The Problem of Religious Legitimacy of Turkish Epics: An Analysis Centered on Quran Stories

Ali Rıza Gül

Makale detayları

The Problem of Religious Legitimacy of Turkish Epics: An Analysis Centered on Quran Stories

Yazarlar:

Ali Rıza Gül

Yayıncı:

Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University

Ana Başlıklar:

Tefsir

Dergi:

MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.14 Issue 2, pp.470-494

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339134

pISSN:

1694-7215

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Epics are among the most prominent constituent elements of national identity, as well as important elements that protect it, transmit it from generation to generation, and transform it when necessary. Turkish epics are the oldest and longest epics in the world and Turks have the most epics. The purpose of this article is to reveal the aspects of these epics found in the Turkish Literary works in order to determine whether they can be considered legitimate from the perspective of Islamic religion, based on the Quran and the sources of Tafsir science and thus is to reduce the tension that often occurs unnecessarily between these national stories and religious sensitivities. This is because in modern times, it has been observed that Turkish epics have been severely criticized by some circles regarding their surreal narratives and especially the wolf motif. However, the presence of surreal elements in epics should be considered quite normal, as this is one of the foremost conditions for a story to be considered an epic. Therefore, in epic analysis, it is necessary to focus on the symbolic meanings of the types and motifs rather than the appearance and expressions of the narration. An example of this is that the wolf motif, which is mentioned in some of the Turkish epics dating back to the pre-Islamic period, symbolizes women, shows the important position and power of women among the Turks since ancient times, and symbolizes their role in saving the Turks from extinction and ensuring the continuation of its generation. When the surreal narrative is analyzed in a similar way to the Quranic stories, the problem of legitimacy is largely eliminated. After resorting to these methods, the elements that still do not conform to the principle of tawhid or exceed the boundaries of halal and haram do not appear reconcilable with the religion of Islam.

 Epics are among the most prominent constituent elements of national identity, as well as important elements that protect it, transmit it from generation to generation, and transform it when necessary. Turkish epics are the oldest and longest epics in the world and Turks have the most epics. The purpose of this article is to reveal the aspects of these epics found in the Turkish Literary works in order to determine whether they can be considered legitimate from the perspective of Islamic religion, based on the Quran and the sources of Tafsir science and thus is to reduce the tension that often occurs unnecessarily between these national stories and religious sensitivities. This is because in modern times, it has been observed that Turkish epics have been severely criticized by some circles regarding their surreal narratives and especially the wolf motif. However, the presence of surreal elements in epics should be considered quite normal, as this is one of the foremost conditions for a story to be considered an epic. Therefore, in epic analysis, it is necessary to focus on the symbolic meanings of the types and motifs rather than the appearance and expressions of the narration. An example of this is that the wolf motif, which is mentioned in some of the Turkish epics dating back to the pre-Islamic period, symbolizes women, shows the important position and power of women among the Turks since ancient times, and symbolizes their role in saving the Turks from extinction and ensuring the continuation of its generation. When the surreal narrative is analyzed in a similar way to the Quranic stories, the problem of legitimacy is largely eliminated. After resorting to these methods, the elements that still do not conform to the principle of tawhid or exceed the boundaries of halal and haram do not appear reconcilable with the religion of Islam.

 Epics are among the most prominent constituent elements of national identity, as well as important elements that protect it, transmit it from generation to generation, and transform it when necessary. Turkish epics are the oldest and longest epics in the world and Turks have the most epics. The purpose of this article is to reveal the aspects of these epics found in the Turkish Literary works in order to determine whether they can be considered legitimate from the perspective of Islamic religion, based on the Quran and the sources of Tafsir science and thus is to reduce the tension that often occurs unnecessarily between these national stories and religious sensitivities. This is because in modern times, it has been observed that Turkish epics have been severely criticized by some circles regarding their surreal narratives and especially the wolf motif. However, the presence of surreal elements in epics should be considered quite normal, as this is one of the foremost conditions for a story to be considered an epic. Therefore, in epic analysis, it is necessary to focus on the symbolic meanings of the types and motifs rather than the appearance and expressions of the narration. An example of this is that the wolf motif, which is mentioned in some of the Turkish epics dating back to the pre-Islamic period, symbolizes women, shows the important position and power of women among the Turks since ancient times, and symbolizes their role in saving the Turks from extinction and ensuring the continuation of its generation. When the surreal narrative is analyzed in a similar way to the Quranic stories, the problem of legitimacy is largely eliminated. After resorting to these methods, the elements that still do not conform to the principle of tawhid or exceed the boundaries of halal and haram do not appear reconcilable with the religion of Islam.

 Destanlar millî kimliğin kurucu unsurlarının en önde gelenlerinden olduğu gibi, onu koruyan, nesilden nesile aktaran ve gerektiğinde dönüştüren unsurların da önemlilerindendir. Türk destanları dünyanın en eski ve en uzun destanlarıdır; en çok destana da Türkler sahiptir. Bu makalenin amacı Türk Edebiyatı eserlerinde yer alan bu destanların İslam dini zaviyesinden meşrû görülüp görülemeyecek yönlerini Kurâna ve Tefsir ilminin kaynaklarına dayanarak ortaya koymak, böylece bu millî öykülerle dînî hassasiyetler arasında çoğunlukla gereksiz yere oluşan gerilimi azaltmaktır. Çünkü modern zamanlarda Türk destanlarına bazı çevrelerce gerçeküstü anlatımlarla ve özellikle kurt motifiyle ilgili olarak şiddetli eleştiriler yöneltildiği müşahede edilmektedir. Oysa destanlarda gerçeküstü unsurların bulunması gayet normal karşılanmalıdır; zira bu bir öykünün destan kabul edilebilmesinin en başta gelen şartlarındandır. Bu yüzden destan çözümlemelerinde zâhirden ve lafızlardan çok tiplerin ve motiflerin taşıdığı sembolik anlamlara odaklanmak gerekmektedir. İslam öncesine tarihlenen Türk destanlarının bir kısmında geçen kurt motifinin kadını sembolize etmesi, kadının eski zamanlardan beri Türkler içerisindeki önemli mevkiini ve gücünü göstermesi, onun Türkleri yok olmaktan kurtaran ve neslinin devamını sağlayan rolünü simgelemesi bunun bir örneğini oluşturmaktadır. Gerçeküstü unsurlara gelince Kurân kıssaları gibi çözümlendiğinde bunlarla ilgili meşrûiyet sorunu ekseriyetle ortadan kalkmaktadır. Bu yollara başvurulduktan sonra hâlâ tevhîd ilkesi ile bağdaşmayan veya helâl-haram sınırının dışına çıkan unsurları ise İslam dini ile uzlaştırmak mümkün görünmemektedir.

Makale detayları

The Problem of Religious Legitimacy of Turkish Epics: An Analysis Centered on Quran Stories

Yazarlar:

Ali Rıza Gül

Yayıncı:

Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University

Ana Başlıklar:

Tefsir

Dergi:

MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.14 Issue 2, pp.470-494

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339134

pISSN:

1694-7215

Quran stories

national identity

Turkish epics

surreal narrative

types and motifs

legitimacyKur’ân Kıssaları

millî kimlik

Türk destanları

gerçeküstü anlatım

tipler ve motifler

meşrûiyet

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Ali Rıza Gül

Yayıncı: Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University

Ana Başlıklar: Tefsir

Dergi: MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.14 Issue 2, pp.470-494

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 4/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001339134

pISSN: 1694-7215

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Ali Rıza Gül

Yayıncı:

Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University

Ana Başlıklar:

Tefsir

Dergi:

MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.14 Issue 2, pp.470-494

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001339134

pISSN:

1694-7215