Şırnak University Journal of Divinity Faculty

Abstract

The concept of fiqh, which means comprehension and discernment, expresses the knowledge of things that are beneficial and harmful to the person. In terms of nature, the concept of fiqh has esoteric provisions in the sense of taqwa, intention, sincerity or the ability to perform the worship from the heart, as well as the outward provisions of matters such as worship, treatment and obedience. At this point, although the fukahâ accepted the outward provisions and the mystics accepted the outward provisions of worship, they concentrated on the esoteric provisions. These two concepts, also referred to as fiqh-i zahir and fiqh-i batin, complement each other in essence and reveal the fulfillment of religious duties, especially worship, both in appearance and in the heart. Deeds like taharah, prayer, ablution, pilgrimage, fasting, zakat, which are visible, are the subject of outward fiqh; heartfelt deeds such as sincerity, patience, consent, gratitude, zuhd constitute the subject of esoteric fiqh. On the other hand, fiqh is not only a law that regulates outward facts, but also a science that aims to save a person in the hereafter. However, since the fuqaha do not include this moral dimension of fiqh in their books, Sufism fills this area that fiqh needs. Therefore, it is seen that there is a strong relationship between these two sciences, which is a relationship of complementing each other. It is Ghazali who dealt with this subject comprehensively and for the first time, explaining the esoteric and the outward science with different classifications of science. Another sufi who sets an example for interdisciplinary work and deals with this issue in a broad framework is İbnü’l-Arâbî. İbnü’l-Arâbî, known as Şeyhü'l-Ekber or Muhyiddîn and who realized mystical experience in time, is a scholar who has deep knowledge of many fields such as tasawwuf, tafsir, hadith, and fiqh. It is seen that İbnü’l-Arâbî, who wrote his works with divine orthography and dealt with many different subjects in his works, paid attention to the integrity of outward fiqh and esoteric fiqh. In this article, the subject of cleanliness, which is important for all sciences, especially furû-ı fiqh, and especially the subject of ablution will be discussed in the integrity of outward fiqh and esoteric fiqh. Besides the outward dimensions of ablution, esoteric provisions will also be evaluated, taking the work of al-Fütûhât-ı Mekkiyye, which is composed of 560 chapters, which İbnü’l-Arâbî, who has an important place in Islamic thought and who pioneered the world of mysticism with his thoughts, states that he wrote with discovery and inspiration, as an example. In his work, İbnü’l-Arâbî uses a simple language and deals with all the provisions of ablution that are fard, sunnah or mustahab. Besides being a mystic, İbnü’l-Arâbî, who has as much knowledge of the fiqh provisions as a fuqaha, first expresses the fiqh-related provisions of every organ regarding ablution, the disagreements and alliances of the madhhab scholars, and reveals the esoteric provisions on these provisions. Proving the subject by citing relevant verses and hadiths and expressing his own opinion after the outward and esoteric judgment of the subject provides a unique framework for his work. After this framework he shares with the reader what he carries about the spiritual dimensions of the relevant provisions. The starting point of our study is how İbnü’l-Arabî approached the outward provisions of ablution, the method he followed in his evaluations, and what kind of contributions he made to the provisions of the exoteric fiqh. As a mystic who is more concerned with topics such as the unity of existence and levels of existence, which are covered under the title of theoretical mysticism İbnü’l-Arabî, the aim of our subject is what his approach is to the first issue of fiqh in al-Fütûhât-ı Mekkiyye. In this context, it is the main claim of our study to examine the understanding of fiqh of mystics within the framework of the subject of cleanliness.