Abstract:

Following a brief information about the work, this article will present the text of al-Mabâhis al-dafîniyya fî hakk al-irâdat al-Juz’iyya, a treatise in Arabic by one of the latest representatives of Ottoman scholarly tradition, Kütahyalı Ahmed Âsım Efendi. Written in the nineteenth century, the work successfully handles the thus far cumulated tradition and approach of the Ottoman ulema regarding human will (irâde). In this work, which consists of eight sections and three subtopics, the author handles the question of human will in conformity with the thought of the Mâturîdî ulamâ of the later times, while also critiquing the position of other schools of thought, such as the Mu’tazila, the Jabriyya and the Falâsifa. Especially striking, however, are the harsh criticisms directed at the Imâm Ash‘arî who is a Sunnî. Thus it opens to question the dictum that Ottoman ulemâ, influenced by the Ash‘arî kalâm, have failed to pay due attention to the Mâturîdiyya.