The concept of will in the first period mysticism classics

The will is the key feature that makes human existence meaningful and distinguishes humans from other creatures. Thanks to his will, humans can make free decisions and choices. The reason why humans are the caliph on earth and the master of creatures is thanks to the will and mind that God gives. Humans can control their bodies and souls with their will. With cooperation will, mind and heart, one can make the right decisions and use titles such as conscience and anger wisely. Ṣūfīsm is a field of science that aims to provide human happiness in this world and the hereafter in Islamic sciences. To achieve this goal, humans must use their will wisely. This study aims to determine the meaning and purpose of the concept of will, which is the control mechanism of humans and has been used by Sûfîs since the early periods, and to provide a better understanding of the concept of will by examining the concept reproduced from or related to the will. The study consisted of three chapters after the introduction and ended with the conclusion. In the introduction part, the method, subject, purpose, and sources of the study are mentioned. The first part of the study includes the dictionary meaning of will and the definition of concepts concerning will such as cast, demand, tendency, capability, determination, intention, free will, and strength. Afterward, it aims to better understand the will by looking at the ways it is used in the Holy Quran and hadiths. At the end of the first chapter, the opinions of science branches such as kalam and philosophy on will are included. The second part tried to explain how the concept of will was understood in Sûfîsm from the first period by giving the views of Sûfîs who contributed with their work to the development process of Sûfîsm, which appeared with piety life. In the last part of the study, the views of Sûfîs about concepts such as maḥabba, ecstasy, Baḳā, Fanāʾ, murid, murâd, tawakkul, and similar concepts related to the use of will are included. In the conclusion part of the study, an evaluation was made regarding the usage of the concept of will in the early Sûfîsm classics. The extent of will, what it means, its areas of use, and its relationship with other sciences are briefly explained. As a result of the study, it was determined that the concept of will has a wide range of usage, and it was concluded that it is a necessary concept for a correct understanding of Sûfîsm and piety life. Key Words: Ṣūfīsm, Will, Murid, Piety, Demand, Strength.