Critical Edition, Translation, and Analysis of Shams al-Dın al-Samarqandı's al-Risala al-Sharıfa [fı al-Kalam]

Abstract

Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ashraf al-Husayni al-Samarqandi was an important Turkish Islamic scholar who lived in Turkistan at the end of the 7(th)/13(th) century and the first quarter of the 8(th)/14(th) century, passing away on 22 Shawwal 722 (November 3, 1322). His works proved his expertise in the rational and natural sciences, to which he made significant contributions. Biographical books provide limited information about Samarqandi's life and make no mention of his treatise on theology (kal & amacr;m). After examining the language, content, and copies of the relevant manuscripts, however, he is concluded to have written a treatise on theology. We analyze the content of the treatise in question here and put forward Samarqandi's theological views in the context of his treatise. We have access to three copies of the treatise in question. Based on various presumptions, we have taken the copy in Suleymaniye Library registered under Laleli 2432, which we think was dictated by al-Samarqandi, as the basis of our analysis. We have indicated the differences this manuscript has with the one in Suleymaniye Library registered under C & amacr;rullah 1247 and the other copies in Suleymaniye Library registered under Ayasofya 4800 in the footnotes. To preserve the technical terms of the treatise, we have translated it as faithfully as possible and paid attention to expressing the issues in understandable [English]. In his treatise, al-Samarqandi analyzes the views of the Ahl al-Sunna regarding whether God has the same or different attributes as His essence, the identity of the names (ism) and the named (musamm & amacr;), and the existence of the atom (al-jawhar al-fard). By analyzing these issues, al-Samarqandi reduces the disagreements about the relationship between essence and attribute and between the names and the named to a literal dispute. In addition, he acknowledges the existence of the atom in the context of theoretical physics and in accordance with the general theological understanding and presents his original evidence.