Tafsir Translations in the Ottoman Period
The Ottoman state deserves to be studied on the basis of its cultural heritage encompassing many achievements in the spheres of science, history, literature, arts and the religious sciences. One can observe that in its foundational years, the translation of important religious works into Turkish was strongly encouraged in order to form a strong religious identity. For a long time, translations and adaptations from Arabic and Persian tafsirs were preferred over the composition of original individual tafsirs. However, since most of these translations were not one-toone transmissions into the targeted language, they were perceived as newly composed works. In the Ottoman period, alongside the full tafsir translations, there were also works containing partial translations that summarized and expanded on some parts of the Qur'an. While some of these tafsirs were in high demand, the impact of some others was limited to their time period. This article aims to illuminate on the full and partial tafsir translations from their Arabic or Persian originals into Turkish in the Ottoman period.
ABDULHAMİT BİRIŞIK
