User:Heathluallen/sandbox

Hermeneutics:

Hermeneutics:" Hermeneutics is a discipline that sets itself upon the task of specifying and justifying a methodology of interpretation, originally of texts, but by extension of many other interpretants. It has also been called the science or art of interpretation"(Oliver R Scholz).

'''Hermeneutics may be conceived as either a descriptive or a normative discipline. In a descriptive vein, it aims at a rational reconstruction of an already existing practice of interpretation that presumably is less than perfect. In a normative vein, the goal is to direct, control, and, hopefully, to optimize this imperfect practice. Both projects, the descriptive and the normative, do seem not only legitimate, but also worthwhile.(Oliver R Scholz).'''

'''The two leading concepts of hermeneutics are interpretation and understanding. Interpretation is a rational activity directed toward the cognitive aim of correct or adequate understanding. (The product of this activity is also called ‘an interpretation.’) (Oliver R Scholz).(Oliver R Scholz).'''

'''‘To interpret’ and ‘to understand’ are transitive verbs; understanding, like interpretation, has an object. One understands something (x), or one fails to understand it. Sometimes we understand something without effort, simply because we have acquired the requisite ability, and nothing more is needed (Oliver R Scholz).'''

. '''Qur'anic hermeneutics

Quran Hermeneutics ; Women's rights and the hermeneutics of the Quran'''

Contents

 * 1Quranic hermeneutics
 * 1.1Contents
 * 1.2Introduction[edit]
 * 1.3Significant Influencers and Influences in Quranic Hermeneutics[edit]
 * 1.3.1Typologies[edit]
 * 1.3.2Main Types of Interpretation
 * 1.3.3People
 * 1.4Specific issues in Islamic hermeneutics[edit]
 * 1.4.1Human rights[edit]
 * 1.4.2The position of women and minority groups[edit]
 * 1.4.3Considerations for Interpretation
 * 1.5Examples of Hermeneutic Dissection[edit]
 * 1.6References[edit]
 * 1.7External links[edit]

= Quranic hermeneutics[edit] = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Qur'anic hermeneutics is the study of theories of the interpretation and understanding of the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam. Since the early centuries of Islam, scholars have sought to mine the wealth of its meanings by developing a variety of different methods of hermeneutics.

Contents[edit]

 * 1Introduction
 * 2Specific issues in Islamic hermeneutics
 * 2.1Human rights
 * 2.2The position of women
 * 3References
 * 4External links

Introduction[edit][edit]
Hermeneutics in Islam leans on a lengthy tradition of tafsir, the exegesis of usually the Qur'an. Peter Heath posed in 1989 that "the modern study of Islamic hermeneutics is in its infancy"; in response, Jean Jacques Waardenburg proposed five questions and issues that a study of a possible hermeneutics of Islam would have to deal with:


 * 1) Is there a consistent methodology underlying tafsir that one could call hermeneutical, do rules exist "that have been explicitly formulated and consciously applied by Muslim scholars"?
 * 2) Given that much of the tradition of interpretation of the Qur'an is concerned with the interpretation of specific verses, what is the relationship between those interpretations and the interpretation of the Qur'an as a whole?
 * 3) What type of philological knowledge, and what type of knowledge of the historical reception of the text is necessary to come to an assessment of Islamic hermeneutics?
 * 4) Can we separate our emotional reaction to certain verses from the study of interpreting the text?
 * 5) What is the role of the specialists in the field (the mutakallimiin, the ulama, and the fuqahā') and what is their relationship to the broader circle of students of the Qur'an and the even larger community of believers?

Tafsir as described by Andrew Rippin "is the humanization of the divine word and the divinization of the human spirit."

Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im suggests "Hermeneutics may be defined as the art or science of interpretation, especially for scriptual texts. In view of the inevitaility of using human reason and action in understanding and implementing any text, as noted earlier, a hermeneutical process is necessary for understanding the purpose and normative content of a text like the Qur'an." In Amina Wadud's book, Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, she defines the hermeneutical model as being, "concerned with three aspects of the text, in order to support it's conclusions: 1. The context in which the text was written (in the case of the Qur'an, in which it was revealed); 2. The grammatical composition of the text (how it says what it says); and 3. The whole text, it's Weltanshauung, or world-view. Often, differences of opinion can be traced to variations in emphasis between these three aspects" (Wadud 3).

Typologies[edit][edit]

 * Sunni
 * Shi'a
 * Sufi

Main Types of Interpretation[edit]

 * Textualism
 * Semi-textualism
 * Contextualism

People[edit]

 * Abdullah Saeed
 * Al-Tabari
 * Ibn Kathir
 * Al-Din
 * Amina Wadud
 * Sayyid Qutb

Human rights[edit][edit]
A specific issue discussed is the relationship between Islam and human rights. ʻAbd Allāh Aḥmad Naʻīm sees the problem as one of the transformation of interpretations of the Qur'an to a globalized world and the mutual social and political influences between that globalized world and the Muslim community. He differentiates between the 'traditionalists' who advocate "strict conformity to Shari'a as an essential prerequisite for accepting the proposed change [toward a more anthropological view of Islam]" and those who do bypass the question of that conformity. A hermeneutic approach to Islam and human rights due to legal or ethical considerations must acknowledge the idea of historical and cultural change. Abdullah Saeed embraces this concept suggesting a "Contextualist" approach to interpretation. (Saeed gives a description of contextualist ,"Those I refer to as Contextualists emphasize the socio-historical context of the ethico-legal content of the Quran and of its subsequent interpretations. They argue for understanding the ethico-legal content in the light of the political, social, historical, cultural and economic contexts in which this content was revealed, interpreted and applied. Thus they argue for a high degree of freedom for the modern Muslim scholar in determining what is mutable (changeable) and immutable (unchangeable) in the area of ethico-legal content. Contextualists are found among those Fazlur Rahman called neo-modernists as well as Ijtihåd⁄s, the so-called ‘progressive’ Muslims and more generally ‘liberal’ Muslim thinkers today"( Abdullah Saeed).

Hermeneutics and ijtihad: "Ijtihad Islamic legal term meaning “independent reasoning,” as opposed to taqlid (imitation). One of four sources of Sunni law. Utilized where the Quran and Sunnah (the first two sources) are silent. It requires a thorough knowledge of theology, revealed texts, and legal theory (usul al-fiqh); a sophisticated capacity for legal reasoning; and a thorough knowledge of Arabic. It is considered a required religious duty for those qualified to perform it. It should be practiced by means of analogical or syllogistic reasoning (qiyas). Its results may not contradict the Quran, and it may not be used in cases where consensus (ijma) has been reached, according to many scholars. Sunnis believe ijtihad is fallible since more than one interpretation of a legal issue is possible. Islamic reformers call for a revitalization of ijtihad in the modern world"( The Oxford Dictionary of Islam).

Hermeneutics and ijtihad seem

The position of women and minority groups[edit][edit]
The growing influence of women in the Muslim world and their increasing access to higher levels of education, combined with the Western interest in the position of women in the Muslim world has a profound influence on Islamic hermeneutics, which must deal with transnationalism and its effect on gender roles. Zayn R. Kassam mentions in the book, women in Islam, that, "Muslim women's praxis, particularly the hopes, possibilities, and challenges that accompany this scholarly textual reinterpretation, remains under-researched" (Kassam 94). 'New' schools of Islamic thinking (emblematized by such philosophers as Mohammed Arkoun) have challenged "monodimensional hermeneutics." Modern Qur’anic hermeneutics has been influenced by the changing position of women in the Muslim world and increasing numbers of study and interpretations of the text itself. Zayn R. Kassam adds to this in the book, Women and Islam, by stating that, “The discursive hermeneutics of Qur’anic tafsir is a strategy born of necessity and the unwavering belief in the unfulfilled promise of gender egalitarianism in Islam” (Kassam 117). Interpretation of the Qur’an in terms of gender rights is becoming more prevalent, especially due to the many changes taking place in modern times concerning gender and other minority or oppressed groups. Mohammed Arkoun further expands on this thought explaining, "There are concrete examples how authority and power are conquered, monopolized and translated, not in the theoretical classical frameworks, but in a more simplified vocabulary, accessible to the illiterate peasants, mountain-dwellers and nomads." in her book, Qur'an and Woman, Amina Wadud, in the context of the creation story in the Qur'an, states that, "The Qur'an encourages all believers, male and female, to follow their beliefs with actions, and for this it promises them a great reward. Thus, the Qur'an does not make a distinction between men and women in this creation, the purpose of the Book, or in the reward it promises" (Wadud 15). '''Dr. Wadud has giving us an interpretation of the Quran through a female Muslim lens. . She offers a female view of women in the Quran and their importance of their teaching. She suggests that the Quran does not supply gender specific roles for either male or female. Amina states that the patriarchal construct of women’s role in the community was a self-serving one., not ordained by Quranic text. She states that the greater Quranic message is on to establish harmony within the community (Wadud 81).'''

This is an example of modern hermeneutics and the way it can be applied to this issue.

Another minority group to consider in more modern interpretations of the Qur'an is queer theory or interpretations. As mentioned by Kecia Ali in her article, Destabilizing Gender, Reproducing Maternity:Mary in the Qur'an, "In queer theory, gender and sexual dimorphisms are social constructions that invariably efface difference, administer power to the powerful, and subject the weak/disfavored to the rule of the strong/favored" (Ali 90). In other words, Ali explains that, "Queer theoretical interventions, then, have relevance for social life: challenging the presumed coherence and sacred nature of existing oppressive norms allows other forms of being and relating to emerge and flourish" (Ali 91). Queer readings and interpretations of the Qur'an are few and far between, while there are plenty of scholarships on gender-focused interpretations of the Qur'an.

Considerations for Interpretation[edit]
Primary source: The Quran

The secondary source (second to the Quran) that is used for interpretation and clarification are the Hadith reports.

Generally speaking Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im suggest that "the diversity of Sunni, Shi'a, and Sufi Muslims schools of thought signify differences in the hermeneutical framework." More specifically, "Among Muslims, three broad approaches may be identified in relation to the interpretation of ethico-legal content of the Qur'an in the modern period: Textualist, Semi-textualist and Contextualist" according to Abdullah Saeed. He suggest one aspect of interpretation belongs to ethico-legal content. "Examples of ethico-legal content include belief in God, prophets and life after death; regulations related to marriage, divorce and inheritance; what is permitted and prohibited; commandments relating to fasting, spending, jihad and hudud; prohibitions related to theft, dealing with non-Muslims; instructions relating to etiquette, inter-faith relations and governance. In chapter 1 of his book the importance of interpretation of the Quran for modern times and modern needs are highlighted. (“The thrust of my argument, therefore, is towards a more flexible approach to interpretation of these texts by taking into consideration both the socio-historical context of the Quran at the time of revelation in the first/seventh century and the contemporary concerns and needs of Muslims today “Saeed pg.1).

Examples of Hermeneutic Dissection[edit][edit]
Example from Al-Tabari:

"The interpretation of Allah is, according to the meaning narrated to us from 'Abd Allah b. Abbas: He is the One Whom everything takes as its god (ya'lahu), Whom all creatures worship (ya'budu).

Ibn 'Abbas:

Allah is He Who posses the attributes of divinity (al-uluhiya) and of being worshipped (al-ma budiya) with respect to all His creatures."

Example from: Amina Wadud: Quran 28:7

"And we inspired the mother of Moses, saying: Suckle him and, when you fear for him, then cast him into the reverend do not fear or grieve. Lo! We shall bring him back to you and make him one of our messengers"( Wadud 38).

References[edit][edit]

 * 1) ^
 * 2) ^
 * 3) ^
 * 4) Arkoun, Mohammed. Islam: To Reform or Subvert.
 * 5) Saeed, Abdullah. Interpreting the Quran: A Contemporary Approach
 * 6) An-Na'im Abdullahi Ahmed. Muslims and Global Justice
 * 7) Kassam, Zayn R. Women and Islam. Praeger, Santa Barbara California, 2010.
 * 8) Wadud, Amina. Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective. Oxford University Press, 1999.
 * 9) Ali, Kecia. Destabilizing Gender, Reproducing Maternity: Mary in the Qur'an, JIQSA 2 (2017): 89-109.
 * 10) Rippin, Andrew. Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur'an. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1988.
 * 11) Al-Tabari. The Commentary on The Quran
 * 12) Oliver R Scholz, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany!2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.  https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.63101-X 
 * 13) The Oxford Dictionary of Islam
 * 14) Zaman Muhammad Qasim, Modern Islam in a Radical Age Cambridge University Press 2012
 * 1) Zaman Muhammad Qasim, Modern Islam in a Radical Age Cambridge University Press 2012

External links[edit][edit]

 * Principles of Qur’anic Hermeneutics
 * Learning to Ask Questions: the Cases of Abraham and Noah (p) in the Quran
 * The Nature of Scriptural Reasoning in Islam
 * Islamic Hermeneutics (The Logician)