Bingöl Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi

Öz

Bekir Sıdkı Visâlî (Halıcıoğlu), who was raised in Kula, Manisa, is one of the prominent scholars and mystics of the late period. Witnessing the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment and progress of the Republic of Turkey, Visâlî spent most of his life during these challenging times. After studying under his father and various teachers, he completed his madrasa education in Istanbul. Later, he entered the path of Sufism and completed his spiritual journey (seyr-i sülûk). As far as can be seen, the author mostly engaged in works centered on Sufism. Among them, the one most related to our subject is his work Tavzîhu’l-ehâdîs. In this work, he explains the hadiths based on the principle of Wahdat al-Wujood (the unity of being). In this paper, after providing brief information about Visâlî, we will try to explain the errors and omissions in his commentary, the authenticity of the hadiths, and his commentary methodology. According to the investigation, some factual errors have been found in the information he provided about the sources of the hadiths. These mistakes may have originated from the author, or from the person who prepared the work for publication, or from the publishing house, and this should be considered. Generally, individuals with a dominant mystic identity tend to include unreliable and fabricated hadiths in their works. In Visâlî’s case, this trend does not change much. It is found that 53% of the hadiths he commented on are weak, fabricated, or have uncertain sources, while the remaining 47% consist of authentic or good hadiths. When explaining the hadiths, he refers to prominent Sufi figures such as Bāyezid al-Bistāmī (d. 234/848?), Junayd al-Baghdādī (d. 297/909), Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 561/1166), Ibn Arabī, and Shaykh Shiblī. One of the notable aspects of his commentary is the very well-expressed explanations of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). The information he provides is important in showing his position in the science of fiqh. In explaining the hadiths, he frequently references Quranic verses, hadiths, and sayings of the companions of the Prophet (sahabah), and at times addresses the reasons behind the transmission of certain hadiths. He occasionally discusses different readings (qira'at) to clarify the topic being discussed. However, he does not delve into grammar-related issues. Another interesting aspect of his commentary is the sections where he defends Abu Hanifah.