Müslüman Site

Sixty years after its first publication, Muslim Site meets readers with a translation steeped in Ahmet Arslan's deep philosophical knowledge. Louis Gardet, a Catholic priest and a New Thomist cultural philosopher, presents the Muslim Site, which he hopes will contribute to a dialogue between the Muslim world and the West, as "a new approach to Islam that is concretely experienced in the hearts of Muslims." The name Muslim Site is, on the one hand, similar to the Christian "God Site"; On the other hand, it points to a Muslim castle whose aim is to surround the whole world. Therefore, the subject of the Muslim Site is not Islam as a religion, a system of dogmas, or a legal structure, but as the general framework of the organization of a Muslim social life; In other words, it is Islam as a social entity with its own rules and coat of arms. Gardet addresses the question of what the political philosophy of Islam as Islam is by comparing the Muslim values that form the spirit of the Muslim Site with the Christian or non-Christian political philosophies of the West. As Gardet rightly points out, "the 'Muslim Site' in all its appearance of its ideal type does not exist in any corner of the earth." It is precisely for this reason that the only real place of the ideal Muslim City has been the collective memory and imagination of Muslims, marked by the teachings of the Qur'an and sealed by the temporal and spiritual rule of the Prophet. In Islam, since it has no ontological value, human beings are perceived as God's servant and slave, not as a subject of rights and freedom as in Christianity. According to Islam, human beings are ontological nothing. Gardet tries to understand this concept. This concept, which makes all Muslims related to each other by equating a beggar and a caliph on the level of belief, also explains why the only possible hierarchy in the Muslim Community has to be an administrative hierarchy, not a social one. In Islam, as Gardet puts it, "since every authority is the authority of God, and God is omnipotent and acts in ways that people cannot see or understand, the first guarantee of the legitimacy of a government is the very act of achieving success." This means that there is no distinction between authority and power. This concept, legitimized by Islamic traditional law under the name "law of necessity", records in Muslim memory that obeying the rulers means obeying God, since the management of the site ultimately belongs to God. Thus, "the Muslim community, although so committed to the concept of positive 'justice', has almost always had an innate respect for the power that prevails and achieves success." This understanding also led to the substitution of the principle of stability in place of the principle of justice, which remained stuck in the tension between ideal and reality. Thus, obedience to the ruler, which was perceived as a sign of obedience to God's will, became a means of preserving the status quo. This book, which has finally been translated into Turkish, is a very rich and productive source for us to understand the ongoing crisis of our own society and the Middle East, where the political values of Islam are influenced.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 496

Year of Printing: 2014


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Details Publications

First Printing Year: 2014

Number of Pages: 496

Language Turkish