Cankat Kaplan AN ANTI-IBN ‘ARABĪ (D. 1240) POLEMICIST IN SIXTEENTH- CENTURY OTTOMAN ISTANBUL: IBRĀHĪM AL-ḤALABĪ (D.1549) AND HIS INTERLOCUTORS MA Thesis in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies Central European University Budapest May 2019 CEU eTD Collection AN ANTI-IBN ‘ARABĪ (D. 1240) POLEMICIST IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY OTTOMAN ISTANBUL: IBRĀHĪM AL-ḤALABĪ (D.1549) AND HIS INTERLOCUTORS by Cankat Kalpan (Turkey) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ Chair, Examination Committee ___________________________ ________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ Examiner ____________________________________________ Examiner Budapest CEU eTD Collection May 2019 AN ANTI-IBN ‘ARABĪ (D. 1240) POLEMICIST IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY OTTOMAN ISTANBUL: IBRĀHĪM AL-ḤALABĪ (D.1549) AND HIS INTERLOCUTORS by Cankat Kaplan (Turkey) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. _____________________ ____________________ External Reader Budapest May 2019 CEU eTD Collection AN ANTI-IBN ‘ARABĪ (D. 1240) POLEMICIST IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY OTTOMAN ISTANBUL: IBRĀHĪM AL-ḤALABĪ (D.1549) AND HIS INTERLOCUTORS by Cankat Kaplan (Turkey) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Supervisor Budapest May 2019 CEU eTD Collection I, the undersigned, Cankat Kaplan, candidate for the MA degree in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, declare herewith that the present thesis is exclusively my own work, based on my research and only such external information as properly credited in notes and bibliography. I declare that no unidentified and illegitimate use was made of the work of others, and no part of the thesis infringes on any person’s or institution’s copyright. I also declare that no part of the thesis has been submitted in this form to any other institution of higher education for an academic degree. Budapest, 28 05 2019 _____________________ _____ Signature CEU eTD Collection Abstract This thesis is an attempt to rethink the term heresy in the context of the sixteenth- century Mamluk and Ottoman mindset. From a theoretical perspective, it tries to go beyond the supposed dichotomy between heresy and orthodoxy that informs many studies of Islamic history. It argues that in the sixteenth-century Damascus, Cairo, Aleppo, and Istanbul heresy was not a universal term, but a context-bound one. In many studies, heresy is the synonym for heterodoxy and heretical ideas are generally understood as ideas that do not suit the sharia and sunna. The problem with this dichotomy is that scholars approach it as timeless and universal. However, as I show in this thesis, the controversial Sufi shaykh Ibn ʿArabī (d. 1240) was accepted as a true saint in the Ottoman realm while his veracity was highly debated in the Mamluk lands. Furthermore, even in the Mamluk lands, being an Ibn ʿArabī supporter was seen as appropriate at certain points in time, but in a later period it could be the grounds for the execution. In this thesis, I have attempted to contextualize two polemical, anti-Ibn ʿArabī works by Ibrāhīm al-Ḥalabī (d. 1549), Niʿmat al-Dharīʿa fī Nuṣrat al-Sharīʿa and Tasfīh al-Ghabī fī Tanzīh Ibn ʿArabī, in the changing social, political and religious dynamics of the early modern Islamic eastern Mediterranean. Examining the debate about Ibn ʿArabī in the sixteenth-century Ottoman state, I have argued that Ibrāhīm al-Ḥalabī had a great influence on the new, more critical stance of the Ottoman ulema vis-à-vis Ibn ʿArabī starting after the Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk lands. The sixteenth century was an age of change for the Ottomans. The period also witnessed important developments in the evolution of Ottoman Sunnism. Recent scholarship has interpreted this change as a result of the conflict between the Ottomans and their rival to the east, the Safavids, and the Ottomans’ pursuit of legitimacy in this context. However, the role of the Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate has not attracted the attention it deserves. This thesis concetrates on this overlooked aspect of early moderm Islamic history and explores the Mamluk scholars’ perception of the Ottomans as newcomers to the Sunni tradition. According to them, the Ottomans were not “Sunni enough” and they were exceeding the limits of the sharia and sunna. At least, according to al-Ḥalabī, the doctrine of the Oneness of Being (waḥdat al-wujūd) of Ibn ʿArabī that was widely accepted in the Ottoman lands by sultans and the chief jurisprudents was definitely out of the limit. CEU eTD Collection i Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to my thesis advisor, Tijana Krstić for her priceless guidance, support, encouragement, and patience throughout the preparation of this thesis. She did not only teach me how to become a good scholar but also a good person. I am also thankful to all the faculty members and coordinators of Medieval Studies. They all deserve credit for maintaining an excellent atmosphere in this department. It is necessary to mention a few names that made my time in CEU an experience to remember. From the Medieval Studies Department, I am deeply thankful to Johanna Tóth, Professor Katalin Szende, Professor Günhan Börekçi, Professor Gábor Klaniczay, Professor József Laszlovszky, and Professor Zsuzsanna Reed. I also would like to acknowledge Rashed Daher and Agnes Nemeth from the Source Language Teaching Group. Above all, I want to thank Central European University Medieval Studies department for providing me with a chance to meet such wonderful personalities. I would like to express many thanks to the staff of the manuscript library of Süleymaniye, especially to Murat Serdar Saykal who made possible for me to acquire most of the primary sources. During the process of writing this thesis, many dear friends and colleagues encouraged and supported me with their priceless friendships, helps, and advice. I am grateful to all of them and pleased to be able to express my thanks to Cevat Sucu, Flora Khazarian, Samuel Huckleberry, Halit Serkan Simen, Teodora Miljojković, Mutlu Duvarcı, Yusuf Selman İnanç, Mehmet Erken, İrfan Ağaçayaklar, and many others. CEU eTD Collection Finally, I owe thanks to my family. My Fatḥer Ziya Kaplan and mother Nazike Kaplan, and sister Seda Kaplan showed continuous self-sacrifice, support, affection, and understanding. My beloved fiancee Elif Fatma Dursun was always by my side when I needed her. Her support during the process of writing this thesis was priceless. ii To Elif… CEU eTD Collection iii Table of contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. v Notes on Usage ......................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem and the Argument ......................................................................... 1 Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1. The Controversial Legacy of Ibn ʿArabī (d. 1240) in the Late Medieval Era ........ 10 1.1. Reading and Debating Ibn ʿArabī in the Mamluk Lands .............................................. 10 1.2. The Ottoman Reception of Ibn ʿArabī Prior to the Sixteenth Century ......................... 20 1.3. The Ottoman Conquest of the Mamluk Lands: Ibn ʿArabī in the Policy of Selim I ..... 24 Chapter 2: A Mamluk Scholar in the Ottoman Capital: Ibrāhīm al-Ḥalabī, His Works and Career ....................................................................................................................................... 38 2.1. The Interaction and the Conflict between the Ottoman and Mamluk Scholars ............ 38 2.2. al-Ḥalabī as a Scholar between Two Empires .............................................................. 43 2.3. al-Ḥalabī and His Scholarly Network in the Ottoman Lands ....................................... 46 Chapter 3: al-Ḥalabī against Ibn ‘Arabī ................................................................................... 50 3.1. Suyūṭī in Defense of Ibn ‘Arabī: Tanbīh al-Ghabī bi-Tabriʾati Ibn ‘Arabī ................. 51 3.2. al-Ḥalabī’s Answer to Suyūṭī: Tasfīh al-Ghabī fī Tanzīhi Ibn ʿArabī .......................... 64 3.3. Ottoman Scholars' Response to al-Ḥalabī's Anti-Ibn ʿArabī Polemics ......................... 75 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 86 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................................