin oluşmasına katkıda bulunmuştur.

Keywords

• Abduh
• Risaletü't-Tevhid
• Din
• Selefilik
• Pozitivizm

Muhammad Abduh’s Conception of Religion in his Risālat al-Tawḥīd

Abstract

This research reconsiders Muhammad ʿAbduh’s (1849–1905) intellectual project by challenging the prevailing assumption that he should be classified primarily as a modernist who departed radically from the Islamic theological tradition. Instead, it argues that ʿAbduh developed a hybrid epistemology that creatively integrated European modernity into longstanding frameworks of Islamic thought. By examining ʿAbduh’s ideas alongside the works of classical theologians as well as the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte (1798-1857), this article demonstrates that his theology draws simultaneously on classical kalām methods and modern evolutionary theories of knowledge and society. Both ʿAbduh and Comte, influenced by Enlightenment conceptions of historical development, depict human religiosity as progressing from primitive forms toward increasingly rational and ethical expressions. In this sense, ʿAbduh interprets religious evolution as intertwined with broader civilizational advancement, thereby situating Islam within a universal narrative of intellectual progress. By tracing the interplay between these diverse intellectual sources, this research highlights the complexity of the epistemological formations that shaped modern Muslim thought. ʿAbduh’s Risālat al-Tawḥīd exemplifies his call for a renewed kalam which is capable of defending Islamic belief while benefiting from the methodological strengths of the modern sciences. This work thus illuminates both the transformations characteristic of nineteenth-century Islamic intellectual life and the enduring continuities with the classical theology. Rather than categorizing ʿAbduh within rigid binaries such as “modernist” or “traditionalist,” this article emphasizes the hybrid, integrative nature of his thought. It proposes that ʿAbduh’s theology represents a significant attempt to harmonize rationalist strands of Islamic scholarship with the evolving scientific and philosophical paradigms of his era, thereby offering a more nuanced understanding of Islamic intellectual renewal in the modern period.

Keywords

• Abduh
• Risālat al-Tawḥīd
• Religion
• Salafism
• Positivism

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