Mehmet Akif Ersoy's perspectives on the theological problems of the 20th century

The 20th century is a period of changes and new intellectual movements in the political, economic, social, cultural and religious fields around the world. Mehmet Akif Ersoy was a thinker who observes and analyzes the situation of East-West civilizations in this period. The social problems experienced during the most turbulent period of the Ottoman Empire with the differences of opinion between the intellectuals and the people in the theological field were reached by examining Akif's Safahat and various articles and commentaries. In this context, firstly, the social environment that prepared the ground for the formation of Akif's ideas was discussed. Theological problems were discussed under Mehmet Akif's ideas of uluhiyyet-nubuvvet-semiyyat. In the last part of the study, the culture, traditions and beliefs of the people were also taken into consideration while referring to the other debated issues of the period, inovation in religion, education, women and family life, and the stories in Akif's poems were used. The socio-cultural structure of the period was effective on the theological problems produced in the 20th century and Akif tried to lead the society to the desired Islamic life in this direction. In the study, it is thought that Mehmet Akif's works are not only literary but also worthy to examine in social and religious fields and are important in determining the reasons for his criticism. KEYWORDS: Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Safahat, Islamism, Westernization, Religion, Predestination, Reliance (Tawakkul)