Sects and Ash'ri in Bedrüddin Hüseyn İbnü'l-Ehdel's work titled Keşfü'l-Gıtâ

Yemen has been an area where different sects have struggled for influence since the first periods of Islamic history. Sunni sects such as Shafi'ism, Hanbalism and Asharism, and Zaydiyya and Ismailiyya sects of Shiite origin took place in the region. While some of the Yemeni Shafis are Hanbali in creed, others are Ashari. Apart from the sectarian diversity, Sufi schools have also become widespread in the region. Sufism was respected by the people. Especially during the time of the Rasulids, the Sufi schools in the region became stronger and the Ibn Arabi school entered the region. This situation caused a conflict between the fuqaha and the sufiyya. This conflict has revealed a tradition of rejection against the Sufis. In this tradition, the Sufi schools were opposed, which were not found suitable for the Ahl as-Sunnah's understanding of creed. Ibn al-Ahdal (779-855/1377-1451), a Shafi'i-Ashari scholar who lived in the time of the Rasulids, gave one of the examples of this tradition. In his work called Keşfü'l-Gıtâ, he revealed the Ahl as-sunnah creed in particular of Asharism. He opposed Haşviyye, Hululiyya, İttihâdiyya and Ibn Arabi and his supporters, whom he regarded as a deviant sect. In this study, the period in which Ibn al-Ahdal lived, his basic views, his criticisms of the sect and sufi groups that were widespread in his time were discussed. Keywords: Yemen, Ibn al-Ahdal, Ash'ari, Haşviyye, Mysticism, Ibn Arabi.