Is Every Ṣūfī a Shīʿī? The Example of al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī Based on His Views in Nawādir al-uṣūl Regarding the Concepts of Walāyah-Imāmate and Ahl al-bayt-Companions

Authors : Mahmut Demir
Pages : 105-122
Doi:10.54893/vanid.1618878
View : 168 | Download : 73
Publication Date : 2025-06-15
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :There are significant similarities between Ṣūfī thought and Shīʿa, if not in all aspects, at least in some. These similarities are more apparent in the theories such as mahdism, imāmate/walāyah, and al-Nūr al-Muḥammadī. As a matter of fact, within Shīʿa, there is a tendency to view Ṣūfīsm and Shīʿa thought as almost a unified whole. It has even been argued that every Ṣūfī must necessarily be an Imāmī Shīʿite and every Shīʿite must be a Ṣūfī. However, there are also Shīʿa scholars who claim that Shīʿa has no connection with Ṣūfīsm and deny Ṣūfī thought altogether. Kāmil Muṣṭafā al-Shaybī, who conducted an independent and comprehensive study on the subject, attempted to reveal the similarities between Shīʿa and Ṣūfīsm in all aspects. In this context, he particularly references the famous Ṣūfī and hadith scholar al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, especially in the context of the concept of walāyah. On the other hand, al-Ṭahrānī, known for his voluminous work on Shīʿa literature, also mentions al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī as a Shīʿa scholar and one of his literary compositions as an example of Shīʿa literature. It can be said that al-Ḥakīm\\\'s idea that the Islamic ummah can never be without a walī, similar to the Shīʿa theory that the earth cannot be without an Imam in the context of walāyah and imāmate, bears a rhetorical similarity to Shīʿa discourse. However, his explanations about who these walīs will be and their qualities reveal how far he stands from Shīʿa. This study examines al-Ḥakīm\\\'s views on concepts and notions such as Ahl al-bayt and the Companions, which are subjects of controversy between Shīʿa and Ahl al-Sunnah, in light of his work Nawādir al-uṣūl, a hadith commentary, and attempts to verify if the claim that every Ṣūfī must be a Shīʿa, at least in the context of al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, holds true.
Keywords : Hadis, Şia, Hakîm Tirmizî, Ehl-i beyt, Sahabe

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