BOOK REVIEWS ETHICO RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS IN THE QUR’AN

By Toshihiko Izutsu, Montreal 1966. 253 pp., Index 255-284.

Islamic studies in Japan, 'especial­ ly handicapped by the lack of ly Qur'anic studies, are regrettably scholastic interest in Islamic studies. far behind those of Christianity and In this connection, we should be Buddhism, in spite of the fact that proud of Dr. Izutsu, the author of Islam is one of the three predomi­ this book, who is the pioneer Arabic nant world religions. scholar of Japan and the only trans­ One of the main reasons for this lator of the Qur'an directly from

is that Japanese intellectuals are Arabic into Japanese一 a noteworthy generally so strongly Western- achievement considering that his oriented in their attitudes towards Arabic had to be entirely self­ foreign cultures that until relatively taught. The excellence of the recent years academic interest in English in the work under review the Islamic field has been extreme­ clearly illustrates the writer’s re­ ly limited. Another is the linguistic markable aptitude for languages. barrier of Arabic itself, which is He is now Professor at the Institute considered one of the most difficult of Cultural and Linguistic Studies, languages in the world. Moreover, Keio University, Tokyo, and it is universally recognized that an Visiting Professor at McGill Uni­ approach to Islamic thought without versity, Montreal, where he lectures an expert knowledge of Arabic can on Islamic theology and philosophy. achieve little in comprehending its rhe present book is a revised essentials. To rely upon translation edition of his earlier work, The for this is hazardous at best. Structure of the Ethical Terms in It follows, under these circum­ the Koran, published in 1959, but stances, that Japan has been serious- as the author states in his preface,

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“ a number of passages have been Qur'anic ethics and the post-Qur­ completely rewritten. So much has anic code. This objectivity is it been altered that the book may coupled with his method of seman­ very well be regarded as a new tic analysis of the value-words of one.” His scholarly conscientiousness the Qur'an in the field of conduct is to be highly respected, also in and character. the case of the revised edition of The first section (Principles of the translation of the Qur'an where Semantic Analysis, Language and occasional ambiguous translations Culture, I. The Scope and Focus of have been thoroughly corrected (e. the Study, II. The Method of g. IV, 34, Modern Egyptian verse Analysis and Its Application) is number). concerned with considerations of Needless to say, the Qur'an is one method. The simplest and com­ thing, and Islamic law, the post- monest way of ascertaining the Qur’anic code, is another. Never­ meaning of a foreign word is by theless, mainly because of the being told an equivalent word in tendency of Islamic scholars to one’s own language. Dr. Izutsu over-glorify the Qur'an, these two points out that this way of under­ are often confused when the con­ standing words is the least reliable cepts of the Islamic moral code are one especially for Quranic Arabic. considered.1 hey often condemn For instance, there is a great dif­ the ethics of pre-Islamic times as ference between kafir and misbe­ barbarian paganism, and praise the liever which is usually given as its rise of the new Islamic religion. English equivalent. “ In point of The author of this book is neither fact, translation turns out to be far praising •： or defending any of the more frequently misleading than numerous ethical theories that have enlightening.” “ The semantic dis­ been offered to date by philosophers crepancy between words and their and scholars. His attitude is highly foreign ‘ equivalents ’ naturally in­ objective towards both pre-Islamic creases as we turn to those regions ethics and those of Qur’anic time, of existence where unique words of and he draws a distinction between vision tend to dominate and wherg

— 187 — Book Reviews language is charged with the task and Labid), Hamasah (Abu Tam, of reflecting and expressing the mam) or Diiudn (‘Abid b. al-Abras) truly ethnic features of a people’s which are beautifully translated by life.” Dr. Izutsu assumes a strategic the author. importance for the method of In the second section (From semantic analysis in seven cases: Tribal Code to Islamic Ethics), he 1 . contextual definitions, 2. syno­ discusses the pessimistic conception nyms, 3. contrasts, 4. deduction of the earthly life which is shown from opposites, 5. semantic relations by both pre-Islamic poetry and the of words, 6. parallel meanings, 7. Qur’an. The second part of this other contexts. section deals with another charac­ Focusing on the Arabia of the teristic of Jahiliya (pre-Islamic period, from the pre-Islamic time time), the spirit of tribal solidarity, of heathendom to the earliest days in which there was a distinction of Islam, the author begins the between right and wrong, between analysis of the key ethico-religious what is good and what is bad, al­ terms of the Qur^an by giving a though their sense of morality number of concrete examples in derived from tribalism “ lacked a order to illustrate his method. He constant, theoretical basis.” *'It is shows how far a mere translation of supreme importance for the right of the terms ‘ kafir,, ‘ zalim ’ and estimation of Muhammad’s religi­ ‘ dhanb ’ as misbeliever, evil-doer, ous movement to realize that it was and sin come short of doing full just in such a circumstance that he justice to the original words. He declared the definite superiority of analysis in detail the words derived religious relationship over the ties from the root ‘ JHL/ of b lo o d ，” which was the foremost In the second and third section, bond of the tribe. The author, he gives the main results obtained thirdly, after having discussed the by the practical application of his two basic features of pre-Islamic methods, quoting numerous Qur'an­ ethics, ventures to make an analy­ ic passages and ancient Arabic tical approach to the dynamic poems such as Mu'allaqah (Tarafah transformation of the old ethical

— 188 — Book Reviews elements of paganism into the new precisely analyzed. ‘ Nifaq ’ which religious concept of monotheism is customarily translated as ‘ hypo­ within the framework of Islamiza- crisy ’ in English, and ‘ iman ’ which tion. The fourth part of his conten­ is the exact antithesis of ‘ kufr; are tion is to point out that the given independent chapters respec­ Qur'anic outlook divides all human tively. The final part of the third qualities into two diametrically op­ section is devoted to ‘‘ the very posed concepts, ‘Paradise，and ‘Hell, strong and vigorous ” dichotomy of He refers to many instances of that ‘ good ’ and ‘ bad，，although there basic dichotomy of moral properties are in the Qur'an itself no abstract in Qur'anic verses. concepts of good and bad. The In the third section (The Analy­ Qur’an “ judges human conduct and sis of Major Concepts), Dr. Izutsu character in a very concrete form : discusses in detail the Qur'anic ' iman * and ' k u f r ... constitute system of ethico-religious concepts the two pillars of Qur'anic ethics.” against the historical background It could be said that Dr. Izutsu’s described in the section. The strate­ interpretation of ‘ kafir ’ and ‘ mu- gic importance for the method of shurik’’ for instance, is somewhat semantic analysis mentioned in the over-semantic without due conside­ first section is here fully applied in ration of the chronology of the analyzing the inner structure of Quranic passages which are inex­ ‘ kujr! The author emphasizes the tricably connected with the social concept, ‘ kufr: with the view that events of the time about which it is a “most comprehensive term for Muhammad revealed each verse of all negative ethico-religious values,” the Qur’an. As the author states and ‘‘ the very center of the whole in his concluding paragraph, ‘‘ The system of negative properties.” Qur^n, particularly in the Medina After analyzing the concept of period, has much to say about com­ ‘ kujr ’ itself, the other key terms munity life. This side of Qur’anic that surround this major subject, ethics has not been systematically 1 fasiq,' (fajir,' ' zalim,J ( mu'tadi' explored in the present work.” This ‘ m usrif' ‘ nifaq: and ‘ im a n ，are however, in no way minimizes the

一 189 — Book Reviews importance of his invaluable, stimu­ their respective roots arranged in lating work. order of the Arabic alphabet, and An index of Quranic citations an index of subjects are included listed under both the Fliigel and at the end of the book. Modern Egyptian system, an index Motoko Katakura of Arabic words grouped under Lecturer, Takushoku University, Tokyo