Interpretations (Tafsir) Of The Qur’anic Context: A Discourse – Part One
By Dr
Uzma Khatoon, New Age Islam
18 July
2023
Abstract
The primacy of the Qur’an in the Muslim world
has always been accepted. In modern period, renewed emphasis has been placed by
the Muslim scholars on the Qur’an as a source of guidance. Due to this change
and emphasis, it become a challenge to many facet of the accepted tradition,
the theological, legal other spheres. In recent years, different approaches to
the Qur'an and the Muslim exegetical works reflect a wide variety of methods,
presuppositions, focuses of interests and substantive conclusions. The various
interpretations of the Qur'an belong to different stages of the intellectual
history of Islam, and reflect in themselves the development of Islamic thought.
In this paper I intended to examine how to different interpreters tried to
examine and rethinking of the context of the Qur’an. I will also try to examine
very briefly different feminist approach in this regard.
Introduction
The science
of Tafsir of the Qur’an seems to date back from beginning of Islam itself and
thus wide range of books on Tafsir, with different approaches were produced to
offer a good range of methods that are employed for exegesis of the Holy
Qur’an. Ibn Abbas( d.68A.H./687A.D.) for
instance, become renowned as an authority on the subject in a very early period
of Islam. Since then numerous commentaries have been written on the Qur’an. The
real value of this great mass of literature consisted in the fact that it
reflects different trend and tendencies in the development of Islam. Qur’an is
a book of guidance for the Muslim and for all human beings to enable them to
live a noble life and enjoy eternal happiness in this world and hereafter. It
has provided and will continue to provide the norms to which Muslim have been
trying and will always try to estimate their belief and deeds in a right
direction.
Therefore,
Muslim scholars ever engaging and made efforts to understand the divine message
enshrined in the Qur’anic verses. Man’s intellect horizon widened with the
influx of new ideas and cultural pattern are formed and reformed. When Islam
crossed the boundaries of Arabia with in very short time and spread in land
where the life was different and as the distance from time of the prophet
increased, so the extreme need for the interpretation or explanation of the
Qur’anic message in the new situations raised. Interpretation of the context of
the Qur’an seeks to address a much wider audience not only the scholar, but the
common people as well. The spread of education and the rise of political
institution such as democracy have led to heightened awareness of the
importance of the man in the street, which has in turn led to the use of an
idiom comprehensible to the common people. The need to address to Muslim
community in various parts of the world and the challenging that the modern
religious thinker faces are both disheartening and thoughtful, have led to the
writing of Tafsir work in modern approaches.
The most
important issue for Muslims is how a Muslim of the twenty-first century should
relate to the Qur’an – the Holy Scripture of Muslims and the most important
text on which Islam is based. Since the Qur’an, for Muslims, is the Word of God
and remains the prime source of authority for Islam’s ethical and legal
systems, Muslims make consistent efforts to relate it to their contemporary
concerns and needs. In the process, many questions are asked that are as
challenging as their answers. Such questioning should be considered an
essential part of modern Islamic thought and an important positive contribution
that may bear fruit in time. The fact that difficult questions are being asked
now provides a strong basis for further work in this area. This paper explores
first the development of the tafsir tradition and then the context in which
rethinking of the interpretation of the ethico-legal content of the Qur’an is
taking place today.
A Brief
Introduction of Traditional Interpretation
Qur’an is
the last book of Allah (S.W.T.) revealed upon his last messenger Muhammad
(P.B.U.H.).The literal meaning of Quran is “to read again and again” and really
Qur’an is the only book on the earth which is being recited continuously and
again and again. Qur’an is the complete code of life and its teachings are
accurate, absolute and in conformity with human nature. Its main concern is to
guide the humanity to the right path that is why the Muslims provided much
attention towards its teachings throughout the Islamic history. As a result
many Qur’anic disciplines like Lughat al-Quran, A‘arab al-Quran, Ijaz
al-Quran(name in English) etc. came into existence. In Islamic sciences, the science of Tafsir
was first to emerge and the first Mufassir of Quran is almighty Allah (S.W.T.)
Himself and the first means of Tafsir is the Quran as Allah (S.W.T.) says:
“Nay
more, it is for us to explain it (And make it clear).”
The second
Mufassir (interpreter) of Quran is the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) and the second means
of Tafsir are the traditions of prophet as Allah (S.W.T.) says about the
Prophet (P.B.U.H.) in Quran:-
“And we
have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; That thou mayest explain clearly
to men what is sent.”
It is no
surprise to discover that the science of Tafsir started during the life time of
the Prophet (P.B.U.H). In fact one of the primary roles of the Prophet
(P.B.U.H.) was to interpret the Qur’an. But during the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H.)
period the Qur’anic explanations were memorized and not a single book on the
subject was compiled during this period. After the demise of Prophet (S.A.W.),
the companions (Sahaaba) played their role explaining and interpreting
the Qur’an and the science of Tafsir took on a more systematic approach and the
subject developed much. They included
four Rashidun caliph (Khalifa) (632-660A.D.) (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman,
‘Ali,) as well as Abdullah bin ‘Abbas in, Abdullah bin Mas‘ud in, Abai bin Ka‘b
, Zaid bin Thabit , Abu Musa Ash‘ari and Abdullah bin Zubair.
Among these
ten Sahaba most of the exegetic sayings are from Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas . Thus it can be considered that the first true
Mufassirin of Qur’an were actually the Sahaba.
After the
generation of the companions the students of the companions took over the
responsibility of explaining the Quran. ‘Ikrama, Mujahid, ‘Ata , Hassan Basri,
Sa‘id bin Jubair, Masruq, Dhuhak and
Qatadah were considered authority on the
Tafsir literature during this period.
After the period of the successors, the stage of the actual compilation
and writing of Tafsir began. The most important works were by the interpreters
(Muhaddithin), who, as part of their works of Hadith also had sections
on Tafsir. Therefore, during this stage the narrations of Tafsir were
considered a branch of Hadith literature.
The next
stage in the history of Tafsir saw the separation of Tafsir literature from
Hadith and the emergence of independent works solely on Tafasir were compiled.
Some of the important Tafasir of this stage are: Tafsir-i-Ibn Jarir
al-Tabari, Tafsir-i-ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir-i-Imam Hakim, Tafsir of Ibn Haban
etc. Amongst these Tafasir, Tafsir of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari namely “Jam’a
al-Bayan Fi- Tafsir al-Quran” is considered the best one. It is a ruling of ‘Ulama that those people
who are unaware of Arabic language should be facilitated to the Qur’anic
message by its translation and explanation in their respective languages. They
derive its justification from the Qur’anic verse:
“We sent
not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people.”
The
Companions who engaged in exegesis had several sources for understanding and
interpreting the Qur’an: parts of the Qur’anic text that explained other parts;
information received from the Prophet, both oral and praxis; and their own
understanding of what the Qur’anic text meant. They were also familiar with the
language of the Qur’an, the overall social context of the revelation, the
Prophet’s ways of thinking, and the norms, values and customs of the Arabs, all
of which provided them with a unique basis for making sense of the Qur’anic
text within the overall framework of the emerging ‘established practice’ of the
Muslim community.
The need
for interpretation of the Qur’an increased with the second generation of
Muslims, known as ‘Successors’ (Tabiun), who were a more heterogeneous
group. They included children of the Companions brought up within the new
religious (Islamic) environment, and Arabic-speaking and non-Arabic-speaking
converts to Islam. Also, the wider the gap between their era and the time of
the Prophet, the stronger the need to address questions of exegesis of the
Qur’an. The earliest forms of Tafsir
are represented by brief explanation of words or phrases in the Qur’an that
were unclear and ambiguous, explanation of legal texts and Qur’anic narratives.
The early
developments of Tafsir continued into the third/ninth century, by the
end of which exegetical works that covered the entire Qur’an were produced. By
this time, Tafsir had become a fully established discipline. After this
period, the body of work becomes extensive and varied and includes theological,
legal, religio-political and mystical exegetical works. The third/ninth century saw the maturing of
distinct schools, legal, theological or religio-political, within Islam. While
we cannot speak about Sunni, Shi’ or Khariji Tafsir in the
first/seventh century, we can certainly use those terms in the third/ninth
century. Since then, all three groups continued to produce Tafsir works
that project their legal, theological and religio-political views. In addition
to these, Tafsir works that focused on law, theology or spirituality
also emerged. The range of works in Tafsir is wide and the approaches
are diverse. Despite the existence of a range of approaches to Tafsir,
it is noticeable that Muslim exegetes, on the whole, did not consider the
changing needs of Muslims in their interpretation of the ethico-legal material
in the Qur’an, especially after the establishment of the disciplines of fiqh
and tafsir. Much of the Tafsir tradition remained steadfastly literal
and legal in relation to the interpretation of ethico-legal texts. A
legalistic-literalistic approach was considered to be the least error-prone.
Challenges
To Traditionalist Exegesis
Several Muslim scholars and thinkers
attempted to put forward new ideas for the interpretation of the Qur’an and
relate it’s to the needs of Muslims during twentieth century. These ideas 1were
viewed with opposition by the traditionalist scholar, who often labelled such
ideas as anti-Islam. These scholars who
wanted to go beyond the traditionally accepted Tafsir methods remained
relatively strong, including scholars such as Muhammad˛ Abduh, Mahmud Shaltut
(d. 1963) and Muhammad al-Ghazali(d. 1996), even though their influence on the
wider Muslim population remained somewhat limited. The traditionalist scholars
regarded with particular opposition challenges, such as about Islam, its early
history and its primary sources (the Qur’an and hadith) and as well as Sirah
literature (biography of Prophet). The Western scholars of Islam, have studied
and questioned, assumptions Muslims held about the authenticity and historical
reliability of Hadith, such as Ignaz Goldziher
(d. 1921) and Joseph Schacht (d. 1969). One of the sources of Islamic
law was suddenly claimed to be baseless, therefore lacking the authority it had
enjoyed for centuries.
Such
critical studies undertaken not only by non-Muslim Western scholars but also by
Muslims influenced by those scholars came to be seen in traditionalist circles
as threatening the very essence of Islam. More traditionalist scholars were not
prepared to engage with such ideas. Instead, they summarily dismissed such
studies as irrelevant, nonsensical or ‘Orientalist’. The critique of Islam by a
number of Western scholars as above mentioned nevertheless provided an impetus
towards a more critical outlook on the part of a significant number of
twentieth-century Muslim intellectuals, who made a powerful argument for a
re-examination of a range of assumptions in Islamic disciplines, including
hadith, law, exegesis and even theology.
Exegesis
in Modern Period
The first
name on modern approaches in the exegesis of the Qur’an may be traced to Shah
Waliullah of India (d. 1176/1762). In the course of Shah Waliullah’s life, a
number of monarchs taken the throne in Delhi. As internal and external forces
pressed on the Mughal Empire, its power declined. From within, the Mughals lost
territory to the Sikhs and the Hindus. Externally, the Mughal rulers faced
challenges from the King of Persia and the Afghan Rohillas. The Mughal Empire continued to decline and
break up until it was replaced by a Western power in the form of the British
Raj in the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As Baljon
indicates, Shah Waliullah reacted to this altered circumstances for Muslims in
India by initiating his reform movement.
He discarded Taqlid (blind imitation of early scholars) and
advocated ijtihad (independent judgement) and the application of fresh ideas in
interpreting the Qur’an.
In
emphasizing a move away from the blind following of traditions, Shah Waliullah
rejected some principle views related to the doctrines of exegesis (Usul
al-Tafsir). An area of the Qur’an where he saw this as especially possible
was Naskh (abrogation of one ruling by another). He said, for instance, that, if a Companion (Sahaaba)
or a Successor (Tabiun) said that a certain verse was revealed on a
certain occasion or following an incident, this did not always mean that the
verse1was revealed as a result of that occasion. For him, the Companions and
Successors were merely illustrating what the verse was saying. Though Shah Waliullah’s reformist ideas about
interpretation are not radical from the perspective of the twenty-first
century, they seemed so at the time. They became quite influential,
particularly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Perhaps one
of the most drastic attempts to reinterpret the Qur’an in the modern period was
by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan of India (d. 1316/1898), who published a six-volume
work on the Qur’an titled Tafsir al-Qur’an from 1879. Sayyid believed that Muslims needed to
reassess their tradition, heritage and ways of thought in line with newly
emerging, dynamic and all-too powerful knowledge, values and institutions. In his view, the gap between Western and
Islamic modes of thought was widened, and Muslims who had been educated in the
West or influenced by Western education were no longer able to comprehend the
religious discourse of the Ulama of the time. This widening gap
threatened the very relevance of Islam as a religion for many Muslims. In the
Middle East, in particular in Egypt, contact with Western civilization was
rudely brought about by Napoleon’s short-lived invasion (1798–1801). Debate
emerged and continued on the relevance of certain institutions of Islam and the
need for a degree of change. Advocates of reform and change faced fierce
resistance from the Ulama.
Scholars at
influential traditionalist institutions, such as the Azhar seminary (later
converted to a university) in Cairo, who suspected in the views of reformists a
hidden ‘colonial’ agenda to undermine Islam. Despite this resistance, in the late
nineteenth century, Muhammad˛ Abduh (d. 1323/1905) began to opine on the
interpretation of the Qur’an and gave a series of lectures on interpretation
and dictated a partial commentary, which was later published by his pupil
Muhammad Rashid Rida (d. 1354/1935). This commentary, Tafsir al-Manar, though
not as drastic as Sayyid’s works, was nevertheless new in its approach. Abduh
criticized some of the approaches and techniques employed in traditional
tafsir. He criticized the stress on philological and rhetorical features,
saying that such an exercise is ‘dry and distances [one] from God and His
Book’.
Similarly,
he was critical of the focus given to the legal content of the Qur’an by the
jurists, saying that legal topics were the least-discussed themes. Abduh endeavoured, to relate his commentary
to contemporary problems in the lives of Muslims, going beyond the grammatical,
linguistic and legal approaches in his interpretation. He also opines, Qur’anic
Tafsir should aim at clarifying the intended meaning – the underlying
reasons in the legislation, belief system and rulings – in such a way as to
attract people to the Qur’an.
Abu’l Kalam
Azad ( 1888-1958) a most influential
Islamic thinker and journalist, highlight the spiritual, moral and social
teaching of Islam and attempt to derive from the teaching of the Qur’an the
general principle about the rise and fall of individual as well as of the
various communities in the world. Azad never loses the opportunity to correlate
them with the teaching of the Qur’an, and most of the time remains content with
only pointing out the lessons conveyed by the text.
Amin Ahsan
Islahi (1906-97) the Indo-Pakistani thinker, in his Tafsir Tadabbur e-Qur’an,
call for a systematic reading of the Qur’an according to the principle of Nazm
(coherence). He starts from the premise that there are various different types
of Muslim Qur’anic exegesis: traditionalist, theological, literary,
philological, and juridical. If there is a single factor common to all these
different approaches, it must be identified in atomization. By this, we mean
the approach to the Qur’an verse by verse.
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Dr. Uzma
Khatoon is a PhD from Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University
and taught there between 2017-18.
URL: https://newageislam.com/debating-islam/interpretations-tafsir-quranic-discourse-part-one/d/130239
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