An Academic Analysis of the Refutations Written Against Dozy’s History of Islam within the Framework of the Qur’an and Divine Revelation

Nazife Göksu

Article Details

An Academic Analysis of the Refutations Written Against Dozy’s History of Islam within the Framework of the Qur’an and Divine Revelation

Authors:

Nazife Göksu

Publisher:

Gaziantep University

Main Topics:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Journal:

Gaziantep Üniversitesi Ayıntab Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.8 Issue 1, pp.38-57

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339315

pISSN:

2667-6257

Keywords:

Abstract:

 A Dutch orientalist, Dozy d. 1883, wrote a work in 1863 in Flemish titled Het Islamisme, reflecting his clearly anti-Islamic stance. This work, which translates to Islamic History in Turkish, touches upon topics such as religion, revelation, prophethood, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ismailis, Druze, and Qarmatians. The book is filled with derogatory remarks and slanderous accusations regarding the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. It was translated into Turkish by Abdullah Cevdet d. 1932 in Cairo in 1908 under the title Târîh-i İslâmiyet. This translation, which is a direct rendering without any critical commentary, stands out in the Ottoman context as the first translation effort that openly targeted Islam and treated its fundamental principles with sarcasm, thus risking large-scale public dissent in the religious sphere. It received widespread backlash from all segments of society due to its mockery of religious values. About a year after the publication of Târîh-i İslâmiyet, various short articles were published in periodicals as initial reactions to the work. The first and most serious critique came a year and a half later, initially serialized in thirty issues of the journals Sırat-ı Müstakim and Sebilürreşad by Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı d. 1912, and later compiled into a book in 1912 under the title Hak ve Hakîkât. The second independent critique of Târîh-i İslâmiyet was authored by Şehbenderzâde Filibeli Ahmet Hilmi d. 1914 and published in Istanbul in 1909 under the title Tarih-i İslam. Another significant response is Kitab-ı İzâle-i Şükûk, written by İsmail Fennî Ertuğrul and published much later, in 1928, also in Istanbul. The subject of this study is to examine the baseless claims regarding the Quran and revelation found in Târîh-i İslâmiyet and the responses provided to these claims in the aforementioned refutations. Furthermore, the study aims to compare these refutations in terms of content, methodology, and evidential reasoning.

 A Dutch orientalist, Dozy d. 1883, wrote a work in 1863 in Flemish titled Het Islamisme, reflecting his clearly anti-Islamic stance. This work, which translates to Islamic History in Turkish, touches upon topics such as religion, revelation, prophethood, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ismailis, Druze, and Qarmatians. The book is filled with derogatory remarks and slanderous accusations regarding the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. It was translated into Turkish by Abdullah Cevdet d. 1932 in Cairo in 1908 under the title Târîh-i İslâmiyet. This translation, which is a direct rendering without any critical commentary, stands out in the Ottoman context as the first translation effort that openly targeted Islam and treated its fundamental principles with sarcasm, thus risking large-scale public dissent in the religious sphere. It received widespread backlash from all segments of society due to its mockery of religious values. About a year after the publication of Târîh-i İslâmiyet, various short articles were published in periodicals as initial reactions to the work. The first and most serious critique came a year and a half later, initially serialized in thirty issues of the journals Sırat-ı Müstakim and Sebilürreşad by Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı d. 1912, and later compiled into a book in 1912 under the title Hak ve Hakîkât. The second independent critique of Târîh-i İslâmiyet was authored by Şehbenderzâde Filibeli Ahmet Hilmi d. 1914 and published in Istanbul in 1909 under the title Tarih-i İslam. Another significant response is Kitab-ı İzâle-i Şükûk, written by İsmail Fennî Ertuğrul and published much later, in 1928, also in Istanbul. The subject of this study is to examine the baseless claims regarding the Quran and revelation found in Târîh-i İslâmiyet and the responses provided to these claims in the aforementioned refutations. Furthermore, the study aims to compare these refutations in terms of content, methodology, and evidential reasoning.

 A Dutch orientalist, Dozy d. 1883, wrote a work in 1863 in Flemish titled Het Islamisme, reflecting his clearly anti-Islamic stance. This work, which translates to Islamic History in Turkish, touches upon topics such as religion, revelation, prophethood, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ismailis, Druze, and Qarmatians. The book is filled with derogatory remarks and slanderous accusations regarding the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. It was translated into Turkish by Abdullah Cevdet d. 1932 in Cairo in 1908 under the title Târîh-i İslâmiyet. This translation, which is a direct rendering without any critical commentary, stands out in the Ottoman context as the first translation effort that openly targeted Islam and treated its fundamental principles with sarcasm, thus risking large-scale public dissent in the religious sphere. It received widespread backlash from all segments of society due to its mockery of religious values. About a year after the publication of Târîh-i İslâmiyet, various short articles were published in periodicals as initial reactions to the work. The first and most serious critique came a year and a half later, initially serialized in thirty issues of the journals Sırat-ı Müstakim and Sebilürreşad by Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı d. 1912, and later compiled into a book in 1912 under the title Hak ve Hakîkât. The second independent critique of Târîh-i İslâmiyet was authored by Şehbenderzâde Filibeli Ahmet Hilmi d. 1914 and published in Istanbul in 1909 under the title Tarih-i İslam. Another significant response is Kitab-ı İzâle-i Şükûk, written by İsmail Fennî Ertuğrul and published much later, in 1928, also in Istanbul. The subject of this study is to examine the baseless claims regarding the Quran and revelation found in Târîh-i İslâmiyet and the responses provided to these claims in the aforementioned refutations. Furthermore, the study aims to compare these refutations in terms of content, methodology, and evidential reasoning.

 Hollandalı bir şarkiyatçı olan Dozy ö. 1883, tam bir İslâm karşıtı kimliğiyle 1863te Flemenkçe Het İslamiseme adlı bir eser kaleme almıştır. Türkçe İslâmiyet anlamına gelen eser, din, vahiy, nübüvvet, Hz. Peygamberin nübüvveti, İsmâilîler, Dürzîler ve Karmatîler gibi konulara temas etmektedir. Kurân-ı Kerîm ve Hz. Peygamber hakkında aşağılayıcı ifadeler ve iftiralarla dolu olan eser, Abdullah Cevdet ö. 1932 tarafından 1908 yılında Kahirede Târîh-i İslâmiyet adıyla Türkçeye tercüme edilmiştir. Abdullah Cevdetin herhangi bir eleştiride bulunmaksızın salt tercüme şeklindeki bu çalışması, İslamı doğrudan tenkide konu etmesi ve temel esaslarını alaylı bir tarzda ele alması açısından Osmanlıda dini alanda büyük çaplı toplumsal muhalefeti göze alan ilk tercüme faaliyetidir. Dini değerlerle alay edildiği gerekçesiyle toplumun her kesiminden büyük tepki toplamıştır. Tarih-i İslâmiyetin neşrinden yaklaşık bir yıl sonra ilk tepkileri ifade etmek üzere muhtelif dergilerde kısa makaleler yayımlanmıştır. Eserin ilk ve en ciddi tenkidi ise Tarih-i İslâmiyetin yayımından bir buçuk yıl sonra, Sırât-ı Müstakim ve Sebilürreşad dergilerinde Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı ö.1912 tarafından otuz sayı halinde yayımlanan, daha sonra da 1912 yılında Hak ve Hakîkât adıyla kitaplaştırılan eserdir. Tarih-i İslâmiyete yönelik ikinci müstakil tenkit, Şehbenderzâde Filibeli Ahmet Hilminin ö.1914 1909 yılında İstanbulda yayımlanan Tarih-i İslam adlı eseridir. Bir diğer önemli tenkit ise Dozynin eserinin neşrinden uzun bir süre sonra 1928 yılında yine İstanbulda yayımlanan İsmail Fennî Ertuğrula ait Kitab-ı İzale-i Şükuk adlı eserdir. Çalışmamızın konusu, Tarih-i İslâmiyette yer alan Kurân ve vahiy ile ilgili asılsız iddiaların ve bahsi geçen reddiyelerde bu iddialara verilen cevapların incelenmesi, ayrıca söz konusu reddiyelerin içerik, yöntem ve delillendirme açısından karşılaştırılmasıdır.

Article Details

An Academic Analysis of the Refutations Written Against Dozy’s History of Islam within the Framework of the Qur’an and Divine Revelation

Authors:

Nazife Göksu

Publisher:

Gaziantep University

Main Topics:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Journal:

Gaziantep Üniversitesi Ayıntab Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.8 Issue 1, pp.38-57

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339315

pISSN:

2667-6257

Qur’an

revelation

Dozy

Hak ve Hakîkât

Kitab-ı İzâle-i ŞükûkKur’an

vahiy

Dozy

Hak ve Hakîkât

Kitab-ı İzâle-i Şükûk

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Nazife Göksu

Publisher: Gaziantep University

Main Topics: Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Journal: Gaziantep Üniversitesi Ayıntab Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.8 Issue 1, pp.38-57

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001339315

pISSN: 2667-6257

Issues

Authors:

Nazife Göksu

Publisher:

Gaziantep University

Main Topics:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Journal:

Gaziantep Üniversitesi Ayıntab Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.8 Issue 1, pp.38-57

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339315

pISSN:

2667-6257