Crimean Scholars and the Kadizadeli Tradition in the 18th Century
Keywords:
Post-Classical Islam, Kadizadelism, Crimea, Reform in Islam, Post-Avicennian theology, Doctrine of monotheism, Free willAbstract
Kadizadelism is one of the most interesting religious movements in the Ottoman Empire. Researchers have mostly focused their studies on its early history, considering 17th century as the formative period with the subsequent florescence. In this study, I examine a sub-tradition in the later history of the Kadizadeli movement, represented in Crimea and strongly connected with the Ottoman intellectual circles. The research provides an outline of the Kadizadeli scholarship in the region, including the legacy of Muģammad al-Kafawī (d. 1754), Muģammad al-Aqkirmānī (d. 1761), and Qušb al-Dīn al-Qirīmī (d. ca. 1800). It is argued that their claim for the restoration of the “true Sunnah” included the reinterpretation of the traditional Sunni theology and ethics.
