Understanding ‘Others’ in Islamic Thought: The Example of Al-Biruni

Year 2013, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 201 - 223, 17.12.2014

Kemal Ataman

Abstract

There have been scholars within the Islamic tradition who showed gen-uine interest in studying and understanding other religious traditions on their own terms. Arguably, one of the best representatives of these scholars was al-Biruni (973-1048 CE) whose accomplishments in other disciplines, notably in natural sciences, overshadowed his crucial contribution to the study of religion This paper is an attempt to contribute to the current de-bate in the study of religion by analyzing the method al-Birûnî employed in his treatment of the religious traditions of India. In pursuing the subject, the paper aims to elucidate the phenomenological, dialogical and compar-ative aspects of al- Al-Biruni's thought in light of contemporary scholarship.

Keywords

Al-Biruni, Intercultural Understanding, Phenomenological Method, Comparison

İslam Düşüncesinde ‘Öteki’ni Anlama: Bîrûnî Örneği

Abstract

İslam geleneği içerisinde öteki dinî gelenekleri onların kendi terim ve teo-rileriyle araştırma ve anlama hususuna samimi bir ilgi gösteren âlimler bulunmaktadır. Başta doğa bilimleri olmak üzere diğer bilimlerdeki başa-rıları din araştırmalarındaki önemli katkısını gölgelemiş olsa da Bîrûnî'nin (973-1048), söz konusu âlimlerin en iyi temsilcilerinden biri olduğu söyle-nebilir. Bu makale, Bîrûnî'nin Hindistan'a ait dinî gelenekleri incelerken uygulamaya koyduğu metotları analiz ederek din araştırmalarındaki aktüel tartışmalara katkı sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Konu ele alınırken, Bîrûnî'nin düşüncesindeki fenomenolojik, diyalojik ve mukayeseli yaklaşım-lar da günümüz bilimsel tartışmaları ışığında açıklanmaya çalışılacaktır.

Keywords

Bîrûnî, Kültürlerarası Anlama, Fenomenolojik Metot, Karşılaştırma

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