WHEN WAS TURKEY BECOME A MUSLIM?
It is not possible to give a precise date as to when the Turks became Muslims. Experts argue about exactly when Turks converted to Islam. There are various opinions on this subject.
The majority of Turkey’s population is Muslim. You can read the articles titled “Which Religion is Turkey” and “Is Turkey a Muslim Country” on this subject. The first Turkish state to accept the religion of Islam is the ‘Karakhanids’. Experts and historians state that the Turks did not suddenly accept Islam, but became Muslims in piecemeal communities. There are also non-Muslim Turkish communities.
The most important reason that brings Turks closer to Muslim Arabs is the Chinese threat. China’s desire to occupy the geography where Turks live forced the Turks to make an alliance with the Arabs. In the Battle of Talas, which was held for the first time in history in 751, Turks and Muslim Arabs made an alliance. Turks and Muslim Arabs waged this war against China. The alliance between Turks and Muslim Arabs won the war. After this date, the conversion of Turks to Islam accelerated. Experts regard this date as a turning point for the Turks’ conversion to Islam. The conversion of Turks to Islam in groups accelerated especially in the 10th century. Many Turkish groups converted to Islam in the 10th century.
According to many historians, Turks had the belief of ‘Sky God’ before Islam. The Sky God religion that the Turks believe is a monotheistic religion. Turks are a nation that pays attention to cleanliness in general. Cleanliness is one of the most sensitive issues in Islam. For this reason, it is said that it is easy for Turks to convert to Islam.
It is estimated that the Turks did not eat pork before they became Muslims. It is also told that before the religion of Islam, Turks valued women and did not use violence against women. After the Turks converted to Islam, they established the most powerful state of the Muslims. The Great Seljuk State and the Ottoman Empire are the most obvious examples of this situation. It is also known that the rulers of the Mamluk State and the Safavid State established in Iran were Turks. For Muslims, the ‘caliphate’ is an important issue. ‘caliphate’ means the leader of the Muslims. Sultan Selim, who was the ruler during the Ottoman Empire, took the caliphate after the expedition to Egypt on 29 August 1516. The Ottoman emperors who ascended the throne after Sultan Selim also had the title of ‘Caliph of the Muslims or Leader of the Muslims’. The Caliphate in Turkey was abolished on March 3, 1924.