Oryantalist Geleneğin İzinde: Christopher Melchert

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 425 - 454, 03.10.2025

Fatma Betül Altıntaş

https://doi.org/10.26650/iuitd.2025.1638442

Abstract

Bu çalışma, erken dönem İslâm hukuk tarihinde Sünnî mezheplerin teşekkülünde ehl-i hadîs ve ehl-i re’y arasındaki tartışmaların önemli bir rol oynadığını düşünen Christopher Melchert’in görüşlerini ele almaktadır. Melchert aynı zamanda, Joseph Schacht tarafından öne sürülen bölgesel hukuk ekollerinin zamanla şahsi mezheplere dönüştüğü yönündeki tezi etrafında şekillenen çalışmalarıyla da dikkat çeker. Çalışmada, Melchert’in bu iki yaklaşımının izlerinin de görüldüğü 2012–2022 yılları arasında yayımladığı makaleleri ışığında, onun hadis tarihi ve ilmine dair değerlendirmeleri ele alınmıştır. Bu incelemeler neticesinde, Melchert’in oryantalist geleneğe bağlılığının yanı sıra, bu geleneği eleştirel bir biçimde yeniden yorumlama eğiliminde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmada, Melchert’in makaleleri nicel yöntemler aracılığıyla analiz edilmiş; sıklık, trend, metin ve içerik incelemeleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca, çalışmada onun otantiklik tartışmalarındaki konumu, erken dönem İslâm ilimleri tarihine dair benimsediği teorileri ve bu teorilere yöneltilen eleştirileri, kullandığı araştırma yöntemleri ve kaynakları üzerinde de durulmuştur. Sonuç olarak, Christopher Melchert’in hadis ve İslâm hukuku tarihine dair çalışmaları, titiz kaynak kullanımı, derinlemesine metin analizleri ve nicel değerlendirmeleriyle dikkat çekmektedir. Hem hukuk hem de hadis tarihi bağlamında önemli katkılar sunan Melchert’in eserleri, İslâm ilimleri araştırmalarında metodolojik çeşitliliğin artırılmasına yönelik bir akademik çaba olarak değerlendirilmektedir.

Keywords

Hadis , Oryantalizm , Oryantalist Gelenek , Otantiklik , Christopher Melchert

In the Footsteps of the Orientalist Tradition: Christopher Melchert

Abstract

Christopher Melchert has come to prominence through his works centered around the thesis originally proposed by Joseph Schacht, which discusses the transformation of regional schools of law into personal madhhabs. He particularly emphasises the early debates between the Ahl al-Ḥadīth and the Ahl al-Raʾy, considering them to be central to the formation of the Sunnī legal schools. This study examines Melchert’s views on the history and science of ḥadīth, focusing on his articles published between 2012 and 2022. While he remains committed to the broader Orientalist tradition, Melchert also demonstrates a tendency to critically reinterpret certain aspects of this tradition. This study employs quantitative methods to analyze Melchert’s articles, conducting frequency, trend, textual, and content analyses. Furthermore, the study delves into his stance on the debates surrounding authenticity, his theoretical approach to the early history of Islamic intellectual traditions, the critiques directed towards these frameworks, as well as the research methodologies and sources he engages with. In conclusion, Christopher Melchert’s contributions to the study of ḥadīth and Islamic legal history stand out due to his meticulous use of sources, in-depth textual analyses, and quantitative assessments. His works offer significant insights within both legal and ḥadīth historiography and represent a comprehensive academic effort to enhance methodological diversity in Islamic studies.

Keywords

Ḥadīth , Orientalism , Orientalist Tradition , Authenticity , Christopher Melchert

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