Zemahşerî'nin el-Keşşâf'ta Mu'tezilî Düşüncesini Yansıtan Tercihleri: Lütuf Teorisi Bağlamında Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Luṭf, which means delicacy, elegance, and favor in dictionary, as a concept, refers to God's di-recting his servants to faith and preventing them from committing sins. In general, the theory of luṭf, which was founded on the principle of ‘adl (justice) and moderation of the theory of aṣlaḥ (the optimal), was understood by the Mu'tazilites of Basra as making certain actions obligatory for Allah, and from this aspect, it caused controversies. These discussions were also reflected in the interpretation of the Qur’ān, and the verses were interpreted by Mu‘tazila to form a basis for the theory of luṭf. al-Zamakhsharī (d. 538/1144), who is a member of the Basra school of Mu‘tazila, defends the theses of his denomination in a scattered manner in al-Kashshāf. This situation, which appears between the lines, is known as the general feature of his tafsīr. This knowledge we have about the work in general needs to be confirmed through various examples. This study, prepared for this purpose, reveals how much the Mu‘tazilite aspect is reflected in his tafsīr, based on his ideas about luṭf in al-Kashshāf. As a matter of fact, while interpreting the verses about luṭf, he constantly emphasizes Mu‘tazilite principles and objects to opposing ideas through Mu‘tazilite arguments. In this respect, we can say that he acted like a Mu‘tazilite theolo-gian on the subject of luṭf. Our study aims to contribute to filling the gap in the literature by re-vealing this situation. In this regard, our research is limited to reading al-Kashshāf through the kalām literature within the framework of the theory of luṭf. Therefore, we will not go into the details of other theological issues, and our references to tafsīr works other than al-Kashshāf will be limited. Thus, theological background of al-Kashshāf will be scrutinized on one subject and this study will constitute a reference point for its denominational aspect.