The Influence of Classical Islamic Modernism on the Qur’an Comments: The Example of Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır

Abstract

Classical Islamic Modernism is a movement that seeks solutions to problems of religious, political, scientific, economic, social, cultural, etc. It does this by activating the internal dynamics. In other words, it is a new model of interpretation of the Qur'an that aims to ensure that Muslims in particular and the entire humanity in general benefit from the Qur'an to the maximum extent. This movement corresponds to the first modernization efforts in the Islamic world.

Based on the opinion, The Classical Islamic Modernism can be defined as follows: It is a civilization project that in order to ensure the correction and renewal of Muslims aims to return to essential resources (Qur'an and Sunnah) and to purify the Islamic faith from bid’at and superstition and to give the role to mind in the interpretation of holy texts and to be careful of tradition and to put distance to isrâiliyât and Islamizing the knowledge produced by the West and to restore the Ummah consciousness which has been damaged and to combat imperialism all together.

Classical Islam Modernism, in addition to the reformist character who it take over from the pre-modernism reform movements with its features such as respect for reason and science and not being content with rumour and to make an consult to te'vil, to activite ictihâd has influenced many educateds and thinkers and intellectuals in the Islamic world. One of these intellectuals is Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır too.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır (1878-1942), firstly, with his identity of constitutionalist he was one of the theological scholarly class of Ottoman Islamists, both as an active political figure, a thinker, a writer/translator, a hodja/teacher. However, after the opening of the second parliament on August 11, 1923, and the proclamation of the Republic is a historical character that was tried in the courts of Independence ostracized and forced into seclusion yet commissioned by parliament to write commentary (tafseer). Elmalılı Hamdi is not against the caliphate (hilâfet) institution. Even so, -in Abdulhamid II period- he advocated constitutionalism which was a modern style of administration as an alternative to the Caliphate system, and even tried to put it on an Islamic ground by overlapping with the principle of shura (Şûrâ) of Islam. On the other side, after the proclamation of the Republic, He has experienced a number of intellectual transformations with the abolition of the caliphate and with the revolutions.

According to us, in order to understand that he is a modern commentator of Islam, with his exegesis (tafseer) book Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili it is necessary to evaluate his lectures, translations, articles and other works together. His tendency to question past scientific accumulation and the cultural acquis and, at times, to ignore them; it is only one of the things that bring it in parallel with Classical Islamic Modernism. But his attitude, -perhaps consciously- was not reflected in his exegesis book (Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili) enough. In some subjects, he criticized some of the Qur'anic interpretations of Classical Islamic Modernism. Muhammad Abduh's (1849-1905) commentary on Surah Al-Fil is one of them. Elmalılı's efforts to explain some events from the scientific understanding of modern age with the principle of causality, and cause-effect relationship are another aspect that puts him at the same level with Classical Islamic Modernism. For example, He made an explanation about the scepter of Moses (pbuh) that turned into a snake/dragon: “The real transformation is not admissible.” In other words, it is not admissible to transform literally one thing into another. Furthermore, this (the scepter's turned into a snake/dragon), according to the “Law of Contradictions” which means “it is not possible to literally to drive anything away itself" is not a genuine transformation. On the other hand, it may be possible for the scepter to turn into snake or dragon in the mind, physically or spiritually. Another example is a matter of the creation of Jesus (pbuh) or the coming of fatherless to the world. Elmalılı has taken a modernist approach in this matter too. According to Elmalılı, a creature's creation from a mother and a father is a general law, not an absolute law. This is so. Because according to imperative there are exceptions in this law. Consequently, the creation of Jesus (İsa) is an exception and this is “atavism (Jeddâniyet)= to resemble to the original ancestor” that is to say, it's something like to resemble an uppermost ancestor. On the other hand, life owners are divided into two as monomer or diyamer (just to be his mother or to be his mother and his father). Therefore, Hz. Jesus is an example of life with a mother only. The third aspect of the subject can be male and female as well as two sexes from human beings. In time, one of them may prevail over another. Therefore, it is also possible to have two kinds of seeds in a body. What is the obstacle to explaining the situation of Mary in this way?

It is possible to summarize some of Elmalılı's other views which coincide with Classical Islamic Modernism as follows: The ictihâd, which means that Fakih’s use all his power to remove the sharia's practical provisions from the detailed evidences, in Elmalılı, it corresponds to understanding and exploring the divine law. According to him, the theologians (ulemâ) is the obliged with ictihâd for the discovery of the divine provisions.

According to Elmalılı, should be used the science of the West, not the values of the West. We should not be afraid to read Western philosophy. Because that, means arming against them. In this context, he said: While the Western world translated our most important books until they reached our religion and Quranic sciences and added them to their own treasury of information and even studied the “Mizân-i Kubra” of Şa’rânî, trying to draw conclusions that could falsify Islam, why should we be deprived of their scientific accumulation and why should we tend to be like them rather than being ourselves to avoid such deprivation? If the Christians who translate and read the Qur'an and armed with it against Islam do not become Muslims, a Muslim who would read and understand their philosophy and be armed with it against them, why get Christian?

According to Elmalılı, Islam doesn't obstruct progression. Contrarily, it's the guarantee of progression. According to him, the progress is a general name given to the increasing and continuing movement of humanity towards an absolute purpose. According to Elmalılı, all sciences are respected. However, it is convenient for to use for goodness and for evil.  On the other hand, it is possible to see the traces of the “scholarly exegesis” which is popular in the modern era in the book of exegesis of Elmalılı Hamdi. He is cautious towards “İsrâîliyyât”. According to Elmalılı, “nesh” (to abrogate of) is a necessity of the universality of the Qur'an together with the change and development in social life. According to him, “nash” is both a truth and a law. He thinks parallel with Classical Islamic Modernism in the opposite of bid'at and superstition. According to Elmalılı the Prophet (pbuh) has many miracles. But his greatest miracle is the Quran.

Keywords

• Tafseer (Exegesis),Islamic Modernism,Qur’an commentary,Reform-Innovation,Guidance

Klasik İslâm Modernizmi’nin Kur’ân Yorumlarına Etkisi: Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır Örneği

Öz

Klasik İslâm Modernizmi, Müslümanların ıslahını, silkinmesini ve medeniyet yarışında tekrar sahne almasını sağlamak amacıyla, dini/Kur’ân’ı ve buna bağlı müktesebâtı yeniden yorumlama çabalarına tekabül eden bir akımdır. Modern çağda Cemaleddin Afgânî ve Muhammed Abduh tarafından başlatılan bu hareket ile Osmanlı İslâmcılığı arasında zamanlama, metot ve çözüm önerileri bakımından bir takım benzerlik ve paralellikler bulunmaktadır. Söz konusu etkileşim Cumhuriyet Türkiye’sinde de sürmüş, Kur’ân, bu dönemde hidâyet ve sosyolojik fayda ekseninde tefsire konu olmuştur.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Meşrutiyet öncesi, Meşrutiyet ve Cumhuriyet dönemlerinde Klasik İslâm Modernizmi’nin Kur’ân yorumlarından etkilenen âlim ve mütefekkirlerden biridir. O, müellifi olduğu “Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili” adlı tefsir kitabını, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devleti’nin talebi üzerine hazırlamıştır. Bu durum, Elmalılı’nın çalışmamıza konu olmasında etkili olmuştur. Bununla birlikte o, Meşrutiyet öncesi ve sonrasıyla Osmanlı’nın son dönemine ve Cumhuriyet dönemine de şahit olmuştur. Diğer taraftan, Cumhuriyet Türkiyesi’nde birçok müfessir ve Kur’ân araştırmacısının Klasik İslâm Modernizmi’nden etkilemiş olduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Bu haliyle konu bir makale boyutunu aşacağından dolayı, çalışmamızda tefsir konusunda Cumhuriyet döneminin sembol ismi olan Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır ile yetinmeyi uygun gördük.

Klasik İslâm Modernizmi’nin en olumlu yönü, Müslümanların problemleriyle Kur’ân ayetleri arasında bağlantı kurmaları ve âyetlerin manalarını güncelleyerek toplumsal sorunlara Kur’ân eksenli çözüm arayışına girmeleridir. İşin diğer olumlu yönü, söz konusu âyetlerin, bu konularla sınırlandırılıp dondurulmamış olmasıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tefsir,İslâm Modernizmi,Kur’ân Yorumları,Islah-Tecdîd,Hidâyet

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