The concept of Ahl al-Sunnah according to Fahreddin er-Razi

In our thesis, we aim to reveal the approach of Fahreddin er-Razi, who is an Ash'ari theologian, to the concept of Ahl al-Sunnah. study is organized in the form of introduction, three chapters and conclusion. The field of the subject has been narrowed in agreement with the period in which Razi lived (606/1209) and his studies in the field of the history of sects. The content of the concept of Ahl as-Sunnah, which has a wide place in the literature, is given briefly. In this study, in order to get to know Fahreddin er-Razi better, the social-political situation of the environment he lived in, his scientific education, the works he wrote, the travels he made, his relations with statesmen and the discussions he participated in were discussed. In the first part of our thesis, the situation of the Ahl al-Sunnah in the Ash'ari tradition before Razi and how it was perceived were examined. In this section, primarily Ash'ari and authors belonging to the Ash'ari tradition such as Bakillani, Baghdadi, Gazzali and Shahristani were examined. It is discussed in a historical process by shedding light on the political and social background of the period in which these scholars lived. The definition of Ahl al-Sunnah by Ash'ari, Bakillani, Baghdadi, Gazzali and Shahristani appears as a reflection of the social and political conditions of the period, rather than being a concept. In terms of the variability of these conditions, it is seen that they have differences of opinion as they meet on common points in the thought of Ahl al-Sunnah. In the second part, Razi's thoughts on Hariji, Mu'tazilah and Shia are examined, which he describes as non-Ahl al-Sunnah. In Razi's works, his naming of these sects and his approach to their views were discussed. In the third part, we tried to reveal Razi's perspective on Ahl al-Sunnah and sects. In particular, the narration of the fırka-i naciye hadith, which became famous as the seventy-three fırka hadith, was examined. We aimed to reveal what Razi, who saw this hadith narration authentically, meant by Ahl al-Sunnah. In this context, we have considered Razi's work İtikâdâtü Fırakı'l-Müslimîn ve'l-Müşrikîn as the main source in order to reveal how he classified the Islamic sects. It was aimed to determine the place and importance of Razi's İtikâdât, a firak author, in milel nihal type works. In this way, the place of İtikâdâtü Fırakı'l-Müslimîn ve'l-Müşrikîn in the historical sources of Islamic sects was tried to be revealed. In addition, in this section, his contact with the sub-groups that make up the Ahl al-Sunnah is discussed.