The Missing Link in the History of the Presidency of Religious Affairs’ Qirā’āt Specialization Education: The 1968 Uğurlu Qur’ān Recitation Specialization Course

Abstract

The formal instruction of the science of Qur’anic recitation (qirāʾāt) was interrupted in modern Turkey during the second quarter of the twentieth century as a consequence of the closure of the madrasas. The political transformations of the 1950s also influenced the field of religious education, prompting institutions concerned with religious teaching to seek new approaches in light of the changing circumstances and the preceding interruption. As a result, by the 1960s, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, DİB) undertook an initiative to provide official training activities to ensure that the science of qirāʾāt would not be forgotten in Turkey. It should be particularly emphasized that the course organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) between 24 June and 24 October 1968 was the first officially conducted course in the history of the Turkish Republic. The course conducted in Uğurlu, Of, Trabzon, qualifies as an official organization on the grounds that its participants were selected by the DİB, the program was supervised by the Presidency, official certificates bearing the President’s signature were issued to those who completed the course, and the President personally attended the graduation (or ijāzah) ceremony. The essential factor that distinguishes the 1968 Uğurlu Specialization Course from earlier individually organized courses, and requires it to be regarded as the first formal course, is that its training was directly intended for the preparation of instructors. Therefore, this course can be considered an activity initiated by the DİB with the purpose of cultivating internal educators and disseminating the qirāʾāt tradition throughout the country. Based on the observation that the 1968 Qirāʾāt Specialization Course has not been adequately recognized either in the official records of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) or in the studies conducted on qirāʾāt instruction in Turkey, the present study aims to reveal the historical mission of this course within the context of qirāʾāt specialization education in the Republican period. In this regard, the study examines how the decision to organize the course was made, how participants were selected, the regions they came from, their prior experience in the field of qirāʾāt, and the scope of instruction provided. It also explores how accommodation and food arrangements were managed, how the training was completed within a short period of four months, and how the graduates’ subsequent qirāʾāt activities reflected the program’s objectives. This study was designed as a historical case study within the framework of the qualitative research paradigm. It is based on primary sources obtained from the archives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Mufti Offices of Trabzon and Of, as well as independent studies on Âşıkkutlu Hoca. Official correspondences, trainee files, course documents, and periodicals of the time were classified in terms of originality and content, and analyzed through a descriptive approach. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who participated in or witnessed the course, focusing on themes such as curriculum, organization, trainee profile, and certification ceremony. Secondary oral sources, including biographical works, media interviews, and project-based testimonies, were also utilized. The article reveals that the Qur’an Recitation Specialization Course held in 1968 in Uğurlu/Of/Trabzon was the first such course organized under the auspices of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) in the history of the Republic. In addition to Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu’s personal effort and program, the participants’ prior background in the science of qirāʾāt enabled the course to be completed in a relatively short time and conducted in several successive group programs. Moreover, DİB officials closely monitored the course, and following its completion, another course was held in Ankara under the leadership of Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu as a continuation of the experience gained in Uğurlu. The majority of the course participants later went on to teach the science of the qirāʾāt in various regions of Turkey. This indicates that, based on the available data, the course’s primary objective was successfully achieved.Cumhuriyet Türkiyesi’nde kıraat ihtisasının tarihsel seyrine odaklanan bu çalışma, literatürde çoğunlukla göz ardı edilen bir meseleyi ele almaktadır. Cumhuriyet’in kuruluşuyla birlikte yaşanan siyasal ve kültürel değişim ve dönüşümlerden kıraat eğitimi de etkilenmiştir. Bu süreçte Kur’ân-ı Kerîm eğitimi kadar kıraatte ileri düzeyde ihtisaslaşmayı ifade eden aşere, takrîb ve tayyibe gibi geleneksel kıraat birikiminin sonraki kuşaklara nasıl aktarıldığı akademik olarak üzerinde durulması gereken önemli bir meseledir. Bu problemden hareket eden elinizdeki çalışma, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (DİB) tarafından 1968 yılında Trabzon/Of/Uğurlu’da düzenlenen ilk kıraat ihtisas kursunu tarihsel, kurumsal ve eğitim-öğretim boyutlarıyla inceleyerek Türkiye’deki modern kıraat eğitiminin tarihsel serüvenine katkı sunmayı hedeflemiştir. 1968 İhtisas Kursu’nun açılmasına nasıl karar verildiği, kursiyerlerin ve kursu verecek hocanın nasıl tespit edildiği, kursta eğitimin nasıl yürütüldüğü belirginleştirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bazı örnekleriyle karşılaşılan bireysel veya kurumlarda özel çabalarla icra edilen kıraat kursları arasında 1968 Uğurlu İhtisas Kursu’nu ay- rıcalıklı kılan yönler ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu yönüyle makale, Cumhuriyet Dönemi’nde kıraat ihtisası tarihi konusunda göz ardı edilen bir boşluğu doldurmakla kalmamış, bazı yargı ve değerlendirmeleri tartışarak analiz etmiştir. DİB’in bu alandaki ilk sistematik teşebbüsü olduğu tespit edilen 1968 İhtisas Kursu’nun bu yönü ortaya konulurken sadece konuyla ilgili akademik ve ilmî literatür taranmamış, arşiv belgeleri ve tanıklıklara başvurulmuştur. Kursun katılımcılarından az sayıdaki isme de ulaşılması çalışmanın verileri açısından önemlidir. Yani araştırmada sadece tarihsel-dokümanter analiz benimsenmemiş, birincil veri kaynağı olarak kabul edilebilecek bazı isimlere ulaşılmıştır. İncelemelerde katılımcı seçimi, mekân tespiti, belge düzeni ve mezuniyet programı gibi yönleriyle kurumsal bir nitelik kazanan 1968 Uğurlu İhtisas Kursu’nun, DİB tarafından organize edilen ve Başkanlık düzeyinde takip edilen ilk resmî kıraat ihtisas programı olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Misyonu, kıraat sahasındaki eğitimcilerin eğitimi şeklinde ifade edilebilecek bu ilk kurs, kursiyerlerin faaliyetleriyle Cumhuriyet Dönemi kıraat eğitiminde dönüm noktası olmuştur. Elinizdeki çalışmanın verilerinden de istifade edecek çeşitli araştırmaların, bu kursun katılımcılarının faaliyetlerini ve kıraat alanına etkisini inceleyerek, bu faaliyetler bütününün bir ekole dönüşüp dönüşmediğini ele alan daha derinlikli analizler yapması önerilmektedir.