An Overview of the Quran and Tafsir Literature in the Ottoman and Turkish Republic Times -Primary Sources and Secondary Sources on These Primary Sources-
During the Ottoman and Republican periods, a remarkable primary literature devoted to the understanding, explanation and interpretation of the Quran emerged. Moreover, in the last thirty-five years, there was a surge in secondary literature aimed at studying, analyzing and evaluating these primary sources. In this study I tried to portray a holistic picture of this literature on the Quran and tafseer within a system of classification. I could say that the traditional standards were continued in the Ottoman period in terms of form, style and content. On the other hand, during the Republican period, we encounter new trials and pursuits. The republican era differentiates from the past in two striking aspects: First, the increase in academic studies as a result of the dissemination of theology faculties had an impact on the intensity of relevant literature; and second, thanks to the spread of Quran-oriented conception of religion, studies directly related to the Quran like meâls (synopsis of meaning) and tafseer (exegesis) works rose in number. It is striking that there is a lack of studies classifying and analyzing the related literature as well as inventory studies for both periods in spite of the wealth of the sources.
M. Suat Mertoğlu
