Nûreddin es-Sâbûnî’nin Peygamberlerin İsmeti Konusuna Yaklaşımı

Abstract

The region of Maverānannehir is a geography inhabited by scholars who made significant contributions to shaping the Islamic thought system. Māturīdīism originated in this region, one of the two theological schools accepted among Muslims today. One of the essential representatives of the Hanafī-Māturīdī understanding of theology in the area in the 6th century Hijri was Nūr al-dīn al-Sābūnī, who was a respected scholar in his time. Al-Sābūnī was a well-equipped theologian whose views were respected by the people of the region on matters of theology and who debated with Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, one of the most influential theologians of the period. He endeavored to solve the theological problems of his time, wrote works to facilitate the public understanding of the principles of Islamic belief, and especially emphasized the issue of the infallibility of Prophets (ismat al-anbiya). This study investigated the reasons for al-Sabūnī's emphasis on the view of the Infallibility (ismat) and his opinion on the infallibility of Prophets. How al-Sābūnī understood the issue of infallibility of Prophets provided essential data on the constants and changes (if any) in the understanding of ismat in the Māturīdī theological system. On the other hand, it provided us with reference sources for the historical origins of the belief that prophets are sinless. By revealing al-Sabūnī's opinions on the prophets' ismat, the point of view in ismat in the Hanafī-Māturīdī theological system as of the 6th century has been revealed, and some clues about the historical background of the current situation have been obtained. In the study, the sources were accessed through literature review, one of the leading social sciences research methods; a critical perspective was maintained while evaluating his views, and descriptive language was used while composing the text.  At the end of the study, it was seen that al-Sābūnī was a respected Hanafī-Māturīdī theologian of his time and took Māturīdī's views as his primary reference. It was observed that al-Māturīdī's meticulousness in referencing the theological sources and his mastery of rational deductions were sometimes lost in al-Sābūnī due to the Sufi sources he was fed by. Although he had the same opinion as the Hanafī-Māturīdī school on issues such as belief in prophets, the necessity of prophethood, and the attributes of prophets, he differed from the tradition he belonged to in terms of his understanding of ismat and accepted that some prophets committed "mistakes". * This study is based on our ongoing doctoral dissertation titled "The Comparison of Abū Mansūr al-Māturīdī and Nūr al-Dīn al-Sābūnī's Understanding of Prophethood" (Ph.D. Dissertation, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 2023).