Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

Öz

The concept of death, which is as real as life for human beings, has been a subject that humanity has grappled with throughout history. Understanding and addressing death have been essential matter for humankind. Questions surrounding the nature of death, the afterlife, the state of the deceased, and the intricate relationship between the soul and the body that sustains life have consumed human thoughts. Monotheistic religions, with their diverse beliefs and philosophical perspectives, have presented various explanations for the concept of death. Broadly speaking, these beliefs and understandings suggest that humans transition to a different realm upon death, where they continue to exist, and that they will experience resurrection in the world after death. In all instances, death has evoked fear, sadness, and trepidation in human beings. Literature, which serves as a reflection and expression of human life, emotions, and thoughts, has not remained apathetic to the profound concept of death. It has delved deeply into this significant issue and found profound resonance within literary works. While didactic works explicitly address the subject of death to warn and capture people’s attention, literary works often seek to evoke a sense of death through symbols or implicit expressions. Ebubekir Rif’at Efendi of Crimea, a representative of the later period of Divan poetry, not only explored the concept of death in various poetic forms within his divan, but also in his verses composed as masnavi poetry, specifically the works titled Nazm-ı Rü’yâ ve Ta’bîrân-ı Rü’yâ. The poet portrays the moment of death through the realm of dream fiction. In the masnavi titled Ta’bîrân-ı Rü’yâ, he endeavors to interpret the aspects related to death. The poet’s primary aim is to express his emotions and thoughts regarding death. In this study, it will be examined how the concept of death is understood in various belief systems and Islamic belief and how Rif'at Efendi looks at the subject in the aforementioned masnavis.