A Reform Treatise and an Example of “Translation-Commentary” in Ottoman Political Thought: Hasan Kāfī Akhisārī’s Usūlu’l-ḥikam
Translation activities played a foundational role in the formation of Ottoman political thought, both by transmitting the political literature produced in various cultural spheres into the Ottoman intellectual world and by rendering the Arabic and Persian works authored by Ottoman scholars accessible to Turkish-speaking audiences. This study examines the Turkish translation of the treatise Usūlü’l-ḥikam fī niẓāmi’l-‘ālem by the Bosnian-origin Ottoman scholar, judge, and professor Ḥasan Kāfī Akhisārī (d. 1025/1616), a translation carried out by the author himself. As one of the significant links in the chain of translations that shaped Ottoman political thought, this work also stands among the noteworthy examples of the ıslahat discourse and the writing tradition that became pronounced in the late sixteenth century. The treatise, originally composed in Arabic with the aim of offering solutions to perceived deficiencies in the order of the state and society, was translated into Turkish in an annotated form at the request of scholars and statesmen. In this respect, the work transcends the boundaries of a mere translation and acquires the character of a “translation-commentary” (tarcama-sharh). This study discusses Akhisārī’s biography; the reasons for the composition and translation of the work; the authority to whom it was dedicated; its historical and intellectual context; the translation method adopted by the translator; and the interventions he introduced during the translation process. It then provides a detailed presentation of the treatise’s content -shaped around the concept of niẓām-ı ‘ālem- based on its internal divisions. Within this framework, key issues such as the preservation of the four fundamental social classes, the establishment of justice and merit in governance, adherence to consultation in state affairs, adaptation to the use of firearms and military technology (particularly in light of the period’s circumstances), as well as the causes of victory and defeat and the significance of peace, are examined through the lens of the translated text.
Müddessir DEMİR
