Fırat Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi

Öz

HARPUTI ABDULHAMİT HAMDİ EFENDi and his epistle "Safwatu
Afkari'l Ulama fi Isbliti Ilmi Nabiyyina bi'l-Asma", which is on the Prophet's
knowledge:
An Ottornan scholar A. Harndi Efendi (1830-1902, from Harput-Elazig) had written a
lot ofbooks about Islarnic scienses and the literature. In this work we studied him and
his Arabic epistle which was published in 1899, Istanbul, 19 pp. The epistle has three
main assertions:
1. The Prophet M uharnrnad had created before the Prophet Adam,
2.Allah had tought him all teachings, as far as had tought Adam all names.
3.The Prophet has knowledge of everything by his soul, even he knows what Allah
knows.
The author supports these claims with the verses from the Qur'an and a lot of
traditions and some sufı poerns. Then, we discussed and examined these assertions in
the light of the Prophet's knowledge. W e conclude that, this epistle !ike rnany others,
isa tytıical work from our culture and geography about Muslim's misunderstanding of
the Prophet. Meanwhile it is an original work in comparison to the first and the last
prophets and their knowledges. Morever, it is an important docuınent on Muslim's
unlirnited love towards the Prophet It is very interesting to observe that a Muslim
scholar occupied himself with such a work at the most difficult time of the Ottornan
Empire.