Süleyman Ateş

b. 1933 · Turkey · Theologian, Qur'an commentator, former President of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), professor at Ankara University

Süleyman Ateş was born in 1933 in the village of Tadım, south of Elazığ in eastern Turkey. He memorised the Qur’an as a child, studied Arabic with local teachers, completed the imam-hatip school in Elazığ in 1960 and then graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Ankara University with top marks. He became an assistant lecturer there in 1965, began doctoral work in 1968 and was appointed professor in 1978.

Between 1976 and 1978 he served as President of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanı) of the Republic of Turkey, then returned to Ankara University. He did research in Germany at the Ruhr University Bochum and taught Qur’anic exegesis at the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh and, for a year, at the Emir Abdelkader University in Constantine, Algeria. After heading departments of fundamental Islamic sciences at Ondokuz Mayıs University and Istanbul University he retired in 1999, and in 2001-02 taught and briefly directed the European Islamic University in the Netherlands.

Ateş is best known for his Turkish Qur’an translation and commentary, Yüce Kur’ân’ın Çağdaş Tefsiri, a work that reads the Qur’an in a contemporary idiom. His other books include a study of Sufi and allegorical (ishari) exegesis, a short manual of Islamic practice, works on the Qur’anic order and on religious truth, and a memoir. He has also written regularly for newspapers and answered readers’ questions on a personal website.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Biography sources: en.wikipedia.org · tr.wikipedia.org

Works

Books 10

BOOK 1966 · Turkish

İslâm'a İtirazlar ve Kur'an-ı Kerim'den Cevaplar

Answers, drawn from the Qur'an, to objections raised against Islam.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. İslâm'a İtirazlar ve Kur'an-ı Kerim'den Cevaplar. 1966. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-islam-a-itirazlar-ve-kur-an-kerim-den-cevaplar

No free copy online

BOOK 1969 · Turkish

Sülemî ve Tasavvufî Tefsiri

A study of al-Sulami and of Sufi interpretation of the Qur'an.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Sülemî ve Tasavvufî Tefsiri. 1969. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-sulemi-ve-tasavvufi-tefsiri

No free copy online

BOOK 1972 · Turkish

Muhtasar İslâm İlmihali

A short manual of Islamic belief and practice.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Muhtasar İslâm İlmihali. 1972. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-muhtasar-islam-ilmihali

No free copy online

BOOK 1974 · Turkish

İşârî Tefsîr Okulu

A study of the ishari (allusive, Sufi) school of Qur'anic exegesis, published by Ankara University's Faculty of Theology.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. İşârî Tefsîr Okulu. 1974. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-isari-tefsir-okulu

No free copy online

BOOK 1979 · Turkish

İnsan ve İnsanüstü

A book of religious thought whose title means Human and Superhuman.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. İnsan ve İnsanüstü. 1979. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-insan-ve-insanustu

No free copy online

BOOK 1979 · Turkish

Kur'an Nizamı

A book whose title means The Order of the Qur'an.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Kur'an Nizamı. 1979. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-kur-an-nizam

No free copy online

BOOK 1982 · Turkish

Kur'ân-ı Kerim'in Yüce Meâli ve Çağdaş Tefsiri

An earlier edition of his Turkish Qur'an rendering and contemporary commentary, issued by Ankara University Press.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Kur'ân-ı Kerim'in Yüce Meâli ve Çağdaş Tefsiri. 1982. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-kur-an-kerim-in-yuce-meali-ve-cagdas-tefsiri

No free copy online

BOOK 1988 · Turkish

Yüce Kur'ân'ın Çağdaş Tefsiri

His multi-volume Turkish translation and contemporary commentary on the Qur'an, his best-known work.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Yüce Kur'ân'ın Çağdaş Tefsiri. 1988. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/yuce-kuranin-cagdas-tefsiri-1-11-suleyman-ates. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-yuce-kur-an-n-cagdas-tefsiri

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BOOK 1991 · Turkish

Gerçek Din Bu

A book whose title means This Is the True Religion.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Gerçek Din Bu. 1991. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-gercek-din-bu

No free copy online

MEMOIR 2007 · Turkish

Bir Ömür Böyle Geçti

His memoir of a life as scholar and teacher.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Ateş, Süleyman. Bir Ömür Böyle Geçti. 2007. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/suleyman-ates/#suleyman-ates-bir-omur-boyle-gecti

No free copy online