Articles by Ramon Harvey
JAOS, 2022
Since the writings of Shiblī Nuʿmānī and A. J. Wensinck in the early twentieth century, scholars... more Since the writings of Shiblī Nuʿmānī and A. J. Wensinck in the early twentieth century, scholarship has often questioned the ascription of the creed al-Fiqh al-akbar II to the well-known theologian and jurist Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 150/767). But there has hitherto been little attempt to determine how and when this text entered the Hanafi theological tradition and who its true author was. In this article I show that until the early eighth/fourteenth century, theological and biographical works referring to al-Fiqh al-akbar consistently mean the text written by Abū Muṭīʿ al-Balkhī (d. 199/814), which was later renamed al-Fiqh al-absaṭ. I then trace the entry of al-Fiqh al-akbar II into the mainstream tradition, showing that the key figure in its popularization was the legal theorist ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Bukhārī (d. 730/1329), who extensively quotes from the creed and attributes it to Abū Ḥanīfa. Finally, I propose that clues in the reception history and content of al-Fiqh al-akbar II corroborate the claim recorded in some texts that it was instead likely written by an obscure late fourth/tenth-century Hanafi scholar named Abū Ḥanīfa Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Bukhārī.
Theology and Science, 2023
This article evaluates the "metaphysical critique" of contemporary science by the Islamic philoso... more This article evaluates the "metaphysical critique" of contemporary science by the Islamic philosophical theologian Naquib al-Attas in his Prolegomena to a Metaphysics of Islām. I argue that al-Attas' critique is dialectically inappropriate because it relies on specific, and non-publicly verifiable, interpretations of revelation and spiritual intuition. I contrast this with the work of Edmund Husserl, especially in his The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology, which I show can sustain a viable critique of science through the phenomenological grounding of public reason. I also assess the prospect for Islamic engagement with Husserl on this topic.
Pluralizing Philosophy's Past, 2023
When one thinks about philosophy in the medieval Islamic world, the names of famous Muslim falasi... more When one thinks about philosophy in the medieval Islamic world, the names of famous Muslim falasifa may come to mind: for example, al-Kindı̄/Alkindus (d. 873), al-Farabı̄/Alpharabius (d. 950-1), Ibn Sı̄na/Avicenna (d. 1037), and Ibn Rushd/Averroes (d. 1198). A further prominent figure is the mutakallim (theologian) al-Ghazalı̄/Algazel (d. 1111) who is notorious for his opposition to certain beliefs held by the falasifa, despite the rather more interesting fact that he was also important for the incorporation of their philosophical methods into kalam (dialectical theology) (Wisnovsky 2004, 65). That each of these thinkers possesses a Latinized name is indicative of their acceptance in the medieval Western philosophical canon and their influence, to varying degrees, on major Christian theologians such as Aquinas (d. 1274). A name lacking this philosophical currency is Abū Manṣūr al-Maturı̄dı̄ (d. 944), a theologian of the Ḥanafı̄ tradition from Samarqand in Transoxiana. This is not a R. Harvey (*)
Oriens, 2021
Despite recognition of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī (d. ca. 345/956) as the most important student ... more Despite recognition of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī (d. ca. 345/956) as the most important student of Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944), a sustained treatment of his theological views has not hitherto appeared. One of the challenges that has been identified in prior studies is a lack of primary sources. To overcome this obstacle, I analyse manuscripts of “Bāb al-mutafarriqāt min fawāʾid” and “al-Asʾila wa-l-ajwiba,” two texts recording al-Rustughfanī’s theological responsa, locating them within available bibliographic information and discussing the question of literary structure. I then contextualise the material within the polemical milieu of mid-fourth/tenth century Samarqand, arguing that al-Rustughfanī is the earliest figure in the Samarqandī Ḥanafī kalām tradition to self-consciously adopt the full name ahl al-sunna wa-l-jamāʿa to express his theological identity. Finally, I provide an annotated theological overview of the main doctrines found in the texts with a detailed case ...
Islamic Ethics and the Trusteeship Paradigm: Taha Abderrahmane’s Philosophy in Comparative Perspectives, 2020
Journal of Qur'anic Studies, 2020
In his Al-Itqān fī ʿulūm al-qurʾān, al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505) draws attention to a Qur’anic rhetori... more In his Al-Itqān fī ʿulūm al-qurʾān, al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505) draws attention to a Qur’anic rhetorical device by which an extra-scriptural occasion of revelation (sabab) causes the placement of a verse with a specific (khāṣṣ) intent, shifting the composition to a general (ʿāmm) verse on a related theme. This feature had been previously discussed in texts such as Al-Burhān fī ʿulūm al-qurʾān by al-Zarkashī (d. 794/1392) and Al-Ibhāj fī sharḥ al-minhāj by Taqī al-Dīn al-Subkī (756/1355) and his son Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī (771/1370). The idea appears to have emerged from a connection Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. 543/1148) draws between an address with a specific intent in Q. 4:51 and a general expression in 4:58 enjoining the keeping of trusts (al-amānāt). This article re-examines the historical development of the sabab-khāṣṣ-ʿāmm process within tafsīr, uṣūl al-fiqh and ʿulūm al-qurʾān, and assesses its theoretical and practical viability for use in the analysis of Qur’anic rhetorical patterns. By drawing attention to other apparent occurrences of this device within Sūrat al-Nisāʾ for such themes as inheritance and marriage, it is argued that it can be reclaimed as one of the Qur’an’s instructional techniques and deserves consideration in contemporary discussions of scriptural rhetoric and composition.
İmâm Mâtürîdî ve Te’vîlâtü’l-Kur’ân, 2019
Journal of Qur'anic Studies, 2019
Slavery was a significant part of society within the seventh-century Arabian context of the Qur’a... more Slavery was a significant part of society within the seventh-century Arabian context of the Qur’an. An intriguing verse is Q. 24:33, which has been universally interpreted by Muslim exegetes as the basis for a contract of mukātaba (indenture) that allows slaves to work to pay for their freedom. This article examines the exegesis of Q. 24:33 against the background of the first two centuries of Islam, examining the way that its ambiguous language was interpreted in the light of socio-economic change and diverse theologico-political circles of scholarship. It is argued that an initially dominant emancipatory reading of the verse as an obligation within early Medina is preserved for over a century in Mecca, finding a home in Basran Ibāḍī scholarship of the late second/eighth century. In contrast, the dominant proto-Sunnī approach (and related proto-Zaydī tradition), centred in Iraq, adopts the formerly minority opinion that the mukātaba contract is merely permissible. By examining related legal questions, it is concluded that this shift in commentary on Q. 24:33 from the first/seventh to the second/eighth centuries reflects a broader change in the conception of the slave: from a valid economic actor on a continuum of servitude, to an item of property.
The article shows how voices from Sunni kalām have analysed Qur’anic and ḥadīṯ affirmations of Go... more The article shows how voices from Sunni kalām have analysed Qur’anic and ḥadīṯ affirmations of God’s mercy. For an Ash‘arite like al-Juwaynī, God is merciful because he saves whom he wishes. Thus the divine promise to act mercifully seems to become arbitrary, indeed empty. In Maturidism, God’s mercy can be seen in one line with his wisdom in ordering the world. Human mercy is, here, our capacity to understand and apply the values inherent in creation. The relation between mercy and justice can be clarified in the light of two Arabic words for justice: while ‘adl means balance and can be transcended by mercy, qisṭ signifies an ideal condition of societal justice, which is already built on mercy.
The companion Ibn Masʿūd (d. 32/652-53) has long been recognised for the variance of his Qur’anic... more The companion Ibn Masʿūd (d. 32/652-53) has long been recognised for the variance of his Qur’anic qirāʾa (reading, or recitation) from the canonical ʿUthmānī codex. His reading continued to enjoy popularity for at least a century within Kufa, Iraq, the place of origin for much of the Ḥanafī madhhab’s jurisprudential corpus. This article analyses Masʿūdian variants with legal implications in the doctrine of the early jurist Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī (d. 96/715), the seminal writings ascribed to Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī (d. 189/805), as well as the furūʿ and uṣūl works of key Ḥanafī figures from the 4th/10th and 5th/11th centuries including al-Jaṣṣāṣ (d. 370/981), al-Qudūrī (d. 428/1036-37) and al-Sarakhsī (d. 483/1090). Close study of these figures’ use of Masʿūdian variants indicates that while their non-canonicity demanded a compelling solution, their quasi-Qur’anic status presented opportunities within the arena of juristic debate. Furthermore, the manner in which they were ultimately accommodated within the practical and theoretical toolkit of the Ḥanafī school illustrates broader developments in its epistemology of revelation, abrogation and transmission.
The Qur’an has been transmitted as both a written text and an oral recital. This has led to the d... more The Qur’an has been transmitted as both a written text and an oral recital. This has led to the development of a reading tradition that permits numerous different vocalisations to be made upon the basic skeletal text of the established ʿUthmānī codex. Ibn al-Jazarī (d. 833/1429) chose ten early readers whom he felt were most representative of this tradition and whose readings are treated as canonical up until this day. One of these, the Kufan linguist al-Kisāʾī (d. 189/805) has been characterised in the literature as more focused on the grammar of the Qur’an than his reader peers. This article explores al-Kisāʾī’s process of ikhtiyār (selection) when deciding between various possible readings. The sample for analysis consists of Kisāʾī’s tafarrudāt, the approximately fifty cases in which his reading differs from the other nine readers. By comparing his reading with the comments of early scholars of Qur’anic linguistics, especially his near-contemporary al-Farrāʾ (d. 208/822), it is possible to construct a typology of the suspected principal reasons for al-Kisāʾī’s differences from the other readings. Not only are many of these based on grammatical preferences, but they demonstrate a significant degree of consistency. Furthermore, analysis of a cluster of readings with implications for the interpretation of the sharīʿa (divine law and moral code) provides evidence for a subtle exegetical dimension to al-Kisāʾī’s work as a reader-grammarian.
Books by Ramon Harvey
Transcendent God, Rational World: A Maturidi Theology (Edinburgh University Press, 2021), 2021
Introduction to The Qur'an and the Just Society (Edinburgh University Press, 2018)
Drafts by Ramon Harvey
The word theology does not map exactly onto any single term within the medieval Islamic tradition... more The word theology does not map exactly onto any single term within the medieval Islamic tradition. The closest equivalent is the phrase ʿilm al-kalām (or: kalām), which can be translated as rational, or dialectic, theology in the formative and early classical centuries, and philosophical theology thereafter. There are also aspects of Islamic thought that do not fall strictly under kalām yet are appropriate to address under medieval ‘theology’, such as scriptural theology and Sufism. However, post-classical theology within the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires from the tenth/sixteenth century onwards can be excluded. The historical dimension of the subject encompasses scriptural theology; formative theology (first/seventh to fourth/tenth centuries); and classical theology (fifth/eleventh to ninth/fifteenth centuries). Thematically, the doctrinal views of the main classical theological schools can be assayed under the following headings: epistemology and ontology; divine attributes; prophecy; human faith and actions; and eschatology.
This paper proposes that the metatheory of tradition-constituted enquiry developed by Alasdair Ma... more This paper proposes that the metatheory of tradition-constituted enquiry developed by Alasdair MacIntyre can be used as a method for staging ethical debate about the nature of justice between Islamic and liberal worldviews. I draw from a wide selection of MacIntyre's publications to assess his characterization of tradition and his claim to be able to provide a potential resolution to incommensurable ethical stances between traditions. Then, I analyze his characterization of liberal theories of justice and their underlying form of rationality. Finally, I present my own constructive theological proposal: a rereading of Islamic theology and ethics, specifically the theological tradition inaugurated by the Muslim theologian Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944). I conclude by making a preliminary attempt to suggest how the resources afforded by neo-Māturīdism could engage the liberal perspective on the question of justice.
Translations by Ramon Harvey
Book Reviews by Ramon Harvey
Journal of Qur'anic Studies, 2021
Ilahiyat Studies, 2021
The historical neglect of the Ḥanafī-Māturīdī tradition of Islamic theology in comparison to othe... more The historical neglect of the Ḥanafī-Māturīdī tradition of Islamic theology in comparison to other schools, especially its closest rival Ashʿarism, is well rehearsed. A price has been paid for the absence of reliable Arabic editions and translations of many texts, as well as the failure to study the development of the tradition on its own terms and in its interactions with other interlocutors. This state of affairs is starting to change with an increase of scholarly productions emerging in English and German, as well as an extremely dynamic period of Turkish scholarship. Ayedh Aldosari's new volume, based on his 2012 doctoral dissertation, should be seen in the context of this development. He thus seeks to contribute to the field in two distinct ways: to produce a critical edition of a noted classical Māturīdī text, the Kitāb al-Hādī of Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad al-Khabbāzī (d. 691/1292) and to provide not only a thorough study of the author's life and times, but of the entire prior development of Ḥanafī-Māturīdism. That Aldosari has produced two books in one is obvious from the structure. After a short introduction, mainly distinguished by twelve "claims" to investigate in the course of the work, the book is laid out as follows. Part One consists of (1) the authorship of al-Hādī, (2) al-Khabbāzī's personal details, and (3) his life and times. Part Two covers (4) the early Ḥanafī elements of Māturīdism, (5) the Sunnī Ḥanafīs after al-Ṭaḥāwī and al-Māturīdī, (6) the rise of the school to wider prominence, and (7) the contents and significance of al-Hādī, the manuscripts used for the edition, and the editing process. This is followed by a conclusion, two appendices of photocopies of al-Hādī and other miscellaneous documents, references, and an index. Upon reaching Part Three, the edited text, on page 379, one is instructed to turn to the back of the volume and to read the remainder of the book
Journal of Islamic Studies, 2019
In this book Ramon Harvey undertakes a thematic reading, focused on discovering in the Qur8:n an ... more In this book Ramon Harvey undertakes a thematic reading, focused on discovering in the Qur8:n an underlying theory of societal justice. He promises a fresh return to the text, aiming to reveal the rationale underlying 'legal details'-the Aikma underlying the Aukm. However, he does not make the mistake of ignoring the history of Islamic thought in the misguided (nevertheless, common) expectation that by 'bracketing out' the exegetical, theological, juristic tradition he can recover the 'pure' message of the text.
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Articles by Ramon Harvey
Books by Ramon Harvey
Drafts by Ramon Harvey
Translations by Ramon Harvey
Book Reviews by Ramon Harvey