A Critique of Modern Quranic Hermeneutic of Fazlur Rahman

The emergence of modern Quranic hermeneutics signalled a new era in the field of Quranic interpretation. From the nineteenth century onwards, Muslim intellectuals have resorted to employing modern hermeneutical methodologies to re-interpret the Quran with the aim of rendering its message more relevant to the exigencies of the modern era. Tafsir literatures which was at the core of “Classical Quranic hermeneutics” for over five hundred years (Gillot 2002) were felt to be inadequate to deal with the challenges of modernity and the threat of Western hegemony. The positivists inspired attack of Western scholarship on the scientificity and objectivity of classical tafsir provided another justification for scholars and intellectual to cast a critical eye on classical tafsir scholarship. This paved the way for new scholarship in the field of Quranic hermeneutics to emerge. However, despite the fact that most modern Quranic hermeneutic theories have been welcomed by Western academia, they seem to suffer from a credibility and acceptability deficit within the Muslim community. Although many of the modern hermeneutical theories provide new insight into the field of Quranic interpretation, they are often regarded as Western products tainted with a colonialist agenda. This essay proposes to look at how modern Quranic hermeneutics emerged before proceeding to survey some of the hermeneutical theories put forward by some Muslim intellectuals. It will also look at the perceived influences behind those theories as well as the criticism levelled against them. This essay will conclude on whether modern Quranic hermeneutics could be considered a viable alternative to classical tafsir and have what it takes to change the course of Quranic interpretation.

Fazlur Rahman, the renowned Muslim thinker who lived in the second half of the twentieth century, impacted young scholars and students of Islam of his generation and those of the next, both from the Muslim world and the West. Many research scholars and thinkers who have written on Islam have been highly impressed by his methodology of interpreting the Qur'ān which is why there has been so much focus on this aspect of his work in the context of his contribution to Islamic scholarship. However, while one is drawn to examine this aspect of his work, there are other equally interesting aspect of his thoughts that have not been given the equal treatment, such as a study of the evolution of his thought over various decades of his life and career etc. The present article is meant to present a critical survey of the works of Islamicists on Fazlur Rahman's thought and contribution.

American journal of Islam and society, 1992

When one considers the thought of the late Fazlur Rahman, it can be seen that his main endeavors are confined to "a true understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah"in other words, a "recourse to the Qur'an and the Sunnah in order to get from there an understanding of and a guidance for solving our new problems."l This point cannot be ignored by contemporary Muslims striving to overcome their social, political, legal, and religiomoral problems. However, it is not a simple and easy task to return to the Qur'an in order to have a true understanding of it, for there are many obstacles which ensue from history or traditional Islam itself. I will therefore elucidate and discuss what Rahman means by the concept of tradition and, more specifically, the Islamic tradition or, as he sometimes prefers to call it, the Muslim tradition.2 We cannot appreciate his views on his Qur'anic methodology and on contemporary issues unless we sufficiently acquaint ourselves with what he means by Islamic tradition and the problems hund within Islamic civilization, by which he means the influence that Islamic tradition that had on Islamic civilization and its ultimate consequences on that civilization's outcome. When we confront the Islamic heritage as a whole, it is important to elicit and bring into the open what "Islamic" and "un-Islamic" meant at that particular point in the past, for this would appear to be crucial for a better understanding of the problem at hand. Once we identify those un-Islamic elements and then eliminate them from our way to development and modernization, we can confine our attention to solving our current problems in light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. We cannot find adequate answers to our current problems if we are incarcerated in a tradition which is, according to Rahman, contrary to the Qur'an's dynamic and ongoing spirit. On the other hand, there is the naive view which claims that *I would like to express my indebtedness to Alparslan Agikgeng and Bekir Demirkol, both of whom encouraged me to concentrate on this topic, and to thank them for their fruitful discussion and helpful comments on the first draft of this paper. I would also like to express my thanks to my colleague Mevlut Uyanik for his critical suggestions on certain points. lFazlur Rahman, Islamic Methodology in History (Karachi, Central Institute of Islamic Research, 1965), 143, hereinafter referred to as Methodology.

This paper introduces Qur'anic hermeneutic of Irfan A. Khan (b. 1931), a significant scholar of the Qur'an and modern Western philosophy. Khan's expertise in these two areas seems to result in a comprehensive theory and methodology of understanding the Qur'an. He is well versed in the modern hermeneutical theory, analytical philosophy, and event ontology on the one hand, and classical and modern methodologies of Qur'anic hermeneutics on the other. Khan in his writings and lectures did not indulge in philosophical or historical issues for the sake of keeping his focus on teaching the methodologies of understanding the Qur'an. He simply applied that knowledge in explaining the Qur'an. A significant contribution of this paper is to dig these hidden philosophical and Qur'anic arguments from Khan's corpus and present them in a systematic and clear way to introduce his Qur'anic hermeneutic for further discourse.

Mich. St. L. Rev., 2006

This Article suggests that current Islamic scholarship may not be up to this task. It argues that there are three primary forms of scholarship on Islam extant in the world today and that it is often difficult to discern the discursive impact of these forms on the development of critical thinking about problems faced in the Muslim world. The three forms are distinguished by the languages in which they are expressed. One form is expressed in Western European languages and is rarely, if ever, translated into Arabic; 4 the second form is expressed in Arabic and rarely translated into any Western European or Far Eastern language; 5 the third form is expressed in Urdu, Farsi, and other languages spoken and read in Iran and South Asia. 6 Some of the scholarship in this third form consists of material translated from Arabic and a small portion of it, after being translated into Farsi or Urdu, JURISPRUDENCE (Majid Khadduri trans.

2004

This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, nd has been cited and referenced.

Episteme: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Keislaman, 2018

This paper discussed the life background of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and the hermeneutical method in used to interpretation of the Qur'an. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was among productive Muslim scientists. He wrote over twenty-nine works from 1964 to 1999. His works included books and articles. Nasr's thought was a product of his educational background and religious thought. An interesting discussion of Nasr's thought was the conceptual discourse (an-nash). In the historical trajectory of the Arabic world, the text had a crucial position, especially when we saw the development of Islamic literature from pre-Islamic to the Islamic era. The oral tradition was deeply rooted. The text was ultimately believed to have a major influence in the formation of civilization through a hermeneutical approach, developed by modernists such as Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, which became an attempt to develop an approach in understanding the Qur'an which had been widely opposed among Muslims. Because there was a very basic difference between hermeneutics on the other hand, and tafsir-takwil on the other hand, so it is considered inappropriate to be used to study the Qur'an. Therefore, this paper will discuss the concept of hermeneutical method of the Qur'an by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd as a repertoire of Islamic studies.

2018

This paper discussed the life background of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and the hermeneutical method in used to interpretation of the Qur’an. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was among productive Muslim scientists. He wrote over twenty-nine works from 1964 to 1999. His works included books and articles. Nasr’s thought was a product of his educational background and religious thought. An interesting discussion of Nasr’s thought was the conceptual discourse (an-nash). In the historical trajectory of the Arabic world, the text had a crucial position, especially when we saw the development of Islamic literature from pre-Islamic to the Islamic era. The oral tradition was deeply rooted. The text was ultimately believed to have a major influence in the formation of civilization through a hermeneutical approach, developed by modernists such as Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, which became an attempt to develop an approach in understanding the Qur’an which had been widely opposed among Muslims. Because there was a very basic difference between hermeneutics on the other hand, and tafsir-takwil on the other hand, so it is considered inappropriate to be used to study the Qur’an. Therefore, this paper will discuss the concept of hermeneutical method of the Qur’an by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd as a repertoire of Islamic studies.

Philosophic Hermeneutics and Islamic Thought, 2021

The article compares and contrasts the political epistemologies the of Iranian philosopher Mohammed Shabestari and the Pakistani scholar Fazlur Rahman. Both are prominent modernists and advocates of religiopolitical reform who conducted equally critical and stimulating discussions of contemporary Continental hermeneutics, especially Gadamer.

The Muslim World, 1993

The eternal cannot enter time without a time when it enters. Revelation to history cannot occur outside it. A prophet cannot arise except in a generation and a native land, Directives from heaven cannot impinge upon an earthly vacuum.2 This paper was first delivered at a conference on 'Modern Approaches to the Study of Islam' held at the University of Cape Town in August 1991. Kenneth Cragg, The Event ofthe Qur2n: fs/zm a n d h Scr@/ure