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The question of human agency has been one of the fundamental problems that concerned scholars throughout history. This is testified by the observation that a rich intellectual literature has accumulated on the issue in the course of time. In the tradition of Islamic thought especially the Kalâm scholars appear to have brought depth and breadth to the question within the possibilities of the theological schools to which they belonged. Against the approach of the Jabriyya that absolutely negated human free will, the Mu'tazila assigned a broad room to human agency. This led the Ahl al-Sunna scholars to adopt a synthesis between the two extremes. While the Ash'ari school, which embodies prominent figures of Kalâm, has proposed solutions based on certain principles, scholars of the Maturidi school appear to have pursued a perpetuated quest, from the first period to the end. The Ottoman ulama, who were the Maturidis of the later period, tried, in their newly composed risâlas, to develop with fresh verifications the interpretations of their Maturidi predecessors. Although the Maturidiyya continued to be the dominant thought, it is noteworthy that some scholars in the Ottoman realm nevertheless composed works in the Ash'ari line. In his Risâlat al-Irâdat al-Juz'iyya, which constitutes the subject of this study, Abdurrahîm Fedâ'î Efendi, both a member of the ulema and a sufi figure, levels harsh criticism from an essentially Ash'ari perspective against contemporary Maturidi ulama's understanding of irâda juz'iyya. The identification of his critiques will contribute to our apprehension of the nature of the deepening Maturidi-Ash'ari strife in the later (muta'akhkhirîn) period on the question of human agency (irâda). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a brief information about the work, this article will present the text of al-Mabâhis al-dafîniyya fî hakk al-irâdat al-Juz'iyya, a treatise in Arabic by one of the latest representatives of Ottoman scholarly tradition, Kütahyalı Ahmed Âsım Efendi. Written in the nineteenth century, the work successfully handles the thus far cumulated tradition and approach of the Ottoman ulema regarding human will (irâde). In this work, which consists of eight sections and three subtopics, the author handles the question of human will in conformity with the thought of the Mâturîdî ulamâ of the later times, while also critiquing the position of other schools of thought, such as the Mu'tazila, the Jabriyya and the Falâsifa. Especially striking, however, are the harsh criticisms directed at the Imâm Ash'arî who is a Sunnî. Thus it opens to question the dictum that Ottoman ulemâ, influenced by the Ash'arî kalâm, have failed to pay due attention to the Mâturîdiyya. subtopics, the author handles the question of human will in conformity with the thought of the Mâturîdî ulamâ of the later times, while also critiquing the position of other schools of thought, such as the Mu'tazila, the Jabriyya and the Falâsifa. Especially striking, however, are the harsh criticisms directed at the Imâm Ash'arî who is a Sunnî. Thus it opens to question the dictum that Ottoman ulemâ, influenced by the Ash'arî kalâm, have failed to pay due attention to the Mâturîdiyya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]