DOCSLIB.ORG

Demythologizing the Qur'an Rethinking Revelation Through

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Demythologizing the Qur'an Rethinking Revelation Through GJAT | DECEMBER 2017 | VOL 7 ISSUE 2 | 51 ISSN : 2232-0474 | E-ISSN : 2232-0482 www.gjat.my Demythologizing the Qur’an Rethinking Revelation Through Naskh al-Qur’an Roslan Abdul-Rahim Pusat Bahasa dan Pengajian Asasi, Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia Tel: +6019-7534512 E-Mail: [email protected] Abstract At the interpretive and more practical level, it influences the way the law may be understood This article posits two important claims. One and applied in Islam. Most importantly, at is that naskh al-Qur’an is a real and actual the philosophical level, it demythologizes the phenomenon. Early sources from the Muslim Qur’an. classical era have been cited to justify this claim. The other is that, the notion and theory of naskh This paper is a preliminary attempt at reassessing al-Qur’an allow for our rethinking of revelation the notion of wahy in Islam. It proposes a in Islam. paradigm shift in the way we look at the Qur’an and the way we understand revelation in Islam. The theoretical discourse of Naskh al-Qur’an hinges on the basic idea and principle of the Keywords: Wahy; Nakh al-Qur’an; Qur’anic legal annulment of the law contained in or abrogation; re-revelation; revelatory alignment; implied by a particular Qur’anic verse that has revelatory adaptation since been declared as abrogated. While the Qur’anic theory of abrogation may be about Introduction the law, in essence, it is as much about the meanings and dynamics of revelation in Islam. Demythologization is a stylized terminology that Various processes may be identified with the has acquired its early significance in modern theory of naskh. Most notably are the processes Biblical scholarship. Its currency could be traced of “re-revelation” and “revelatory alignment”. back to the German Protestant New-Testament scholar, Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976), Re-revelation, or revelatory revision or who first introduced the term in the context realignment is something to be appreciated. of Biblical hermeneutics. By distinguishing These terms imply adaptation. Through between Historie (“objective, factual accounts of highlighting textual instances in the Qur’an, historical events”) and Geschichte (“the meaning this paper intends to demonstrate that Qur’anic that people choose to give to those events”), revelation apparently came down not in isolation Bultmann appropriated ‘demythologization’ in but in tandem with the interests and altering order to render the interpretation of the New dynamics of an emerging and developing Testament free from so-called ‘pre-scientific’ community. imageries (Jean-Loup Seban, 1998). Since ‘demythologization’ presupposes our dealing This idea of revelatory adaptation has far with “mythology” or “myth”, it signifies reaching consequences. At the theological our attempt at the “decoding of myth or the level, it impacts on the current established reinterpretation of ancient mythical patterns of notion of the immutability of the Qur’an. It thought” found in a text, into “contemporary in turn signifies the significance of naskh in thought patterns” (Alfred Glenn, 1973: 73). determining the direction of fiqh and tafsir, and In other words, while demythologization may in revealing to us the theological nature of wahy. be understood as an act of deconstruction This journal is a member of and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) GJAT | DECEMBER 2017 | VOL 7 ISSUE 2 | 52 ISSN : 2232-0474 | E-ISSN : 2232-0482 www.gjat.my or a demythification, in essence, it is simply cultural and intellectual baggage that connotes reinterpretation. Reinterpretation is significant the kind of conditions that have confronted and becomes necessary if only because meanings the Christians in their biblical hermeneutical embedded in historical texts require extraction tradition. Both the Qur’an and the Bible had and translation in terms that are credible and separate and distinct experiences and traditions understandable to us today. in their conception and developmental histories. Two things however need to be borne in mind On the contrary, ‘demythologization’ is here in our use of “demythologization” within the used simply as a loose term to imply both the context of this paper. The first is that,mythology act and the process of treating and rendering is used here to mean what Karen Armstrong the Qur’an as a text that is both divine and describes as “the imaginative expression of mundane in nature rather than letting it be religious truths,” (1994: xxii; 2000: 9 ff.). In regarded as strictly “other-worldly” and “un- this sense, it has a very positive connotation. in-touch” with the events that took place during Bultmann shares this idea. Myth, to him, is the history of its descent the way it has been important and that it expresses truth. But the rigidly understood and treated today. To every truth we find in myth, he intimates, is “clothed Muslim, the Qur’an is certainly divine, and as in the symbolic language of ancient thought- such, transcendent, for the simple fact that it patterns.” Not unlike Hans Georg Gadamer, is a direct revelation from God. This notion is Bultmann further argues that inasmuch as indisputable and taken for granted. It is for this myth is important, demythologization or that the Qur’an has been rigidly construed as reinterpretation is necessary in order that immutable and untouchable. What is less realized modern man could “grasp its truth” (Glenn, and therefore unfortunately unappreciated is ibid.). This assumption appears logical to him the fact that the Qur’an is nevertheless also given that truth is unchanging. On the other mundane for the very earthly dimension that hand, humans and their historical situations in characterizes its developmental history. In this which they apprehend truth change (Glenn, 76; last sense, the use of ‘demythologization’ as a Gadamer, 1998: 267-74). technical terminology in our dealing with the Qur’an presupposes the fluidity in the way the The idea of truth as something unchanging may Qur’an should have been theologically and equally be applied to divine truth. Yet divine philosophically understood. It presupposes as truth demands of itself something more than well that our existing framework of theological just ‘simple truth’. It gives us the direct sense interpretation and understanding of revelation of timelessness and normativeness. At the same in Islam requires our reappraisal and re- time however, scriptural texts from where divine appreciation. truths are derived and apprehended have to be This paper intends to show that the Qur’an, interpreted according to contemporary thought- as a repository of divine revelation in Islam, pattern, lest their meanings become obscure, and is much more fluid in nature and character the truth for which we seek eludes us. What it than the Muslims had ever given it credit. The means here is that, demythologization in relation present attempt is exploratory and preliminary in to sacred texts refers to and emphasizes less nature, but it seeks to demonstrate such fluidity of the mythical nature of the texts, but more through the argument of naskh al-Qur’an of the need to apprehend and embrace the and the history and nature of the text of the truths that are to be found in them, and that Qur’an. As far as naskh goes, this paper argues this could only be achieved through unpacking that the phenomenon of naskh al-Qur’an is a and deconstructing the mythological narratives. historical reality and that its occurrence speaks for the flexible nature of revelation orwahy in Secondly, by demythologization, this paper Islam, and that naskh in the Qur’an could be does not purport to bog itself down with the traced back to the origin and development of This journal is a member of and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) GJAT | DECEMBER 2017 | VOL 7 ISSUE 2 | 53 ISSN : 2232-0474 | E-ISSN : 2232-0482 www.gjat.my the Muslim literary genre on naskh and our (1980) receives a widely acclaimed recognition study of the alleged instances of naskh. As among scholars, mentions that a great many for the history and nature of the text of the scholar have written monographs on naskh. Qur’an, it will be shown that the Qur’an permits Names like Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam (d. itself to be grounded and associated with the 224/839), Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash‘ath mundane situations on the ground during the al-Sijistani (d. 275/888), Abu Bakr Muhammad process and development of its revelation more b. al-Qasim al-Anbari (d. 328/939), Abu Ja‘far than Muslims today would allow and give it Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Nahhas (d. 338/949), latitude. What is important as an outcome of this Abu Muhammad Makki b. Abi Talib al-Qaysi modest study is the impact that the shift in our (d. 437/1045) and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah interpretation and understanding of revelation ibn al-‘Arabi (d. 543/1148), are some of the will have on our appreciation of the Qur’an and foremost early authorities on naskh (Suyuti, the Islamic law today. v.2, 20-7). The Theory of Naskh al-Qur’an Slightly more than a century earlier, his predecessor, Badr al-Din Muhammad b. ‘Abd The much celebrated 11th Century Benedictine Allah al-Zarkashi (d. 793/1391), to whom al- monk and Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Anselm Suyuti was indebted for his Itqan, also cites of Aosta (1033–1109), famous for his ontological Qatadah ibn Di‘amah al-Sadusi (d. 117/735), argument about the existence of God, once ‘Abd Allah ibn Sallamah b. Nasr al-Baghdadi, conceptualized that “God is something than otherwise known as Hibat Allah ibn Sallamah which nothing greater can be thought.” Through (d.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fayslah Kun Munazarah the Decisive Debate: on the Deobandi and Barelwi
    Deoband aur Bareli ke Ikhtilaf wa Niza‘ pur: Fayslah Kun Munazarah The Decisive Debate: On the Deobandi and Barelwi Conflict A thorough refutation of false allegations made against the scholars of Deoband in Husam al- Haramayn Mawlana Muhammad Manzur Nu‘mani (1905-1997) Translated by MUFTI ZAMEELUR RAHMAAN PUBLISHED BY MUJLISUL ULAMA OF S.A. PO BOX 3393 PORT ELIZABETH SOUTH AFRICA Fayslah Kun Munazarah Deoband aur Bareli ke Ikhtilaf wa Niza‘ pur: Fayslah Kun Munazarah The Decisive Debate: On the Deobandi and Barelwi Conflict A thorough refutation of false allegations made against the scholars of Deoband in Husam al-Haramayn Mawlana Muhammad Manzur Nu‘mani (1905-1997) Translated by MUFTI ZAMEELUR RAHMAAN PUBLISHED BY MUJLISUL ULAMA OF S.A. PO BOX 3393 PORT ELIZABETH SOUTH AFRICA 2 Fayslah Kun Munazarah Note by the Translator Fayslah Kun Munazarah , first printed in 1933 CE, in the Urdu language, is a thorough rebuttal of the verdicts of kufr issued against four senior Ulama of the Deobandi School. The baseless, slanderous fatwa of kufr was presented in the book, Husam al- Haramayn of Molvi Ahmad Rida Khan Barelwi. Sufficient details about the book are given in the author’s introduction. Due to the paucity of information on the subject in the English language, many Muslims in the English-speaking world were easily swayed towards the fallacious view propounded in Husam al-Haramayn due to the vigour with which the fatwa is propagated by its English-speaking proponents and the gravity of the allegations made. The book translated here provides a balanced, level- headed, point-by-point critique of the fatwa, demonstrating with complete clarity the deception of the original accusations against the Deobandi elders and their innocence from the heresies ascribed to them.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī’A)
    Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī’a) bhala understanding 2e.indb 1 7/6/16 8:09 AM bhala understanding 2e.indb 2 7/6/16 8:09 AM Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī’a) second edition Raj Bhala Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law and Rice Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas School of Law Carolina Academic Press Durham, North Carolina bhala understanding 2e.indb 3 7/6/16 8:09 AM Copyright © 2016 Carolina Academic Press LLC All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Bhala, Raj, author. Title: Understanding Islamic law / Raj Bhala. Description: Second Edition. | Durham, North Carolina : Carolina Academic Press, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016027161 | ISBN 9781632849502 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Islamic law. Classification: LCC KBP144 .B49 2016 | DDC 340.5/9--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016027161 Carolna Academic Press LLC 700 Kent Street Durham, NC 27701 Telephone (919) 489-7486 Fax (919) 493-5668 www.caplaw.com Printed in the United States of America bhala understanding 2e.indb 4 7/6/16 8:09 AM Bismillah ir Raḥmān ir Raḥīm (In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. We must therefore consider ourselves and conduct ourselves as such. Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, salām. His Holiness, Pope Francis (1936–), Bishop of Rome Address and Meeting with the Muslim Community Central Mosque Bangui, Central African Republic 30 November 2015 May the pure, brilliant sun of bodhicitta [enlightened mind] Dawn in each and every heart and mind Dispelling the darkness of suffering and confusion Unstoppably — until all are illumined and awakened.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting the Qur'an and the Constitution
    INTERPRETING THE QUR’AN AND THE CONSTITUTION: SIMILARITIES IN THE USE OF TEXT, TRADITION, AND REASON IN ISLAMIC AND AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE Asifa Quraishi* INTRODUCTION Can interpreting the Qur’an be anything like interpreting the Constitution? These documents are usually seen to represent overwhelming opposites in our global legal and cultural landscapes. How, after all, can there be any room for comparison between a legal system founded on revelation and one based on a man-made document? What this premise overlooks, however, is that the nature of the founding legal text tells only the beginning of the story. With some comparative study of the legal cultures that formed around the Qur’an and the Constitution, a few common themes start to emerge, and ultimately it turns out that there may be as much the same as is different between the jurisprudence of Islam and the United States. Though set against very different cultures and legal institutions, jurists within Islamic law have engaged in debates over legal interpretation that bear a striking resemblance to debates in the world of American constitutional theory.1 We will here set these debates next to * Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Law School. The author wishes to thank Frank Vogel and Jack Balkin for their support and advice in the research that contributed to this article, and Suzanne Stone for the opportunity to be part of a stimulating conference and symposium. 1 Positing my two fields as “Islamic” and “American” invokes a host of potential misunderstandings. First, these are obviously not mutually exclusive categories, most vividly illustrated by the significant population of American Muslims, to which I myself belong.
    [Show full text]
  • Jihād As Defense: Just-War Theory in the Quran and Sunnah
    Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research Insert Full Title of Research Publication Jihād as Defense: Just-war theory in the Quran and Sunnah Justin Parrott 1 | Jihād as Defense: Just-war theory in the Quran and Sunnah maintain international peace Introduction and security.2 International just-war theory The Charter was originally ratified crystalized after the Second World in 1945 by a number of Muslim- War with the signing of the United majority states including Egypt, Nations Charter in 1945 and the Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and subsequent Geneva Conventions of Turkey. 3 Other Muslim states 1949. Article 2 of the Charter would follow until a total of 57 states: Muslim-majority member states would come together to form the All Members shall settle UN affiliated Organisation of their international disputes Islamic Cooperation (OIC) by peaceful means in such a (formerly Organization of the manner that international Islamic Conference) in 1969. The peace and security, and OIC member states pledge to justice, are not endangered.1 “commit themselves to the purposes and principles of the This article enshrines a concept of United Nations Charter,” part of jus ad bellum (“justice to war”), or which is adherence to just-war the principle of war as a last resort, theory in international conflicts.4 that all non-violent means of conflict resolution must be The ratification of the Charter was a exhausted before states enter into milestone in the history of war with each other. Nevertheless, humanity as it established rules of the Charter does not negate the war based upon humanitarian values right of states to defend themselves common to nearly all religions and from attack, as stated in Article 51: philosophies.
    [Show full text]
  • Nastaleeq: a Challenge Accepted by Omega
    Nastaleeq: A challenge accepted by Omega Atif Gulzar, Shafiq ur Rahman Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan atif dot gulzar (at) gmail dot com, shafiq dot rahman (at) nu dot edu dot pk Abstract Urdu is the lingua franca as well as the national language of Pakistan. It is based on Arabic script, and Nastaleeq is its default writing style. The complexity of Nastaleeq makes it one of the world's most challenging writing styles. Nastaleeq has a strong contextual dependency. It is a cursive writing style and is written diagonally from right to left. The overlapping shapes make the nuqta (dots) and kerning problem even harder. With the advent of multilingual support in computer systems, different solu- tions have been proposed and implemented. But most of these are immature or platform-specific. This paper discuses the complexity of Nastaleeq and a solution that uses Omega as the typesetting engine for rendering Nastaleeq. 1 Introduction 1.1 Complexity of the Nastaleeq writing Urdu is the lingua franca as well as the national style language of Pakistan. It has more than 60 mil- The Nastaleeq writing style is far more complex lion speakers in over 20 countries [1]. Urdu writing than other writing styles of Arabic script{based lan- style is derived from Arabic script. Arabic script has guages. The salient features`r of Nastaleeq that many writing styles including Naskh, Sulus, Riqah make it more complex are these: and Deevani, as shown in figure 1. Urdu may be • Nastaleeq is a cursive writing style, like other written in any of these styles, however, Nastaleeq Arabic styles, but it is written diagonally from is the default writing style of Urdu.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Forbidden Alcohol in the Islam? It Is a Well Known Fact That Muslims Don’T Drink Alcohol
    Why forbidden alcohol in the Islam? It is a well known fact that Muslims don’t drink alcohol. It is haraam, forbidden. They don’t eat foods with ethanol, they don’t wear perfumes containing alcoholic ingredients and they stay away from all forms of intoxicating substances . For most Muslims, alcohol is "haraam," or forbidden. Muslims abstain from alcohol because the Prophet Muhammad , to whom Muslims believe the word of God was revealed in the Qur'an, spoke against it. Though Muhammad said alcohol may have some medicinal value, as recorded in the Qur'an, he believed its potential for sin was "far greater" than its benefits. Muhammad also forbade Muslims from consuming other intoxicants, including hashish, believing the substances would cloud judgment and lead to unlawful behavior in the same way as alcohol. Alcohol in Islam Arabic for “wine”, is alcohol derived from grapes. This is what is (ر رر) Linguistically, khamr prohibited by specific texts of the Quran (see 5:90). Therefore alcohol is categorically unlawful (haraam) and considered impure (najis). Consuming any amount is unlawful, even if it doesn’t create any drunken effects. The Prophet Muhammad of Islam said, “Intoxicants are from these two trees,” while pointing to grapevines and date-palms. Alcohol derived from dates or raisins is also prohibited, again regardless of the amount consumed, as explained on Islamic site Seekers Guidance. At first, a general warning was given to forbid Muslims from attending prayers while in a drunken state (Quran, 4:43). Then a later verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad which said that while specifically alcohol had some medicinal benefits, the negative effects of it outweighed the good (Quran, 2:219).
    [Show full text]
  • PENDAPAT MADZHAB HANAFI TENTANG PERBEDAAN KHAMR DAN NABIZ DAN IMPLIKASINYA TERHADAP PENENTUAN HUKUM SKRIPSI Diajukan Untuk Memen
    PENDAPAT MADZHAB HANAFI TENTANG PERBEDAAN KHAMR DAN NABIZ DAN IMPLIKASINYA TERHADAP PENENTUAN HUKUM SKRIPSI Diajukan untuk Memenuhi Tugas dan Melengkapi Syarat Guna Memperoleh Gelar Sarjana Hukum (SH) dalam Ilmu Syari’ah dan Hukum oleh: Faisal Nur Arifin NIM : 140202613 HUKUM PIDANA ISLAM FAKULTAS SYARI’AH DAN HUKUM UNIVERSITAS ISLAM NEGERI WALISONGO SEMARANG 2019 Drs. H. Eman Sulaeman, M.H. Tugurejo A. 3 RT. 02/RW. 01 Tugu Semarang Dr. Hj. Naili Anafah, S.H.I, M.Ag Jl. Sendang Utara RT. 05 RW. 08 Gemah Semarang PERSETUJUAN PEMBIMBING Lamp : 4 (empat) eksemplar Hal : Naskah Skripsi An. Faisal Nur Arifin Kepada Yth. Dekan Fakultas Syari’ah dan Hukum UIN Walisongo Semarang Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. Setelah kami meneliti, mengoreksi dan mengadakan perbaikan seperlunya, bersama ini kami kirimkan naskah skripsi saudara: Nama : Faisal Nur Arifin NIM : 1402026133 Jurusan : Hukum Pidana Islam Judul Skripsi : Pendapat Madzhab Hanafi tentang Perbedaan Khamr dan Nabiz dan Implikasinya Terhadap Penentuan Hukum Dengan ini kami mohon kiranya skripsi mahasiswa tersebut dapat segera di munaqasyahkan. Demikian harap menjadi maklum adanya dan kami ucapkan terimakasih. Wassalamu’alaikum Wr.Wb. Semarang, 25 Juli 2019 Pembimbing I Pembimbing II Drs. H. Eman Sulaeman, M.H. Hj. Naili Anafah, S.H.I, M.Ag NIP. 19650605 199203 1 003 NIP. 19810622 200804 2 022 .ii PENGESAHAN ii. i MOTTO . “Hai orang-orang yang beriman, Sesungguhnya (meminum) khamr, berjudi, (berkorban untuk) berhala, mengundi nasib dengan panah adalah Termasuk perbuatan syaitan. Maka jauhilah perbuatan- perbuatan itu agar kamu mendapat keberuntungan” iv. PERSEMBAHAN Bismillahirrahmanirrahim Segala puji syukur bagi Allah SWT yang telah memberikan segala kenikmatan kepada penulis.
    [Show full text]
  • Exorcism in Islam
    Exorcism in Islam by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips Submitted infulfillment for therequire ment of the degreeof Doctor of Philosophy University of Wales Saint David's University College LAMPETER September, 1993 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration.. ................................................................................................ v • Acknowledgment.............•.••.•...•.•.......•.•....•......•.•..... ....................•...•.•...••.• VI ... ................................ ·........... ...................... ................... Abstract .... .. ....... vii... S ystem o fTrans 11terat1on.. ......................................................................... V111 Introduction. ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter One: The Spirit-World............... .................................................... 4 The Human Spirit.... .... � ......................................................................... 4 0 .. ngm ............................................................................................. 7 Form................................ ...................................•........................ 10 Death .......................................................................................... 14 The Soul's Abode AfterDeath .................................................... �. 16 Souls of the Prophets ............................................................ 17 Souls of the M s ............................................................. 17 Souls
    [Show full text]
  • Defining Shariʿa the Politics of Islamic Judicial Review by Shoaib
    Defining Shariʿa The Politics of Islamic Judicial Review By Shoaib A. Ghias A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Jurisprudence and Social Policy in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor Malcolm M. Feeley, Chair Professor Martin M. Shapiro Professor Asad Q. Ahmed Summer 2015 Defining Shariʿa The Politics of Islamic Judicial Review © 2015 By Shoaib A. Ghias Abstract Defining Shariʿa: The Politics of Islamic Judicial Review by Shoaib A. Ghias Doctor of Philosophy in Jurisprudence and Social Policy University of California, Berkeley Professor Malcolm M. Feeley, Chair Since the Islamic resurgence of the 1970s, many Muslim postcolonial countries have established and empowered constitutional courts to declare laws conflicting with shariʿa as unconstitutional. The central question explored in this dissertation is whether and to what extent constitutional doctrine developed in shariʿa review is contingent on the ruling regime or represents lasting trends in interpretations of shariʿa. Using the case of Pakistan, this dissertation contends that the long-term discursive trends in shariʿa are determined in the religio-political space and only reflected in state law through the interaction of shariʿa politics, regime politics, and judicial politics. The research is based on materials gathered during fieldwork in Pakistan and datasets of Federal Shariat Court and Supreme Court cases and judges. In particular, the dissertation offers a political-institutional framework to study shariʿa review in a British postcolonial court system through exploring the role of professional and scholar judges, the discretion of the chief justice, the system of judicial appointments and tenure, and the political structure of appeal that combine to make courts agents of the political regime.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Legal Theory and the Practical Hermeneutics of Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad Al-Ṭaḥāwī (D
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2016 From Text to Law: Islamic Legal Theory and the Practical Hermeneutics of Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad Al-Ṭaḥāwī (d. 321/933) Carolyn Anne Brunelle University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Islamic Studies Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Brunelle, Carolyn Anne, "From Text to Law: Islamic Legal Theory and the Practical Hermeneutics of Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad Al-Ṭaḥāwī (d. 321/933)" (2016). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1626. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1626 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1626 For more information, please contact [email protected]. From Text to Law: Islamic Legal Theory and the Practical Hermeneutics of Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad Al-Ṭaḥāwī (d. 321/933) Abstract Scholars of Islamic law point to the absence of any extant work of legal theory between the Risāla of al- Shāfiʿī and the Fuṣūl of al-Jaṣṣāṣ as a major barrier to reconstructing the history of Islamic legal thought. However, careful analysis of three major works of the Ḥanafī jurist al-Ṭaḥāwī, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, Sharḥ maʿānī al-āthār and Sharḥ mushkil al-āthār, reveals the existence of myriad brief passages elaborating questions of legal theory scattered throughout their many volumes. This study reconstructs the legal thought of al-Ṭaḥāwī as a window onto legal theory in the late 3rd/9th and early 4th/10th centuries, a crucial period of transformation between late formative and post-formative Islamic law.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary of Islam - Wikipedia Glossary of Islam from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
    8/9/2017 Glossary of Islam - Wikipedia Glossary of Islam From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Islam all in one place. Separating concepts in Islam from concepts specific to Arab culture, or from the language itself, can be difficult. Many Arabic concepts have an Arabic secular meaning as well as an Islamic meaning. One example is the concept of dawah. Arabic, like all languages, contains words whose meanings differ across various contexts. The word Islam is itself a good example. Arabic is written in its own alphabet, with letters, symbols, and orthographic conventions that do not have exact equivalents in the Latin alphabet (see Arabic alphabet). The following list contains transliterations of Arabic terms and phrases; variations exist, e.g. din instead of deen and aqidah instead of aqeedah. Most items in the list also contain their actual Arabic spelling. Contents : Top · 0–9 · A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z A (for female) (أﻣﺔ) for male) ʾAmah) (ﻋﺒﺪ) ʿAbd servant, worshipper, slave.
    [Show full text]
  • Low Resolution Arabic Recognition with Multidimensional Recurrent Neural Networks
    Low Resolution Arabic Recognition with Multidimensional Recurrent Neural Networks Sheikh Faisal Rashid Image Understanding and Pattern Recognition (IUPR) Technical University Kaiserslautern, Germany [email protected] Marc-Peter Schambach Jörg Rottland Stephan von der Nüll Siemens AG Siemens AG Siemens AG Bücklestraße 1-5, 78464 Bücklestraße 1-5, 78464 Bücklestraße 1-5, 78464 Konstanz, Germany Konstanz, Germany Konstanz, Germany marc-peter.schambach [email protected] stephan.vondernuell @siemens.com @siemens.com ABSTRACT OCR of multi-font Arabic text is difficult due to large vari- ations in character shapes from one font to another. It be- comes even more challenging if the text is rendered at very low resolution. This paper describes a multi-font, low reso- lution, and open vocabulary OCR system based on a multi- dimensional recurrent neural network architecture. For this work, we have developed various systems, trained for single- font/single-size, single-font/multi-size, and multi-font/multi- size data of the well known Arabic printed text image data- base (APTI). The evaluation tasks from the second Arabic Figure 1: Example of low resolution Arabic word text recognition competition, organized in conjunction with image. Font: Diwani Letter at 6 point. The figure 1 ICDAR 2013 , have been adopted. Ten Arabic fonts in six is rescaled for better visual appearance. font size categories are used for evaluation. Results show that the proposed method performs very well on the task of printed Arabic text recognition even for very low resolution and small font size images. Overall, the system yields above Arabic text due to various potential applications like mail 99% recognition accuracy at character and word level for sorting, electronic processing of bank checks, official forms most of the printed Arabic fonts.
    [Show full text]