Mehmet Akif Aydın

Mehmet Akif Aydın is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Islamic Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, since October 2024. He also serves as a Deputy ERASMUS coordinator and has previously worked as a research assistant at Avicenna e.V. and a student assistant to Prof. Dr. Bülent Uçar.

• Education: M.A. in Islamic Theology (University of Osnabrück, 2021–2024)
• Education: B.A. in Islamic Theology (University of Osnabrück, 2017–2021)

His research focuses on Islamic history of ideas, rational theology (ʿilm al-kalām), Sufism (taṣawwuf), and comparative studies of Western and Islamic philosophy. He explores epistemological debates, particularly the tension between reason (ʿaql) and mystical knowledge (kašf), and contributes to critical analyses of metaphysical knowledge in the works of al-Ġazālī and Immanuel Kant.

Aydın’s research trends emphasize interdisciplinary approaches bridging Islamic theology, philosophy, and epistemology, with a focus on historical and contemporary debates. His forthcoming publications include a comparative study on al-Ġazālī and Kant (Springer’s BestMasters) and a critique of rational theology in al-Ġazālī’s thought (IIT Osnabrück Best Theses award).

Scientific honors include the BestMasters award from Springer Verlag and recognition by the IIT Osnabrück for Best Theses in Islamic Theology.

Contact details: Office hours by appointment (Wednesdays 16:00–17:00), address Fabeckstr. 23-25, Room 1.2013, Berlin; phone +493083867285; email m.aydin@fu-berlin.de.