Teological thought in Ferit Kam

This study brings together and evaluates the kalamic views expressed by Ferit Kam in his extensive and comprehensive works and poems, specifically in terms of Ilahiyyat (Divinity), Nübüvvat (Prophethood), and Sem'iyyat (Audibles/Eschatology). Ferit Kam, whose life was dedicated to reading and research, conducted studies in a wide range of fields, from alchemy to chemistry, astrology to history, kalam to Sufism, and literature to philosophy. This characteristic contributed to the diversification of his thoughts. Firstly, Ferit Kam's life and the significant factors that shaped his ideas were examined. His works were utilized, and his kalamic thoughts were discussed within the context of the three main topics in the field of kalam. The concept of Vahdet-i Vücud (Unity of Existence), which he emphasized greatly, was also explained within this framework. It is stated that Ferit Kam was a poet, writer, and thinker who influenced his own period and subsequent ones. Especially his friendship with Mehmed Âkif Ersoy and Ersoy's encouragements played a significant role in Kam's entry into the world of writing. In his articles titled "Musâhabe" published in the journals Sırat-ı Müstakîm and Sebilü'r-Reşâd, Kam sought to clarify religious and philosophical issues, expressing the shortcomings of Western thought and his profound ideas on religious subjects in an understandable language. In these writings, he discussed topics such as Vahdet-i Vücûd, pantheism, philosophical systems, Sufism, emanationism, substances, accidents, time, space, fixed archetypes (ayan-ı sabite), eternality, and everlastingness. Among the significant figures who influenced Kam's thoughts, in addition to Mehmet Akif Ersoy, were Sufi personalities such as Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî, Ahmed Celâleddin Dede, and Abdülaziz Mecdî Efendi. Mevlânâ's Masnavi, in particular, is noted as a work that rescued Kam from intellectual crises. Furthermore, his European journey, undertaken with the encouragement of Abbas Halim Pasha, and his work "Avrupa Mektupları" (Letters from Europe), which conveyed his observations from this journey, helped him develop a sociological perspective on the differentiation between East and West, Europeanization, and the understanding of progress in Muslim societies. Kam carefully observed that work, production, order, speed, and widespread education in Europe formed the basis of technical development. From the perspective of kalamic science, Kam's views are examined under the headings of Usûl-i Selâse / Ilahiyyat, Nübüvvat, and Sem'iyyat. Kam defined kalam as "delving into the essence of the main pillar of Islamic belief" and emphasized that while kalam relies on transmitted knowledge (naql), it should rely more on reason (aql). In the section on Ilahiyyat, it is stated that Kam touched upon topics such as existence, the creator, divine essence (dhāt), religion, the psychology of denial, monad theory, divine unity, optimism and pessimism, the nature of matter, materialism, pantheism, the problem of evil, and substances and accidents. It is noteworthy that Kam expressed that the world contains contradictions such as origination (hudûs) and pre-eternity (qidam), motion and stillness, perfection and imperfection within his understanding of existence. He particularly explained existence through the concepts of substance (jawhar) and accident (arad), arguing that the soul is the strongest evidence of its own existence. According to Kam, a substance is something that can exist on its own, while an accident is a quality that needs something else to exist. For him, all beings in the universe subsist not on their own, but through the existence of Allah. In this context, Kam's view of human beings as "a large world gathered in a small body" reflects his Sufi and philosophical perspective. Humans, created with the trusts of reason and consciousness, are beings who, with their gaze upon the past and future, are inclined to ask existential questions. Foremost among these questions are: "Where did I come from? Where are you? Where will you go?" The concept of Vahdet-i Vücûd, central to Kam's kalamic views, means "the single and one existence." Kam evaluated this concept by comparing the ideas of Eastern and Western philosophers and Sufis and frequently included it in his own works. This study is important for providing readers with information on various aspects of Ferit Kam's kalamic and philosophical views.