An Evaluation in the Context of Sadrüşşeria's Mukaddimât-ı Erbaa

Abstract

"Mukaddimât-ı Erbaa", a section of Sadrüşşerîa called "et-Tavzîh", has an important place in the literature of fiqh and kalam. In this chapter, Sadrüşşerîa tried to establish an original system by centering the concepts of "good" and "bad" and explaining human actions in the context of will and power. Sadrüşşerîa, one of the important representatives of the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition, said that the good and bad actions of the servants due to their will and power belong to him. Therefore, he is against the Ash'ari view, which largely disables the will and power of human beings, and the philosophers' view, which explains the actions of possible beings within the framework of a chain of necessary causality. For this reason, Sadrüşşeria combines God's will and power with the understanding of free will and adopts the understanding that servants are responsible for their actions and will receive punishment and reward. He also explained how the actions of servants acquired the characteristics of good and bad. These explanations are a response to the basic acceptance of Ash'ari understanding. Arguing that God does not act with a network of necessary relationships when creating possible beings, Sadrüşşeria responded to his opponents with these views.

In short, in this article, based on Sadrüşşerîa's "et-Tavzîh" and Taftazânî's "et-Telvîh", we will explain the meanings of the concepts of "hüsün" and "kubuh" and in this context, the meanings of the concepts of "hüsün" and "kubuh" and the things they do within the framework of the will and power of the servants. We will examine different views on the conditions under which actions acquire the characteristics of hüsun and kubuh. In addition, we will try to make sense of the responsibilities of man in his actions by explaining the issues discussed by different sects regarding the content of the Mukaddimât-ı Erbaa section from a theological perspective. In this context, we will also focus on Taftazani's work called "et-Telvîh", which is one of the most important annotations written on the text of Sadrüşşerîa. In this work, Taftazānī both explains and criticizes the statements of Sadr al-Shariah, especially in the "Preface" section. From this perspective, the work called "et-Telvîh" has an important place in theological literature, beyond being a work written on the Mukaddimât-ı Erbaa section.