Shah Wali Allah ad-Dihlawi and his theological thoughts

ABSTRACTThis work is the first Turkish Ph.D. thesis that examined theological thoughtsof the great Muslim thinker Shah Wali Allah ad-Dihlawi who lived in Indian sub-continent in XVIII. century. Political and socio-cultural circumstances of crisis in histime exerted an important influence on his thought system.In order to exactly exhibit his thoughts, we firstly dealt with the political andsocial problems in his time and then gave knowledges about his life, works and alsothe works written about him.Being discussed his views on classification of "ilm/science" and resources ofknowledge and his consideration of knowledge as significant and superior, weevaluated the author's conception of religion and his approach to religious sciences.In the thesis, it is treated Shah Wali Allah's theological views under threemajor heading of Divinity, Prophecy and the world to come. With his views ondivinity, it is noted his classification in a distinctively manner of God's names as"Bed'û" and "Avdû". And it is deliberated his approach to such concepts as faith andinfidelity; tawhid (uniting of God) shirk (polytheism) under the heading ofrelationship between Allah-universe and Allah-man. Beside, it is represented thethinker's standpoint with respect to the role played by divine angels in Allah's relationwith men and universe.The third chapter of the thesis examines, as with his views on prophecy, thecharacteristics of the prophets, the need for prophecy in individual and society and thecompletion of prophethood. Here, it is paid attention to his rational approach to themiracles and made an assesment of his critiques of Shi'ite thought about the finality ofprophethood.The last chapter investigates the thinker's thoughts on the world to come in thecontext of his approach to such concepts as the nature of death, barzakh (stage ofgrave), afterlife, doomsday, day of resurrection and punishment. It analizes his viewsas to whether Allah can be seen in the world to come.