The life, works, and doctrinal views of Abdülfettah Rauf Efendi

This study aims to analyze the theological subjects found in the poems of Abdülfettah Rauf Efendi, who distinguished himself with his scholarly and literary identity in the 20th-century Balkan geography, within the framework of the Ahl al-Sunnah kalām system. In post-Ottoman Macedonia, where Muslim identity and religious sciences were subjected to significant pressure, the Meddah Madrasa, which operated in the region, became a supporter of continuity through its structure that combined rational ('aqlī) and revelation (naqlī) sciences such as kalām, logic, and tafsīr. Fettah Efendi, raised in this tradition, played an important role in transmitting the scholarly heritage with his identity as a scholar and poet. In this context, the social and cultural environment that laid the groundwork for Fettah Efendi's scholarly and intellectual development has first been examined. Then, the couplets found in his six poetry books have been systematically classified under the headings of ulūhiyyah (divinity), nubuwwah (prophethood), and samʿiyyāt (eschatology). The subjects contained in these couplets have been interpreted in connection with the basic terminology of kalām and, at certain points, of Sufism. In this way, the study presents a systematic framework for Fettah Efendi's religious thought and clearly reveals the traces of post-Ottoman Islamic intellectual heritage in the Balkans as reflected in his poetry.