Ahmed Avni Konuk’s Masnavi Interpretation Based on the use of Scientific Data

Abstract

The works had been written, are not independent from the accepted scientific parameters in the era of the writers lived. Thus, to understand a text, as much as the social, economic, political, geographical situation, it’s essential to know about scientific developments in the writer’s century. This practise applies for the religious texts, too. Interpretations, hadith explanation, Islamic law methodology and Sufism texts cannot be considered as out of the influence of well accepted scientific findings in related century. Ahmed Avni Konuk, lived in Istanbul between the end of the 19th and early of 20th century, is one of the thinkers who brings together Sufism topics and scientific data in same text by not keeping himself away from scientific findings in his era. In fact, by looking the Interpretations done by 20th century of a work that written in 13th century, scientific data, culture, cosmology and modern science data of the time that interpretations written, can be determined. Also keeping track of alteration, transformation and evolution of the scientific knowledge is possible in the text of interpretations. Concerned topics of Masnavi, Fusus al-Hikam and At-Tadbidrat al-ilahiyyah expounded by Ahmed Avni Konuk, who hasn’t abstained to have scientific data in his Interpretations of works which are influential and extensive in Islamic thinking tradition, he kept up with scientific development of the century he lived in. In this study it is aimed to point out the strong relation of Sufi expounder and scientific data in the era he lived, based on Masnavi Interpretation.