Mâtürîdîlerde İmanda Açıklık
The Clarity of Faith in Māturīdīs Thought

Summary/Abstract: This research is based on the basic views and assumptions of the Māturīdīs in the field of faith, and discusses whether this understanding allows the belief that faith can be handled on an implicit, closed basis. The Māturīdīs, who regard the belief as the most beautiful and valuable of those that can be reasoned, regard it as a rational necessity to believe in Allah. For them, the basic condition of responsibility is reason, and the truth of faith can only be known through thinking and reasoning. According to the Māturīdīs, faith is essentially the affirmation of the heart, and primarily it is a heart work. Conviction due to knowledge is an important element of its clarity and precision. Nevertheless, while the Māturīdīs define the faith as the attitude of the heart and make it enough to make it clear and transparent, it remains a closed space, especially in terms of human beings. The Māturīdîs are aware of that and they accepted that is necessary to be accompanied by affirmation of language in order to come to the top of closure which is directed towards man and world.The great majority of the Māturīdīs prioritize the heart-affirmation and heed the affirmation of language. According to them, faith is reached in terms of the world and the hereafter, to the clearest definition as "affirmation with the heart and affirmation with tongue" that such an understanding does not include a closure and rejects any kind of closure.Summary: Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī is one of the important thinkers of Ḥanafī-Māturidī tradition, which represents one of the two main veins of the Ahl al-Sunna. In addition to interpreting and systematizing the views of Abū Ḥanīfa, he is also unique in terms of the subjects he deals with and the methodology he pursues. The understanding of faith in the Ḥanafī-Māturidī tradition is an important answer to the hidden, tactical (taqiyya) belief-definitions of today's world. Their rhetoric about the relation of behavior with faith is significant answer to exclusionist faith understanding of the present world. According to the Māturidī thought, faith is seen as the understanding, acceptance, and affirmation of certain things that come from God. Certainty and openness are an important element in faith according to the Mâturidîs. The same certainty and openness must also be reflected in the belief of the individuals as well. The faith of the believer should be as firm, clear and transparent as possible. According to Māturidī, who regards faith as a mental necessity, it is also possible to know the beauty of the beings through intellect, as well as knowing the beauty of faith in the same way. This paper is based on the basic views and assumptions of the Māturīdīs in the field of faith, and discusses whether this understanding allows the belief that faith can be handled on an implicit, closed basis. The Māturīdīs, who regard the belief as the most beautiful and valuable of those that can be reasoned, regard it as a rational necessity to believe in Allah. For them, the basic condition of responsibility is reason, and the truth of faith can only be known through thinking and reasoning. According to the Māturīdīs, faith is essentially the confirmation of the heart, and primarily it is a heart-work. Confirmation due to knowledge is an important element of its clarity and precision. According to Māturidī, the decisive and indispensable element of faith is attested (taṣdīq). There are many types of affirmation; however, the most important and decisive factor for them is the confirmation of the heart. A faith that is not based on the affirmation of the heart is not valid in the presence of God and can not be a savior in the Hereafter. It is important to define faith as a conviction in the heart. According to them, taṣdīq is based on knowledge, for this reason it expresses certainty and determination. In other words, it is a definite knowledge and a clear acknowledgment of the things to be believed. Since clarity and precision are crucial in faith for Māturidīs, they strongly emphasize the affirmation with the heart. Faith therefore finds the strongest, definite and clear statement in the affirmation with heart, and is primarily a heart work. According to Māturidī, faith is a matter of belief; belief is only with the heart. For this reason it is a mental necessity to define faith as a affirmation by heart. In a sense of faith based on the attestation of the heart, the relationship between the individual and God is clear and no doubt. According to Māturidīs, taṣdīq by heart alone is enough. Such faith is a technically valid-faith and is turned into the hereafter. But its direction towards the world and man is closed, uncertain. It is not possible for people to know such a belief, because the presence of faith in the heart is closed for them. Only God knows the truth of such a faith. For a believer, if only the attitude of the heart is sufficient and other dimensions of attestation are not necessary, then this faith is individual and personal. In Fact, it is possible to see this as a kind of closed-faith. And this contrasts with the clarity and certainty of the taṣdīq.However, the Māturidīs are aware of this riot that arises when faith is defined only in the direction of the hereafter and with taṣdīq of the heart. It is clear, however, that they treat the issue of understanding faith as only with taṣdīq of the heart as an affirmation in terms of technique and afterlife. The great majority of the Māturidīs consider the faith in the context of the human being, and in this respect they think that the faith must be accompanied by confirmation of the heart along with the confirmation of tongue. It is then possible to say that the clearest and most transparent expression of faith is found when it is defined as conviction in the heart and confirmation with tongue. According to them, faith is reached in terms of the world and the hereafter, to the clearest definition as "convinction in the heart and confirmation with tongue" that such an understanding does not include a closure and rejects any kind of closure.When Māturidī thinkers take into account the direction of the world's life, we can say that beyond the convinction in the heart, they account for other dimensions of faith and that they construe their understanding of faith in from this point. The convinction in the heart is moved to the objective space and become observable by means of language or behavior. In such a conception of faith, there is more clarity than in the state of affirmation with the heart. On the other hand, the Māturidīs acknowledge that just verbal confession, which doesn't based on tasdīq in the heart, is identical to the hypocrisy (nifāq). Such faith is not valid in the presence of God, nor in the hereafter.

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