Reflections on Certain Principles That May Guide a New Commentary (Tafsir) of the Qur’an

The author starts from his experience as a translator of the Qur’an to argue on the need for a new commentary. The aim of such a new approach would be to convey a vision of Islam more in tune with Islamic history. Further, this is also needed in relation to the substantial Muslim communities living outside of the Muslim world. Antecedents are important in this and especially those coming from the so-called literary moment in the 20th-century Qur’an commentary tradition. A new commentary should be conducted by a committee. Additionally, the second part of the paper explores this possibility and what this committee should take care of in this direction, such as gender-consciousness or environment questions.

A Zaydī Qur’an Commentary from Yemen: An Introduction to Tajrīd al-Kashshāf maʿa ziyādat nukat liṭāf

This article provides an introduction to Tajrīd al-Kashshāf, a Qur’an commentary written by the Yemeni Zaydī scholar Ibn Abī’l-Qāsim (d. 837/1433–1434) that remains unpublished. Despite his reputation as a partisan Zaydī, Ibn Abī’l-Qāsim’s Qur’an commentary draws exclusively upon Sunni tafsīr works, especially al-Zamakhsharī’s al-Kashshāf, al-Wāḥidī’s al-Wasīṭ, and Ibn al-Jawzī’s Zād al-masīr. Through a careful analysis of his commentary on the Sūrat al-Najm (Q. 53) and Q. 5:55, this article illuminates Ibn Abī’l-Qāsim’s sources and exegetical techniques. It contains a critical edition of Ibn Abī’l-Qāsim’s commentary on Sūrat al-Najm and highlights the intimate relationship between Zaydī and Sunni Qur’anic exegesis.

Ibn ʿAjība's ‘Oceanic Exegesis of the Qur'an': Methodology and Features

Aḥmad Ibn ʿAjība (d. 1224/1809) was a prominent Sufi mystic who lived in Morocco during the thirteenth/seventeenth century. He stood out as an intellectual theoretician in the field of Qur’anic esoteric hermeneutics as he was one of the few scholars who managed to convey theoretical concepts and esoteric theories of Qur’anic interpretation in a language that is accessible to those who are not well versed in Sufism. In this paper Ibn ʿAjība’s famous Qur’an commentary al-Baḥr al-madīd fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-majīd (‘The Oceanic Exegesis of the Qur’an’) will be thoroughly examined, with an emphasis on the key features and the methodological approaches used in the composition of both its exoteric and esoteric aspects. The first section of this paper will examine the historical development of esoteric and Sufi Qur’an exegesis, so as to situate Ibn ʿAjība’s commentary within this genre. A thorough analysis will be given to the key features, guiding principles, and different methodologies adopted by various esoteric Qur’an commentaries. The second section will explore the most influential sources utilised by Ibn ʿAjība to inform the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of al-Baḥr al-madīd. In order to evaluate the extent to which these sources impacted upon the composition of al-Baḥr al-madīd, an analysis of their salient features and the main methodological approaches of these sources will be conducted. It is also important to analyse why Ibn ʿAjība chose certain sources over others, and to clarify the extent to which he depended upon these sources in composing al-Baḥr al-madīd. The third section of this paper will outline the methodology which Ibn ʿAjība adopted when he composed the esoteric dimension of his Qur’an commentary.

The Qur'an Commentary of al-Bayḍāwī: A History of Anwār al-tanzīl

The Qur'an commentary Anwār al-tanzīl of al-Bayḍāwī (d. 719/1319) was one of the most important works of the Islamic religious tradition. As a universally adopted Sunni text for teaching tafsīr, it was ubiquitous, read even in Safavid Iran. This was a work used by all Sunni schools, and as such was beyond the legal divisions of madhāhib. The history of this work is, however, uncharted. This article follows the trajectory of this work and traces the history of its rise to predominance, when and why it was adopted, and how the new significance it gained after the ninth/fifteenth century was projected back to the period it was written. It explores how the Anwār replaced al-Zamakhsharī's (d. 538/1144) al-Kashshāf in scholarly circles in Cairo before going on to gain universalised authority in the Ottoman realms. Following this, I address the deep-rooted connections that existed between the scholars of Cairo and Istanbul, and how late Mamluk developments in Cairo came to full fruition in Istanbul. The eclipse of the Anwār by the Qur'an commentary of Ibn Kathīr (d. 774/1372) in the twentieth century is also outlined, and a list of the published glosses of Anwār is supplied in an appendix.

Qur'anic Exegesis at the Confluence of Twelver Shiism and Sufism: Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī’s al-Muḥīṭ al-aʿẓam

In this paper, I present a preliminary study of the fourteenth-century Shii–Sufi Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī's Qur'an commentary, al-Muḥīṭ al-aʿzam wa'l-baḥr al-khidamm fī taʾwīl kitāb Allāh al-ʿazīz al-muḥkam (‘The Greatest Ocean and Vast Sea in Exegesis of God's Decisive and Mighty Book’). In addition to being a fascinating contribution to the history of esoteric exegesis of the Qur'an, this work holds a central place in Āmulī's oeuvre, showcasing crucial aspects of his unique methods and interests. I begin by presenting what we know of Āmulī's intellectual and spiritual biography, which leads me to suggest that al-Muḥīṭ al-aʿzam should play a central role in our understanding of Āmulī's intellectual contributions as a whole. I then provide an overview of the contents and methods used in the extant portion of this text, focusing on Āmulī's understanding of taʾwīl, his endeavour to be comprehensive ( jāmiʿ), and his characteristic method of lengthy citation. I end the paper by considering Āmulī's explanation of the qualification necessary to perform taʾwīl, which is a crucial component of his broader project to show the compatibility of Twelver Shiism and Sufism.

Affective entanglements with the sexual imagery of paradise in the Qur’an

This paper examines affective structures and power formations that are constructed,maintained or contested when the significance of the sexual imageryof paradise in the Qur’an is divided into sensual and spiritual. I take a fictionalstory by Mohja Kahf as an example of a Qur’an commentary that centresgendered and embodied experiences in the text, and contrast it with MuhammadAbdel Haleem’s commentary, who views the sexual rewards of paradiseas allegorical. Using affect theory, I will argue that allegorical interpretationslimit the affective efficacy of the sensuality of the text to their symbolic function,associating spirituality with a disembodied, hence transcendent masculinity.Kahf’s exegesis, however, shows that affect and meaning are not pre-given, butproduced in interaction with the text. I will conclude that configuring the textas sensual or spiritual is not due to any intrinsic or predetermined content, buta product of power relations.

Print Culture and Local Islamic Identity in West Java: Qur’ānic Commentaries in Sundanese Islamic Magazines (1930-2015)

This article focuses on the construction of Islam-Sunda identity in West Java which is reflected in the rubric of the qur’ānic commentary or tafsīr in the Sundanese print media. My object matter is six Sundanese Islamic magazines published between 1930-2015, i.e. Tjahja Islam, Al-Imtisal, Al-Mawa'idz, Almoechtar, Iber and Bina Da’wah using the analysis of identity construction. Although Sundanese Muslims devided into traditionalist and modernist, I confirm that all Sundanese Islamic magazines show the local Islamic identity which is called as Islam-Sunda. The identity of Islam-Sunda in the magazine rubric of qur’ānic commentary can be seen at following aspects: the interpretation of surahs which have an important role in Sundanese daily life, the interpretation of Islamic stories, the use of Sundanese phrases that touch their hearts, the formation of a pious Sundanese personality and the involvement of Islamic scholars or ajengan as an exegete of the Qur’ān. This study asserts that the magazine rubric of qur’ān commentary is not only have a lot of Islamic messages, but also to be an expression of Islamic identity in Sundanese print media.الملخص: تركز هذه المقالة على بناء الهوية الإسلامية السونداوية في جاوة الغربية التي تنعكس في عناوين التفسير القرآن عن وسائل الإعلام المطبوعة السونداوية. والموضوع من ذلك هو ستة مجلات السونداوية نُشرت من خلال سنة ١٩٣٠-٢٠١٥، وهي: سحيا الإسلام (Cahya Islam)، والامتثال (al-Imtisal)، والمواعظ (Al-Mawa’idz)، والمختار (Almoechtar)، وإيبير (Iber)، وبينا دعوة (Bina Da’wah). فمن خلال تحليل البناء الهوية, أكد هذا البحث أنه على الرغم من وجود تنوع في الديانات الإسلامية في جاوة الغربية، بين التقليديين والحداثيين، إلا أنها جميعًا تظهر على نفس الهوية الإسلامية المحلية. وتلك الهوية تظهر في عناوين التفسير القرأن عن المجلات, مثل: التعريض تفاسيرالسورة الوظيفية في الحياة اليومية السونداوية، وتفسير الاية عن القصص الإسلامية، واستعمال العبارة السونداوية الإسلامية التي تتأثر الى القلب، ومهمة تشكيل الشخصية السونداوية الصالحة, وإشتراك اجانجان (ajengan) كالمفسر. وتدل هده على أن عناوين التفسير القرأن في المجلات لا تملأ بالرسائل الدينية فحسب، بل أنه كجزء من التعبير عن الهوية الإسلامية السونداوية في وسائل الإعلام المطبوعة.Abstrak: Artikel ini memfokuskan pada masalah konstruksi identitas Islam Sunda di Jawa Barat yang tercermin dalam rubrik tafsir Al-Qur’an di media cetak Sunda. Objeknya adalah enam majalah Sunda yang terbit antara tahun 1930-2015, yakni Tjahja Islam, Al-Imtisal, Al-Mawa’idz, Almoechtar, Iber dan Bina Da’wah. Melalui analisis konstruksi identitas, kajian ini menegaskan bahwa meski terdapat ragam keberagamaan Islam di Jawa Barat, antara tradisionalis dan modernis, tetapi semua menunjukkan identitas Islam lokal yang hampir sama, yakni konstruksi identitas Islam. Dalam rubrik tafsir Al-Qur’an, identitas tersebut bisa dilihat dalam sajian penafsiran surah-surah yang sangat fungsional dalam keseharian orang Sunda, tafsir kisah-kisah Islami, penggunaan ungkapan Sunda Islami yang mengena dalam hati, misi pembentukan pribadi Sunda yang saleh dan keterlibatan ajengan sebagai mufasir. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa rubrik tafsir di majalah tidak hanya sarat dengan pesan keagamaan, tetapi juga menjadi bagian dari ekspresi identitas Islam Sunda dalam media cetak.