Amasya İlahiyat Dergisi

Abstract

In this article, Mehmet Raif Ogan’s views on Babism and Bahaism movement and some of his criticisms towards the movement are discussed. Mehmet Raif Ogan is not a scholar of Islamic heresiography, but he is an intellectual who draws attention with his views on sects. Mehmet Raif Ogan, who lived in the first period of the last Republic of the Ottoman Empire, is known for his writings and views on religious and national matters. In his writings, he included religious and political sects such as Babi, Bahai, Qadianism, Shia, Bâtinî and Ahl al-Sunnah. Babism and Bahaism movement, which is one of the sects in question, attracted the attention of Ogan at a time when he was attempting to spread in Anatolia. Therefore, Ogan concentrated on Babism and Bahaism in his studies. In this context, he wrote many articles in order to protect the Muslim people, especially the youth, from their harmful thoughts and to reveal their true aspects, that the movement in question had no ties to Islamic sects, that it was actually a perverted sect. Ogan's studies on sects are generally published in the journals of the Islamic World and Sebilüreşad, which have religious, scientific and literary characteristics. His studies on Babism and Bahaism; His articles titled "Bahaism", "Bahaism is a Secret Organization" and "Bahaiyye's Attacks on the Religion of Islam" were published in the journal of the Islamic World under the title "Babiyye from Perverted Sects and the Religion of Bahá'íyya", in the journal Sebilurreshad. In these studies, Ogan tried to explain Bahá'íness based on historical documents and his own Arabic and Persian sources.
Sheikh Isa, who has an important role in the birth and formation process of the sect in his published research on Ogan, Babism and Bahaism, and who he described as a Russian agent at the same time, Bab Mirza Ali Muhammed Shirazi, known as the founder of the Sheikhiyya Sect, provided important information on Babism, Zerrintac, one of the apostles of the Bab, and the views of the movement.. In this context, Ogan talked about the background of the history of Babism and Bahaism, the formation of the sect, important personalities and views, and the damage it caused to Islam and Muslims. On the other hand, Ogan, in his researches, gave information about Babism and Baha'i's Mahdism, prophethood, divinity of Bahá'u'lláh, his works called Kitab al-Beyan and Kitab al-Akdes, which they believed to be sacred, his views on religions and their activities in Turkey showed. At the same time, he tried to prove, with documents, his views that this movement was a non-Islamic perverted sect or a superstitious religion.
Ogan, who made some important criticisms while expressing his views about the Babis and Baha'is, said that Babism was not an invention of Iran; He claimed that this movement was created by colonial states like Russia for political reasons. In fact, Ogan claimed that not only Babism and Bahaism, but also Qadianism, which he claims was founded by the British, was supported by states with secret ambitions in Islamic countries in order to disrupt the unity and solidarity of Muslims and to maintain their captivity.
Ogan saw Babism and Baha'iism as a new superstitious religious movement that had nothing to do with Islamic sects, harmed Islam, and fed from non-Muslim resources. Because, according to Ogan, Bahá'ís is an organization that breaks all allegiance with Islam, harms Islam, receives support from foreign politics and influence, and is founded on the principles of Communism. Ogan even claimed that Ahl as-Sunnah and Shia are in agreement on the issue that Baha'i is a non-Islamic organization.
As a result, it has been understood that Ogan made a detailed research on Babism and Bahaism in his studies and he had a significant accumulation in this regard. It is possible to say that Ogan, who is not a a scholar of Islamic heresiography, made great contributions to this field with his writings on Babism and Bahaism, like a scholar of Islamic heresiography.