Şiblî Nuʿmânî’nin Oryantalist Eleştirilere Karşı Savunma Stratejisi
Shiblī Nuʿmānī's Defense Strategy Against Orientalist Criticism

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the methodological approach and response strategy developed by Shibli Nuʿmânî (1857–1914), who was raised in India in the 19th century and is considered one of the pioneers of the New Ilm-i Kelâm, in response to Orientalists' claims about Islam. During that century, the Western world established clear superiority over the Islamic world in science, politics, technology, military affairs, industry, economics, culture, and thought. This superiority extended beyond technological progress and reforms in the Islamic world. The works and discourse of Orientalists on the Islamic religion and history have raised doubts and hesitations in the minds of Muslims. Their criticisms of Islam have often been shaped by a framework of biased, reductionist, and distorted discourse. Through this discourse, attempts have been made to consciously devalue Islam's historical, social, political, and cultural heritage. The Orientalists' approach has triggered an intellectual process that has led Muslim intellectuals not only to develop defensive reflexes but also to reconstruct Islamic thought methodologically and conceptually. During this period, Muslim scholars emerged who took on the responsibility of responding to Orientalist criticism using their own scientific methods. One of these scholars was the Indian Islamic scholar Shibli Nuʿmānī. He distinguished himself as one of the Islamic thinkers who systematically reflected on the new issue of ilm-i kalām. Faced with Westerncentered intellectual challenges, like many Muslim scholars, he regarded the renewal of kalām science in the Indian subcontinent as an intellectual and ideological responsibility; he waged a comprehensive scholarly struggle against criticism and attacks directed at Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. In this context, Shibli closely examined Orientalist literature and sought to respond to the claims advanced in these works with his own methods and arguments. The method developed by Shibli went beyond the classical defensive understanding of kalam, centered on elements such as the relationship between reason and tradition, historical context, and critical thinking. In this way, while aiming to write refutations using scientific methods on the one hand, he also clarified the historical reality and universal messages of Islamic civilization on the other. Thus, he developed a methodological defense based on the modern scientific methods used by Orientalists. The article examines the method adopted by Shibli Nuʿmânî, discusses his intellectual legacy and its impact on modern Islamic thought, and emphasizes the dynamism of Islamic thought in the face of modern challenges. The study uses systematic analysis and evaluation methods, along with a literature review. The Arabic and Turkish translations of Shibli Nuʿmânî's works were used as primary sources, and Turkish and Arabic articles written about him were also used as much as possible.

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