Esoteric interpretation of the Quran
Quran |
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Esoteric interpretation of the Quran (
The Arabic words taʾwīl and
Quranic esotericism
Traditional scholars agree that some passages of the Quran leave certain ideas implied rather than stated and that, from the outset, the Quran cautions that some verses are literal in meaning, while others, named "
- "It is God who has sent down to you the book: In it are verses clear (muhkamat), they are the foundation of the book, others are unspecific (Quran 3:7)
Esoteric exegesis attempts to unveil the inner meaning of the Quran by moving beyond the apparent point of the verses and relating Quranic verses to the inner and the metaphysical dimensions of consciousness and existence. The exoteric aspect is the literal word, the law, and the material text of the Quran, and the esoteric aspect is the hidden meaning. Esoteric interpretations are more suggestive than declarative and are 'allusions' rather than 'explanations' and indicate possibilities as much as they demonstrate the insights of each writer.[6][8]
However the Qur'an says this about doing so (Sahih Int. Translation): "As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding." (from verse 3:7)
Only a few examples are given here. In
- "And when Your Lord summoned the descendants of Adam, and made them testify about themselves. "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we testify." Thus you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection we were unaware of this."
According to the above verse, before the Creation, God called the future humanity out of the loins of the not-yet-created Adam and addressed them with the words: "Am I not your Lord?", and they answered: "Yes, we witness it". In Islam, this "primordial covenant" is the metahistorical foundation between God and humankind.[10]
The Quran first mentions an 'inner meaning' (ta'wil) in
In
A hadith attributed to Muhammad is essential in understanding the inward aspects of the Quran, and it is fundamental to Quranic exegesis:[10]
- "The Quran possesses an external appearance and a hidden depth, an exoteric meaning and an esoteric meaning. This esoteric meaning in turn conceals an esoteric meaning so it goes on for seven esoteric meanings (seven depths of hidden depth)."
There is a statement made by the Imam, Jafar Sadiq (d. 765 CE):[10]
- "The book of God comprises four things: the statement set down, the allusions, the hidden meanings relating to the supra-sensible world, and the exalted spiritual doctrines. The literal statement is for the ordinary believers. The allusions are the concern of the elite. The hidden meanings pertain to the friends of God. The exalted spiritual doctrines are the province of the prophets."
Esoteric interpretations
In Sufism
The most important author of esoteric interpretation prior to the 11th century was
Sahl Tustari (d. 896) was among the most important mystics in the early formative period of Islamic mysticism. His commentary (tafsir al-Quran al-azim) was compiled later by his disciples and preserved, as a commentary on the Quran. Tustari's commentary does not comprise interpretations of every single verse, but there are comments on a selection of verses.[13]
A Sufi commentary of the Quran is attributed to Ja'far al-Sadiq (Tafsir Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq), but its authenticity remains suspect. It conveys a spurious textual tradition and has little reliable material, but the items cited on Ja'far al-Sadiq's authority in Sulami's book appear to be based on identifiable chains of transmitters.[15]
From the 11th century, several other works appear such as commentaries by
Rumi (d. 1273) wrote a vast amount of mystical poetry in his book Mathnawi. Rumi makes heavy use of the Quran in his poetry, a feature that is sometimes omitted in translations of his work.[16] Rumi's manner of incorporating Quranic verses into his poetry is notable in that he does not use them as prooftexts but intertwines Quranic verses with his poetry.[17]
Comprehensive Sufi commentaries appear in the 18th century such as the work of
In Shiism
Ismailism
Several prominent Ismaili thinkers explained that ta’wil should be used to understand sharia law, sacred history and creation itself, as well as the anthropomorphic descriptions of God. Qadi al-Nu'man, a famous Ismaili Muslim jurist of the Fatimid period, believed that it is important to recognize and understand the symbolism behind the stories in the Quran based on certain verses that hint to an inner meaning, such as: “Thus your Lord will choose you and teach you the symbolic interpretation (ta’wil) of events (ahadith)” (Quran 12:21). Nasir-i Khusraw, a prominent Fatimid dignitary, explained that through revelation (tanzil), intellectual matters were transformed into a state that could be understood by humankind. Ta’wil is necessary to revert them to their original intellectual state. He also said that one must not be satisfied with the exoteric form but look for the person who can explain the original esoteric meaning to them. In saying this he alluded to the Imam of the Time. Al Mu’ayyad fi l-Din al-Shirazi, another prominent Ismaili thinker, further explains that ta’wil is what reunites the beginning (source) and the end (destination) of the circle of existence.[19]
Validity of esoteric interpretations
There is almost no dispute among
Mainstream theologians were willing to accept the interpretations if certain conditions were met.
Kristin Zahra Sands, in the beginning of her introduction, asks questions:
- How can one begin to say what God "meant" by His revelation?
- How does one balance the desire to understand the meaning of the Quran with the realistic fear of reducing it to the merely human and individualistic?
- How, most basically, is one best to approach the Quran to discover its richness and transforming possibilities?
According to Sands, Quranic interpretation is an endless task and is different for each individual. Also, the language and the type of discourse that are chosen in interpretation varies in each commentator.[8]
See also
- Allegorical interpretation of the Bible
- Esotericism
- Hurufiyyah
- Isma'ilism
- Mount Qaf
- Muhkam and Mutashabih
- Muqaṭṭaʿāt
- Sufi philosophy
- Tafsir
- Alavi Bohras
References
- ISBN 1-85168-295-3.
- ^ a b The Teachings of the Qur'an Archived 2006-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISSN 1465-3591.
- ISBN 978-0-415-32639-1.
- ISBN 978-0-8192-2338-8.
- ^ ISBN 0-8356-0822-0.
- ^ "The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Translation". corpus.quran.com.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-36685-2.
- ^ "Tanzil - Quran Navigator - القرآن الكريم". tanzil.net.
- ^ ISBN 0-7103-0416-1.
- ISBN 0-19-720003-6.
- ISBN 0-14-044434-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ ISBN 978-1-891785-19-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4051-8820-3.
- ISBN 1-58684-066-5.
- ISBN 978-1-4051-8820-3.
- .
- ^ .
- S2CID 214047322.
- ^ Alexander D. Knysh. "Sufism and the Qur'an". Brill Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an.
- ^ Sufi Tafsir and Isma'ili Ta'wil Archived 2005-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-87395-727-X.
Further reading
- Böwering, Gerhard (1996). "The Major Sources of Sulamī's Minor Qurʾān Commentary". Oriens. 35: 35–56. JSTOR 1580542.
- Elias, Jamal J. (1995). The throne carrier of God : the life and thought of ʻAlā' ad-Dawla as-Simnānī. Albany: State Univ. of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-2612-2.
- Keeler, Annabel (2006). Sufi hermeneutics : the Qur'an commentary of Rashīd al-Dīn Maybudī. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 0-19-921478-6.
- ISBN 978-0791419823. Archived from the originalon 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2019-02-01.