The Method of Interpreting the Verses in the Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya of Ahmed Māhir Efendi, One of the Lecturers of Tafsīr in Dārülfünūn Theology
Ahmed Māhir Efendi, who taught tafsīr and kalām for 13 years at the Dārülfünūn Faculty of Theology and Medresetü’l-Vāizīn, is one of the notable figures who made significant contributions to the development of the Dārülfünūn Faculty of Theology. His name stands out prominently among tafsīr instructors, alongside Manastırlı Ismail Hakkı. Known for his profound knowledge of the Islamic sciences, Ahmed Māhir Efendi was among those whose opinions were sought on religious matters. In addition to his academic stature, he attracted attention for his guidance activities, impressive oratory skills, and political views. This article focuses on Ahmed Māhir Efendi’s work titled Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya, which he wrote in Ottoman Turkish and which has not been the subject of an independent research except for a recent study. The main interest of the study is to reveal the Qur’ānic conception and the method of interpreting verses by an Ottoman scholar with the identity of a scholar and a politician, as well as to point out the effects of the conditions surrounding a commentator on the interpretation of verses by identifying the place where Ahmed Māhir Efendi stood in the context of the religious, intellectual, social and political debates of the period and the points that made him different. Within this scope, the content, general characteristics and prominent aspects of the work in terms of tafsīr scholarship have been examined, and the author’s method of interpreting Qur’ānic verses has been evaluated. The study is based on document analysis and content analysis methods and partly on the comparative analysis method. According to the data obtained, it has been determined that various Islamic, political and social issues that are on the agenda of the society in Mu’cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya are evaluated from the perspective of the Qur’ān. This work is seen as a reflection of Ahmed Māhir Efendi’s scholarly accumulation in the science of tafsīr and other Islamic sciences.
Dârülfünûn İlahiyat Tefsir Müderrislerinden Ahmed Mâhir Efendi’nin Mu‘cizât-ı Kur’âniyye Adlı Eserinde Âyetleri Yorumlama Yöntemi
Dârülfünûn İlahiyat Fakültesi ve Medresetü’l-Vâizîn’de on üç yıl tefsir ve kelam dersleri veren Ahmed Mâhir Efendi, Dârülfünûn İlahiyat Fakültesi’nin gelişmesine önemli katkılarda bulunan isimlerden biridir. Kendisinin adı tefsir dersi hocaları arasında Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı ile beraber ön planda yer almıştır. İslâmî ilimlerdeki birikimiyle dikkat çeken Ahmed Mâhir Efendi dinî konularda görüşleri sorulan kişiler arasında olmuştur. Bu ilmî kişiliğine ek olarak irşad faaliyetleri, etkileyici hitabeti ve siyasî görüşleri itibarıyla da dikkatleri üzerine çekmiştir. Bu makalede Ahmed Mâhir Efendi’nin tefsir alanına ilişkin Osmanlıca kaleme almış olduğu ve yakın zamanda yapılan bir çalışma dışında hakkında müstakil olarak bir araştırma bulunmayan “Mu‘cizât-ı Kur’âniyye” adlı eseri üzerinde durulmuştur. Bu kapsamda eserin genel özellikleri, muhtevası ve tefsir ilmi açısından öne çıkan tarafları irdelenmiş, özellikle de müellifin âyetleri yorumlama yöntemi değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmanın temel ilgi alanı, müderris ve siyasetçi kimliğine sahip bir Osmanlı âliminin Kur’ân tasavvurunu ve âyetleri yorumlama yöntemini ortaya koymak, bunun yanı sıra dönemin dinî, fikrî, sosyal ve siyasî tartışmaları bağlamında Ahmed Mâhir Efendi’nin durduğu yeri ve onu farklı kılan noktaları tespit etmek suretiyle bir müfessiri çevreleyen şartların âyet yorumları üzerindeki tesirlerine işaret etmektir. Çalışmada doküman analizi ve içerik tahlili yöntemi temel alınmış olup kısmen de karşılaştırmalı değerlendirmelere başvurulmuştur. Elde edilen verilere göre Mu‘cizât-ı Kur’âniyye’de toplumun gündeminde olan çeşitli İslâmî, politik ve toplumsal meselelerin Kur’ân perspektifinden değerlendirildiği ve bu eserin müellifinin tefsir ilmindeki ve diğer İslâmî ilimlerdeki birikimini yansıttığı bir çalışma olduğu görülmüştür.
Ahmed Māhir Efendi, who taught tafsīr and kalām for 13 years at the Dārülfünūn Faculty of Theology and Medresetü’l-Vāizīn, is one of the late Ottoman scholars who received his entire education in Kastamonu. He lived between 1860 and 1922 and was a prominent religious scholar and politician of the late Ottoman period. His work titled Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya is an important study that examines the miraculous aspects of the Qur’ān and includes methods of interpreting its verses. In this work, Ahmed Māhir Efendi emphasises the miraculous nature of the Qur’ān in terms of its language, eloquence, scientific content, and rulings and follows a specific methodology when interpreting the verses. This book, which can be considered a compilation of his articles published in various newspapers between 1908 and 1909, is among the Ottoman Turkish tafsīr works of the Tanzimat and post-Tanzimat period (1839-1922). It was printed in Istanbul in 1328 (1910) and comprises 278 pages. The work is divided into two main parts, with the first part comprising articles published by Ahmed Māhir Efendi in newspapers between 1908 and 1909, which is the focus of our study. At the time of the book’s publication, Ahmed Māhir Efendi was a deputy representing Kastamonu.
The work begins with an introduction and then addresses various timeless issues of Islam under 29 headings. These issues are explained through verses that highlight the miraculous nature of the Qur’ān, emphasising the moral and social principles and needs of Islam. Regarding the purpose of the book, the author states that he wrote it to affirm constitutionalism by citing verses from the Qur’ān and the Prophet’s hadīths that explain and interpret these verses. He also mentions that some parts of the book consist of articles published in newspapers as a form of religious service. The work frequently references the universality and miraculous nature of the Qur’ān, emphasising its relevance to all times and places. The author asserts that Islam is not opposed to progress or modern civilisation but rather commands civilisation, as evidenced by the Qur’ān and hadīths. This book, composed of articles written to support the constitutional revolution, addresses political, social, and moral issues. Although the work is not directly related to Qur’ānic sciences, its content, which emphasises the superiority and miraculous nature of the Qur’ān, allows it to be classified as a tafsīr-related work. As a staunch supporter of the constitutional system, Ahmed Māhir Efendi states in the introduction to Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya that he wrote the book to dispel the misconception that Islam is opposed to progress and development and to prove that Islam commands civilisation. The work also highlights Ahmed Māhir Efendi’s support for constitutionalism and the Unionist movement. In the introduction, he explains that the constitutional government was established on the foundation of true Islamic civilisation as outlined by the Qur’ān, encompassing all necessary social rules and general administrative laws for humanity from both religious and political perspectives. However, he notes that over time, this system of governance degenerated into despotic rule due to internal conflicts.
The author wrote his work for the public and, with a few exceptions, avoided detailed grammatical analyses. Due to his familiarity with poetry, he provided detailed explanations by citing examples from the poems of Arab poets. To establish the legitimacy of the issues he addressed within Islamic history, he referenced events from the time of the Prophet and Islamic history. For example, under the heading “Islam and the Science of Medicine”, he discusses the importance of medicine in Islam, citing the verse “Eat and drink, but do not waste” (al-Aʿrāf 7/31) to emphasise the importance of healthy eating and evaluating the plague during the time of Caliph Umar. He also recounts an incident involving the Abbasid Caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd.
In his work, the author sometimes provides the full Arabic text of the verses he uses, while at other times he only includes the relevant portion. Alongside the Arabic texts, he often provides translations of the verses, though sometimes he omits them. He typically concludes each article with a verse relevant to the topic, striving to centre his writings around the meanings of the verses and blending his explanations with their interpretations. He tries to support each verse he cites with one or more hadīths. In his work, Ahmed Māhir Efendi uses over a hundred hadīths, first presenting the text of the hadīths and then explaining its relevance to the topic. However, he does not provide the chain of narrators for any hadīth, nor does he comment on their authenticity or cite their sources.
In addition to using verses and hadīths, the author draws on the sayings of the companions of the Prophet. To make the issues he discusses more memorable and concrete, and particularly to ground the religious legitimacy of the constitutional system, he cites prominent sayings of the companions, as well as examples from the lives of the tābi’īn and other Islamic figures related to governance. Although this work is not a direct Qur’ānic tafsīr or a book on Qur’ānic sciences, the way the topics are addressed, the frequent references to verses, the extensive explanations provided, and the overall emphasis on the superiority and miraculous nature of the Qur’ān allow it to be classified as a tafsīr -related work. When considered as a whole, it can be said that the work, though not entirely, carries the characteristics of a thematic tafsīr.
Ahmed Māhir Efendi adopts an approach that emphasises the compatibility of the Qur’ān with science. In his work, he draws attention to the truths indicated by the Qur’ān in fields such as natural sciences, astronomy, and biology. This reflects traces of the scientific tafsīr tradition in his methodology. While remaining faithful to the classical tafsīr tradition, Ahmed Māhir Efendi not only repeats it but also offers new interpretations suited to the needs of his time. He is concerned not only with the theoretical aspects of the verses but also with their practical messages for daily life. He particularly highlights the Qur’ān’s guidance on moral and social issues, demonstrating a societal dimension in his tafsīr methodology. One of the primary aims of Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya is to demonstrate the miraculous aspects of the Qur’ān. Ahmed Māhir Efendi thoroughly examines the miraculous nature of the verses in terms of their wording, meaning, eloquence, and scientific content.
In conclusion, it can be said that the tafsīr methodology employed by Ahmed Māhir Efendi in Mu‘cizāt-ı Qur’āniyya is both rooted in the classical tafsīr tradition and responsive to modern needs. His method for interpreting the verses integrates linguistic, historical, rational, and scientific dimensions, presenting a holistic approach. This work remains an important resource for those seeking to understand the miraculous aspects of the Qur’ān.
