The Theoretical and Scholarly Interpretation of Sufi Sources in Abdurrahman Güzel’s Research

Abstract

This article examines Abdurrahman Güzel’s scholarly interpretation of the origins, primary sources, and conceptual boundaries of Sufism. It addresses a recurrent methodological problem in comparative scholarship: external similarities between Sufi practices and other religious or mystical traditions are often taken as evidence of common origin or conceptual identity. The study aims to systematize Güzel’s source-based approach and to assess its methodological significance for research on Sufi thought and religious-mystical literature. A qualitative, interpretive design combines descriptive, source-critical, comparative-typological, and conceptual analysis. The principal corpus is Güzel’s Yeni Bir Disiplin Dîni-Tasavvufi Türk Edebiyati (2025), supplemented by Fariduddin Attar’s Tazkirat ul-avliyo for the ethical dimension of sainthood and service. The analysis shows that Güzel consistently locates the foundations of Sufism in the Qur’an and the Sunnah and distinguishes the tradition from philosophical mysticism, Christian monasticism, Indian mystical models, Kabbalah, and certain Iranian mystical tendencies. His interpretation further links sayr al-sulūk, fanā, baqā, ethical action, and service in a single developmental model in which spiritual perfection culminates not in withdrawal but in a responsible return to communal life. The study reconstructs these propositions as a two-tier analytical model (epistemic and practical) and derives a three-level test that separates observable similarity, historical interaction, and doctrinal identity. The value of Güzel’s framework lies in its insistence on terminological precision, source hierarchy, and conceptual differentiation; however, his classifications should be read as a particular scholarly position rather than a final taxonomy of Sufi history. The resulting framework offers a transferable procedure for Uzbek Sufi studies and for comparative research on religious-mystical literature.