Evaluation of moral principles in Melamism in the context of Islamic philosophy

Melāmism is an important Sufi intellectual movement that was introduced by Hamdun Kassar in Khorasan in the ninth century. Prior to this, there were Sufis with Melāmi tendencies in their ideas, which prepared the ground for the formation of this idea. It is accepted that Melamism emerged as a reaction to the symbolic approaches in Sufism and Sufi orders, such as wearing a crown and a cardigan, which separated people from the people, and to the dhikr ceremonies in Sufi orders. Because, according to the Melāmīs, these symbols and ceremonies can lead people into hypocrisy. In order to get rid of the danger of hypocrisy, worship and dhikr should be done in secret, and deeds and states should be hidden. In Melāmi thought, the reaction of the public is considered insignificant. In fact, it is so insignificant that they do not care if people condemn them. In other words, "they do not fear the condemnation of the condemner". As they are not afraid, from time to time they also aspire to the condemnation of the people. In fact, the word melāmah basically means to condemn and shame. Opposition to the ego and its constant condemnation of itself constitute the main element of Melāmī thought. The Melamis base these ideas directly on the Holy Qur'an. The moral principles of the Melamism movement, which sometimes carries extreme tendencies, are indeed a matter of curiosity. Abu Abdurrahman es- Sülemi's "Risaletü'l Melâmetiyye" stands out as the most important work that gives us information about the moral principles of Melamism. In this work, the principles of Melāmism are set out in forty-five articles. In this study, the ethical principles of Melāmism were compared with the generally accepted ethical principles of Islamic philosophers. The resulting impression is that these principles are similar to the views of Islamic moral philosophers at some points, while they diverge in other contexts. Keywords: Morality, Melāmah, Melāmism, Melāmi, Nafs, Riya, Wisdom, Justice