Türkçe Fütüvvetnâmelerde Kâmil İnsan Anlayışı
The Depiction of the Perfect Human in Turkish Futuwwa Treatises

Summary/Abstract: It is an indisputable fact that religious-sufistic institutions contribute to the transfer of Islamic culture and civilization to the generations. One of these institutions that occupies a critical place in Islamic culture is the futuwwa organization. The treatises which specify the rules of Akhism, the reflection of this organization in Anatolia, are referred to as futuwwatreatises. Being considered among Sufi sources, futuwwa treatises also form the basis for the key principles of Akhism. Initially written in Arabic and Persian due to the scholarly conventions of the period, futuwwa treatises were later written in Turkish, so that they could be understood by people from all walks of life. There are also translated treatises, along with those written by such scholars as Burghazi, Shaykh Sayyid Husayn Ibn Gaybī and Radawī in the Akhi Organization during 13th to 16th centuries. Turkish futuwwa treatises, which have survived to the present day through copying, are characterised with an ideal of raising the perfect human being (al-insān al-kāmil), an individual moralized with the morality of Allah and blessed with His attributes. Therefore, the notion of the perfect human being in Turkish futuwwatreatises was investigated, and the educational system of Akhism was discussed in terms of its religious-sufistic, moral and professional aspects. Considered from the lens of Sufism, the perfect human being is an intermediary between God and humans. The true perfect human being is Prophet Muhammad. His heir, the perfect human being, is a person who has reached moral perfection, due to being moralized with the morality of Allah as a symbol of all goodness, such as wisdom, mercy, generosity, altruism, keeping one’s promise, love and tolerance. According to the Sufis, the perfect human being is considered as the human nafs at the furthest boundary of perfection and completeness. The purpose of the present study is to investigate this religious-sufistic and moral way of thinking, which draws attention with its sufistic nature and is also depicted in Turkish futuwwa treatises, the handbooks of Akhism. In this study, the etiquette, morals and vocational training of the people of futuwwa in the futuwwa treatises were discussed based on the perfect human being, a prototype personality. Employing a qualitative methodology, this study used Turkish futuwwa treatises published by such scholars as Burghazī, Shaykh Sayyid Husayn Ibn Gaybī and Radawī, along with other printed sources in this field. The results of the study indicated that futuwwa is an attribute of Allah, and it was passed down from Adam to other prophets, reaching perfection in Prophet Muhammad. The etiquette and manners of futuwwa, which is a name reserved for the moral maturity and perfection unique to prophets, were specified based on the prophets whose stories are told in the Qur'ān and hadīths. Also, it was emphasized that every prophet from Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad had a profession, and it was deemed essential that prophets perform a profession for honest earnings. While young people are educated by imitating the spiritual personality of prophets, following Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali was mentioned in Turkish futuwwa treatises as the representative of this moral perfection and was featured as an exemplary personality for the youth to achieve perfection in their education.

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