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Annemarie Schimel and Her Methodology in Dealing with Hadith: an Overview

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Annemarie Schimel and Her Methodology in Dealing with Hadith: an Overview International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 9, Issue 10, October 2018, pp. 2216–2224, Article ID: IJCIET_09_10_217 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=9&Issue=10 ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 ©IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ANNEMARIE SCHIMEL AND HER METHODOLOGY IN DEALING WITH HADITH: AN OVERVIEW Ahmad Yunus Mohd Noor* Center for Akidah & Global Peace, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. Asmilyia Mohd Mokhtar Quranic Language Department, CELPAD, International Islamic University of Malaysia, CFS, Kuantan, Malaysia. Zaizul Abd Rahman Center for Akidah & Global Peace, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. Ahmad Dahlan Salleh Center for Contemporary Fiqh & Syariah Compliance, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. *Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Annemarie Schimel is considered as one of the prominent western thinkers and scholars in contemporary Orientalists world. She has produced a numerous intellectual references comprehensively such as; And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety, Mystical Dimensions of Islam, and Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam. This paper attempts to analyze Annemarie Schimel’s philosophy of thoughts in dealing with hadith. This was investigated from her ideas and broad understanding of its principle and underlying purposes. The essential understanding of the principle of prophetic hadith was analytically discussed in her writings. The finding shows that Annemarie Schimel's works on prophetic hadith does make sense to contemporary practice and modern context of Islam. It set forth important approach and methodology towards protecting prophetic hadith, eventhough her methodology has been critically by some of prominet Muslim scholars due to contradiction between her methodology and Islamic principle methodology, but some of her point of views acceptable as its tally with Muslim scholars' viewpoints. Key words: Annemarie Schimel, Methodology, Hadith, Prophet. http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 2216 [email protected] Annemarie Schimel and her Methodology in Dealing with Hadith: An Overview Cite this Article: Ahmad Yunus Mohd Noor, Asmilyia Mohd Mokhtar, Zaizul Abd Rahman and Ahmad Dahlan Salleh, Annemarie Schimel and her Methodology in Dealing with Hadith: An Overview, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) 9(10), 2018, pp. 2216–2224. http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=9&IType= 10 1. INTRODUCTION Schimel's study of Hadith focusing more on the study of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which is the first source in the Hadith. Schimel was attracted to the personal experience of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when she was a teenager. She had a work written by Syed Ameer Ali, The Life and Teaching of Muhammad and The Spirit of Islam and Andrae‟s work, Tor Die Person Muhammads in Lehre Und Glaube Seiner Gemeinde. She also read poems that narrated about the miracle that occurred during the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as written in the Mevlud-i Serif by Suleyman Chelebi besides the poems of praise to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which it contained in the work of Muhammad Iqbal, the famous poet. Schimel life which exposed to the stories of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) since her childhood period lead her to study this field and produced a works or publication about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (Schimel 1991: 11). Her writing about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave the true representation of the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the best exemplary to all mankind. Furthermore, it is already noted in the authentic sources of the Muslims as in the Qur‟an and the Hadith. Then, the stories of that truth are derived from one generation to other generation until this period of time. 2. SCHIMMEL’S PHENOMENOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY Phenomenology approach is the knowledge of something that seems to be introduced when the existing scientific approach is unacceptable for its legitimacy as it is separated from the experience and activity of the original phenomenon. The conclusions of the acquired sciences are found through their own interpretation and explanation, while according to Husserl, the reality is to be understand and not to be explained. The concept of Husserl‟s phenomenology is influenced by the concept of verstehen (understanding) from Max Weber. Phenomenology is a closely related study of human experience acquired through a conscious state. Through this approach, the results are clear and accurate (Hasbiansyah 2005: 164-165). Schimel in her study also emphasized the sources obtained through phenomenological approach rather than a knowledge or conclusion obtained through the author‟s interpretation (Schimel 1991: 21). Then, she tried to understand Islam as it is or as Muslim‟s understanding. Schimel introduced of how she wanted to use this phenomenological approach on understanding the Islam is when she was teaching the history of religions at the Islamic Faculty of Divinity in Ankara University, Turkey. In class, she was tried to explain the distinction between the mysterium tremendum and the mysterium fascinans. This is the theory of how Numen or Divinity reveals itself under the two aspect which is awe-inspiring majesty and fascinating beauty. On her way of her explanation, suddenly one of her student in that class stood up and said proudly: “But, Professor, we Muslim have known that for centuries. God has two aspects: His Jalal – majesty, power and wrath and His Jamal – beauty, kindness and mercy”. That situation makes a new idea on her mind to approaching Islam from a phenomenological angle as she kept finding that Islam was badly represented in the few major books in this field whereas Islam have their own truth if the way of understanding Islam was in a right method (Schimel 1994: x). Actually, the term of mysterium tremendum and the mysterium fascinans were discussed extensively in western but that theory already found in http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 2217 [email protected] Ahmad Yunus Mohd Noor, Asmilyia Mohd Mokhtar, Zaizul Abd Rahman and Ahmad Dahlan Salleh Islam for centuries. Hence, to understand the Islam she choose this method and study in depth without using her own interpretation. Schimel had used a phenomenology approach because seeing Islam is misinterpreted and negative in most of the writings at that time until seeing Islam has no distinction or difference from other religions. Through this method, she has studied various things about Islam and she was said to be the most prestigious German woman and author of a Sufi Islam so that she is said to be the bridge between the Muslim world and the west (M. Maulana Marsudi 2017: 50- 51). She has a sympathy for Islam and she tried to understand the religion of Islam in accordance with the understanding of the Muslims itself and it not based on external interpretation but by using through phenomenological approach. This approach involves several things: the way of looking at the object, the ways and steps taken to solve the problem, the method used to explain the results of the research and analysis base on certain disciplines and area of study (M. Maulana Marsudi 2017: 53-54). First, by using the model which Friedrich Heiler developed in his books Erscheinungsformen Und Wesen Der Religion she tried to enter the heart of religion by studying the phenomena first before then went to the deeper part of layers of human responses to the Divine until reaches the innermost sacred core of each religion. In Islam, Muslim understand the existence of God by phenomena on their surroundings. The creatures are signs, the change between day and night is a sign, the loving encounter of husband and wife is a sign and the miracles are sign. All of the signs prove that there is a living God who is the originator of everything. Furthermore, that sign also created and existence in the human souls (Schimel 1994: xiv). This first step makes she understands that Muslims believe in God. Then for the next study about Islam, she went to the next layer which is about Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and others. In her further study, she understands it by quoted the statement from Muslim scholars in Hadith such as; al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2.1. The Prophet Name The first case is, in discussing about the name of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Schimel takes it from the various sources which discuss about it. The phenomena of the name of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in overall said that, the Prophet's name is beautiful. It is supported by medieval Turkish who said “Your name is beautiful, you are beautiful, Muhammad”. Iqbal said “Light the world, so long in darkness, with Muhammad‟s radiant name”. Muhammad other‟s name is Mustafa, The Chosen, Ahmad and Most Praised. Muhammad‟s name is mentioned in various chapters in the Qur‟an. The use of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) name had been use since the earliest of Islamic history and it became one phenomena in Islamic history. They take a good care of their self from misbehaviour and afraid if this name being polluted by certain people. Muhammad had been called in different vocalization among Muslim as in Turkish, Mehmet is best-known among Muhammad, Mihammad and Mahmadou. Schimel stress that, the phenomena of using “Muhammad” name is based on Hadith which Muslim on that time use which is promise that everyone who bears this blessed name would enter to the Paradise (Schimel 1994: 121). The name of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had become a phenomena on the east since earlier and it directly recognized for the glory and goodness of the name. Schimel understands that, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have a very good name as Muslim said it and his name created a very good perception on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
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