Publication: Osmanlı’da II. Meşrutiyet sonrası modern tefsir anlayışı (Sırat- ı müstakim/ sebilürreşad dergisi örneği: 1908- 1914)
Abstract
Amacı temsil kabiliyeti yüksek bir dergiden hareketle Osmanlı'nın son döneminde Kur'an'ın modern tarzda tefsir edilmesi konusunu aydınlatmak olan çalışmamızın nde söz konusu derginin Kur'an tefsiri konusunda nasıl bir anlayışa sahip olduğu sorusuna cevap aramaya çalıştık. Bu bölüm derginin tefsir anlayışının ana özelliklerini yansıtan şu dört altbaşlık halinde incelenmiştir: Yeni Bir Türkçe Tefsir İhtiyacı, Nazariyattan Kaçınma, Bilimsel Tefsire Temayül, Sosyo-politik Tefsir ve Ayetlerin Güncelleştirilmesi. İkinci bölümünde derginin tefsir yazılarında merkezî önemi bulunan bazı temel kavramların analizine yer verilmiş, ele alınan kavramlar; itikadî-Ahlakî-İctimaî Kavramlar ve Siyasî Kavramlar altbaşlıkları ile incelenmiştir. Üçüncü Bölüm'de dergideki ayetlerin, meal, tefsir ve atıflar şeklindeki kullanımlarını ortaya çıkarmaya çalıştık. Bu bölüm diğer bölümlerdeki yorumlarımızın dayandığı zemini oluşturan bir bölümdür. Çalışmanın sonunda nihaî mülahazaların yer aldığı Sonuç bölümü ile, dergide kullanılan ayetlerin yoğunluğunu gösteren iki tablo yer almaktadır. Dergideki tefsir anlayışının en temel hususiyetlerinden biri seçmeci oluşudur. Çalışmamızın sonuna ek olarak verdiğimiz tablolardan ilkine göre derginin ilk on iki cildinde 1694 ayetin kullanılmasına mukabil 4541 ayet kullanılmamış, bu şekilde yaklaşık altı yıllık bir dönemde Kur'an-ı Kerim'in sadece üçte birlik bir kısmı dikkate alınmıştır. Bu rakamların gösterdiği gibi Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad dergisindeki tefsir yazılarında Kur'an'ın bütünü değil, o devrin gündemde olan konularının belirlediği bir yoğunlaşma söz konusudur. Çözüm bekleyen acil sorunlar siyasî ve ictimaî ağırlıklı olduğu için, Kur'an'ın bu tür sorunlarla ilgili görülen ayetleri önplana çıkmış, mevcut sorunların tahlili ve çözüm yolları konusunda pratik ve pragmatik yönleri ağır basan sosyo-politik bir tefsir tarzı gündeme gelmiştir. Yaşanan en temel sorun devletin çöküşü ve genel anlamda müslümanların geriliği olarak kabul edildiği için, devletin inkırazına mani olacak tedbirlerle ilgili konular (ittihad, tefrika, uhuvvet, kavmiyet, müsavat, cihad, şura) ve müslümanları gerilikten kurtarıp terakki ettirecek çözümleri ifade eden sa'y, tefekkür ve ilme teşvik, sünnetullah gibi konular, Kur'an tefsirinin muhteva ve istikamet bakımından çerçevesini belirlemiştir. Osmanlı'da Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad dergisi eksenli modern tefsir anlayışı bilhassa Mısır'daki Abduh ekolünden belli ölçüde etkilenmiş, Mısır'ın siyasî ve ictimaî boyutu ağır basan tefsir anlayışını kendisi için elverişli görmüştür. Tefsirde temel ilgiler ve üslup noktasında Mısır'dan belli etkiler taşısa da Osmanlı'daki modern tefsir arayışları Osmanlı bağlamını esas alan, ithal ettiği üslupları kendi muhtevaları ve öncelikleri ile dolduran, bu itibarla da yerliliği ve orijinalliği tartışma götürmeyen dikkate şâyân çabalardır. Bu saha daha detaylı çalışmalara açık bulunmaktadır.
The aim of this study is to explore, departing from a journal with a high representative capacity, the modern attitudes towards the interpretation (tefsir) of Qur'an in the late Ottoman era. The first chapter tries to answer the question of how the journal approaches to the issue of Qur'anic interpretation, analyzing the issue under four titles, which reflect the main features of this approach: The Need for a New Interpretation in Turkish; Avoiding Theory; Tendency Towards Scientific Interpretation; Socio-political Interpretation and Updating of the Verses. The second chapter deals with some fundamental concepts that are central to the articles related to interpretation, analyzing them under two subtitles: Concepts Pertaining the Faith, Morality, and Society; and Political Concepts. The third chapter explores the ways in which the verses taking place in the Journal are used as translation, interpretation and mere reference. This chapter also constitutes the basis on which contributions made in the other chapters of this thesis are located. At the end of the study are located a concluding chapter which includes the concluding remarks, and two tables containing the frequency distribution of the verses used in the journal. One of the most distinctive features of the interpretive approach presented in the Journal is its eclectic character. According to the first table placed as an appendix at the end of the thesis, 1694 of Qur'anic verses are employed whereas 4541 of them are not employed in the first twelve volumes of the Journal. Therefore there are references made only to one-third of the Qur'an during a period of six years. As these numbers show, there we see in the interpretive articles published in Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad a concentration on specific verses rather than on the Qur'an as a whole, a tendency which was determined by the highly debated issues of that time. Since the problematic issues were characterized by socio-political themes in this period, only those Qur'anic verses which were seen as related to such issues were very much on the agenda, and therefore the way in which these verses were interpreted was basically characterized by practical and pragmatic solutions. Moreover, since the fundamental problem was perceived by the writers of these articles as that of the decline of the Ottoman state in particular and decay of Muslim society in general, the framework of the Qur'anic interpretation was determined, on the one hand, by concepts related to the measures which would be helpful to prevent the collapse of the state, like those of unity, breakdown, brotherhood, nation, equality, jihad etc. and, on the other hand, by themes which could offer solutions to decay and help to maintain progress for the Muslim World, such as determination, inducement to contemplation and knowledge, sunnatullah and so on. Finally, the modern approach to Qur'anic interpretation in the Ottoman Empire, the pivotal point of which was the journal of Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad, was particularly influenced by the school of interpretation represented by Abduh in Egypt. However, despite the fact that the modern Ottoman trends in Qur'anic interpretation bear on themselves some important impressions from Egypt at the level of basic concerns and style, they represent significant efforts in terms of their originality and locality, being concentrated on the Ottoman context and filling the manners imported with the content and priorities of their own, hence lending their own colour to the Qur'anic interpretation.
The aim of this study is to explore, departing from a journal with a high representative capacity, the modern attitudes towards the interpretation (tefsir) of Qur'an in the late Ottoman era. The first chapter tries to answer the question of how the journal approaches to the issue of Qur'anic interpretation, analyzing the issue under four titles, which reflect the main features of this approach: The Need for a New Interpretation in Turkish; Avoiding Theory; Tendency Towards Scientific Interpretation; Socio-political Interpretation and Updating of the Verses. The second chapter deals with some fundamental concepts that are central to the articles related to interpretation, analyzing them under two subtitles: Concepts Pertaining the Faith, Morality, and Society; and Political Concepts. The third chapter explores the ways in which the verses taking place in the Journal are used as translation, interpretation and mere reference. This chapter also constitutes the basis on which contributions made in the other chapters of this thesis are located. At the end of the study are located a concluding chapter which includes the concluding remarks, and two tables containing the frequency distribution of the verses used in the journal. One of the most distinctive features of the interpretive approach presented in the Journal is its eclectic character. According to the first table placed as an appendix at the end of the thesis, 1694 of Qur'anic verses are employed whereas 4541 of them are not employed in the first twelve volumes of the Journal. Therefore there are references made only to one-third of the Qur'an during a period of six years. As these numbers show, there we see in the interpretive articles published in Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad a concentration on specific verses rather than on the Qur'an as a whole, a tendency which was determined by the highly debated issues of that time. Since the problematic issues were characterized by socio-political themes in this period, only those Qur'anic verses which were seen as related to such issues were very much on the agenda, and therefore the way in which these verses were interpreted was basically characterized by practical and pragmatic solutions. Moreover, since the fundamental problem was perceived by the writers of these articles as that of the decline of the Ottoman state in particular and decay of Muslim society in general, the framework of the Qur'anic interpretation was determined, on the one hand, by concepts related to the measures which would be helpful to prevent the collapse of the state, like those of unity, breakdown, brotherhood, nation, equality, jihad etc. and, on the other hand, by themes which could offer solutions to decay and help to maintain progress for the Muslim World, such as determination, inducement to contemplation and knowledge, sunnatullah and so on. Finally, the modern approach to Qur'anic interpretation in the Ottoman Empire, the pivotal point of which was the journal of Sırat-ı Müstakim/ Sebilürreşad, was particularly influenced by the school of interpretation represented by Abduh in Egypt. However, despite the fact that the modern Ottoman trends in Qur'anic interpretation bear on themselves some important impressions from Egypt at the level of basic concerns and style, they represent significant efforts in terms of their originality and locality, being concentrated on the Ottoman context and filling the manners imported with the content and priorities of their own, hence lending their own colour to the Qur'anic interpretation.