117 © İSAM, İstanbul 2010
Kelâm’da Teselsülü İptal Delilleri ve
İsmail Hakkı İzmirli’nin Teselsül Risâlesi
Osman Demir*
İslâm Araştırmaları Dergisi, Sayı 23, 2010, 117-142
Giriş
Allah’ın varlığını ispat etmek (isbât-ı vâcib) için geliştirilen hudûs ve imkân
delillerinde, varlıkların var olmaları için sonsuz illet-ma‘lûl silsilesinin kadîm bir
illette durmasını zorunlu gören kelâm âlimleri, sebep-sonuç zincirinin sonsuza
kadar sürmesi anlamına gelen teselsülün reddine büyük önem vermişlerdir. İlk
The Proofs Used in Kalåm for the Negation of Tasalsul and İsma’il Hakkı İzmirli’s
Pamphlet on Tasalsul
Since the early periods in the history of Islamic theology, Muslim theologians
(mutakallimun) have put a great emphasis on the negation of the concept of
tasalsul, i.e., the endless chain of cause and effect, in their proofs of hudûth
(post-happening) and imkân (possibility) of the existence of God. Various
methodologies have been developed to this end. During the time of the later
Muslim theologians (muta’akhkhirun), these proofs have become more
and more crystallized, and were mentioned by name in theological tracts.
In particular, the Muslim theologians who came after Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
discussed the idea of tasalsul under a separate chapter, trying to negate it.
These logical deductions, which aim to prove that entities have a beginning
and, thus, were created, consist of postulates that include both logical and
mathematical proofs. The approach of İsma’il Hakkı İ zmirli, one of the leading
representatives of Islamic theology in the late era, to the issue of ithbat al-
wajib (proof of the existence of God) is of particular importance as he wrote
a pamphlet on the issue of tasalsul. In this, İ zmirli mentions all types of
methods used in the Kal am tradition to negate tasalsul. He depends to a
large part on the classifications made by later Muslim theologians. What is
original about this pamphlet, however, is its use of geometrical shapes for
each proof, such as triangle, circle, line, dot, etc. In this paper, a discussion of
the principle of tasalsul and of the proofs negating it, as well as information
about İ zmirli’s pamphlet, will be given.
Key words: Kalam, Tasalsul, the Proof of the Existence of God, İsma’il Hakkı
İzmirli
* Dr., Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi İlâhiyat Fakültesi.