Transformation of Ash'arî kalâm with regards to "divine attributes"

Being one of the two fundamental approach in Sunni kalâm schools in the history of Islamic thought, Ash'arite has contributed substantially in the development of Islamic thought with its unique views on kalâm and methods in effort to approach many theological issues. As well, Ash'arî kalâm in the II. and III. centuries offered original ideas in the everlasting discussions on divine attributes and many issues revolving around, like cosmology, causality, predestination and createdness of the Quran. With regards to the issue of divine attributes, the main scope of this study is the individual and collective scholarly transition of intellectual shift and methodical diversities of Ash'arî scholars, who indeed methodologically reviewed these issues and moreover constituted a new paradigm in the scholarship. Throughout the study, details in every aspect in these discussions have been omitted and exclusively been focused on particular Ash'arī individuals in a method that reflects the development of Ash'arî intellectual thought. Main methods in the study are textual analysis, comparative literature and discourse analysis, as well, in order to propose the transition and shift between the texts, each text of significance has been translated and analysed anew with scrutiny. This work consists of an introduction and three main chapters. After introducing the topic, its relevance, methods and literature review, the first chapter is dedicated to articulate the background, identity of Ash'arite, as well, cultural and socio-political changes and mysticism-philosophy interactions for the transition in Ash'arite thought. In the second chapter, classification of divine attributes and transformations of concerning terminology have been elaborately identified. Lastly, in the third chapter, issues of essence-attribute relation, theory of states (ahwâl), divine speech (kalâmullâh), the relation between the name and the named (ism/musammâ) and reported/testified (khabarî) divine attributes with regards to the quiddity of divine attributes have been examined within the framework of Ash'arî kalâm. Thus, the differentiation and transformation in the development of Ash'arî kalâm have been identified and a clearer image of the school has been attempted to be composed. Keywords: Kalâm, Ash'arite, Divine Attribute, Transformative Intellectual Process, Essence, Eternal, Temporal