Marife Turkish Journal of Religious Studies

Abstract

‘Kalâm atomism is one of the central subjects in the Mutakallimûn’s doctrine
of universe. The origin of this subject still remains to be explored. Moses b.
Maymonides claims that kalâm atomism was affected by Greek atomism. This
claim also has been taken into account by various orientalists. In the nineteenth
Century, Schmölders and Mabilleu claimed that kalam atomism was affected by
Indian atomism. Shlomo Pines in his Beitrage zur 6slamischen Atomenlehre has
acknowledged a resemblance between the certain aspects of Greek and Kalâm atomism.
Pines thought that the difference between Greek atomism and Kalâm atomism
were too great and therefore believed that the search for a Greek source
of kalâm atomism was inconclusive. Pines established some congruities between
the doctrines of Indian atomism and kalam atomism. According to Alnoor Dhanani
in the The Physical Theory of Kalam (Brill 1994) Pines failed to find possible routes
of transmission from the former of the latter. Before Pines (ten years ago), 0emseddin
(Günaltay), in his article called “Mütekellimûn ve Atom Nazariyesi” (Daru’lFunun
6lahiyat Fakültesi Mecmuas, 1925) acknowledged congruities between the
doctrines of Indian atomism and kalam atomism.
This article claims that kalâm atomism was put forward by mutekellimûn
in the Middle East and the influence of Greek and Indian atomism on kalam atomism
was indirect. Therefore kalam atomism can be treated as an original theory.