Western Theory Meets Eastern Praxis: Continuity and the Amatory Prelude in Pre-Islamic/Early Islamic Poetry

Within the broader discipline of Qur'anic exegesis, the sub-genre of the mutashābihāt al-Qurʾān (the ambiguous verses of the Qur'an) is comprised of works dedicated to the identification and explication of those verses that present theological or linguistic challenges. Yet, the approach, style, and objective of the scholars who have written commentaries on the ambiguous verses are far from monolithic. This essay brings into focus the internal diversity of this important exegetical tradition by focusing on the Qur'an commentaries of two major scholars in fourth/eleventh-century Baghdad, al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d. 406/1016) and Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār (d. 415/1025). Al-Raḍī was a prominent Twelver Shīʿī theologian and poet while ʿAbd al-Jabbār was a leading Muʿtazilī theologian during this period; al-Raḍī was also ʿAbd al-Jabbār's student and disciple. Through a close reading of their respective commentaries on two Qur'anic verses, I explore possible interconnections and interactions between Shīʿī and Muʿtazilī traditions of exegesis, and demonstrate that while ʿAbd al-Jabbār mobilised the language of Islamic jurisprudence, al-Raḍī primarily relied on early Islamic poetry and the etymology of the Arabic language. Methodologically, I argue against a conceptual approach that valorises sectarian and theological identity as the primary determinant of hermeneutical desires and sensibilities.

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Theorizing Charismatic Authority in Early Islamic Law*

Comparative Islamic Studies ◽

10.1558/cist.v1i2.837 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 129-158

Author(s):

Jonathan E. Brockopp

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Model ◽

Islamic Law ◽

Religious Traditions ◽

Islamic Studies ◽

Long Line ◽

Charismatic Authority ◽

Early Islamic ◽

Do So

In Islamic Studies, charisma has usually been reserved for the study of marginalized individuals. I argue here that charisma may also be applied to leadership among legal scholars. To do so, I join a long line of scholars who have modified Max Weber’s initial insights, and put forth a new, dynamic model of charismatic authority. The purpose of my model is to account for the fact that religious histories emphasize the uniqueness of the originating charismatic event, be that Prophet Muhammad’s revelations, Jesus’ theophany or the Buddha’s enlightenment, while at the same time recognizing that the charismatic cycle never quite ends. In contrast with Weber, I argue that charismatic authority in religious traditions is best understood as a network of influence and interaction through which the routinization of charisma reinterprets and redefines the meaning of the originating charismatic event.

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Islam and War: Tradition versus Modernity

Comparative Islamic Studies ◽

10.1558/cis.v4i4.1-4.2.181 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 4 (1-2) ◽

pp. 181-212

Author(s):

Joseph S Spoerl

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Islamic Law ◽

Classical Scholar ◽

Law Of War ◽

Critical Method ◽

Entire World ◽

Modernist Project ◽

Early Islamic ◽

Muslim Scholars

Islamic thinking on war divides roughly into two main schools, classical and modern. The classical (or medieval) view commands offensive war to spread Islamic rule ultimately across the entire world. The modernist view, predominant since the nineteenth century, limits war to defensive aims only. This paper compares the views of two important Muslim scholars, the classical scholar Ibn Ishaq (d. 767) and the modernist scholar Mahmud Shaltut (d. 1963). This comparison reveals that the modernist project of rethinking the Islamic law of war is a promising though as-yet-unfinished project that can benefit from the insights of Western scholars applying the historical-critical method to the study of early Islamic sources.

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STUDI KOMPARASI TENTANG NIKAH MUT’AH PERSPEKTIF ULAMA SUNNI DAN SYI’AH

Al-Maslahah Jurnal Ilmu Syariah ◽

10.24260/almaslahah.v12i2.552 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 385

Author(s):

Wagiyem Wagiyem

Keyword(s):

Early Islamic ◽

Temporary Marriage

This study is aimed at revealing, elaborating, and comparing the thought of Sunni scholars (Hanafiyah, Malikiyah, Syafi’iyah, and Hanabillah) on temporary marriage (mut’ah marriage) to Syi’ah scholars. It also compares the laws that Sunni and Syi’ah scholar used as reference for their argument. The study describes the thought of Sunni and Syi’ah scholars on mut’ah marriage. According to the findings of this study, Sunni scholars ban mut’ah marriage; they refer to Surah of Al-Qur’an: An-Nisa’ (4): 24, al-Mu’minun (23): 5-7, and ath-Thalaq (65):1. Besides, they state that there are some hadits and ijma’ that also prohibit mu’tah marriage. Meanwhile, Syi’ah scholars argue, by referring to Surah of An-Nisa, that mut’ah marriage is permitted. Further, they explain that mut’ah marriage was allowed at the early Islamic era, and was accepted either by Qur’an or by prophet PBUH. They say that mut’ah marriage was banned by Umar bin Khatab, and it was only his ijtihad. Keywords: Mut’ah marriage, sunni scholars, syi’ah scholars.

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