Balıklızade Ahmed Mahir Efendi's understanding of religious education

The aim of this study is to examine the understanding of religion and education of Ahmet Mahir Efendi, an important name in the field of religious education and Sufism in the last period of the Ottoman Empire, in the context of his life and works. In this study, Ahmet Mahir Efendi's scholarly and intellectual background is discussed within the framework of the social, political and cultural dynamics of his time and his contributions to the Ottoman education system are analyzed. The thesis aims to evaluate Ahmet Mahir Efendi's understanding of education in the context of traditional and modern educational models and to reveal the contributions of this understanding to today's religious education perspective. The thesis consists of an introduction, two main chapters and a conclusion. In the introduction, the problem, purpose, importance and methodological framework of the research are discussed. In the first main section; Ahmet Mahir Efendi's life, scientific personality and works, the political and social structure of the period he lived in are included. The modernization efforts of the Ottoman State in the 19th century, the educational situation of Kastamonu province and the role of Ahmet Mahir Efendi in this process are detailed. At the same time, by examining his teachers, students and the Sufi aspects of his understanding of education, it was evaluated to what extent his ideas on education responded to the conditions of the period. In the second part, Ahmet Mahir Efendi's world of thought and his basic approaches to education are analyzed by focusing on his understanding of religious education. Within the framework of concepts such as moral values, social unity and order, love of homeland and nation, which stand out in Ahmet Mahir Efendi's understanding of education, his views on the individual and social function of education are discussed. This chapter also discusses how he balanced traditional educational institutions with modernization and his Sufi perspective on education. In the concluding chapter, Ahmet Mahir Efendi's contributions to the Ottoman education system are evaluated in the light of the findings and the relationship between his understanding of education and today's understanding of religious education is discussed.