www.eBookstore.tandf.co.

uk
Dear Colleagues in the Arabic department who are interested in classical Arabic studies and Islamic studies are Dr Kirill Dmitriev ([email protected]) and Dr Orhan Elmaz ([email protected]). If you write to them, you would need to give them more detail about your areas of expertise and your past research and the kind of area you were interesting in doing research on in the future. I think you would also need to have some external funding. Best wishes Catherine Cobham

Author : Miftahurrohim N. Syarkun ISBN : 978-983-100-502-6 Year Publish : 2010 Page Number : 262 Category : Religion Publisher : UM Press. * Islam Without Sectarianism Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu 17th Jumada al-Awwal 1434 (29th March 2013) Narrated Abu Huraira (Radi-Allahu 'anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) was asked about donkeys and he replied, "Nothing has been revealed to me regarding donkeys except this comprehensive Verse which includes everything: 'So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) shall see it; And whoever, does evil equal to the weight of an atom or a smallest ant) shall see it.' " (99.7-8) Bukhari Vol. 6 : No. 487

Postgraduate study
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is one of the most important centres of Arab, Middle East and Islamic studies in the UK. We enjoy an international profile for our pioneering regional focus on the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula and expertise in Islamic studies. The Institute holds the annual Gulf Conference and a seminar and lecture series featuring distinguished scholars and public figures from the Islamic world and the West. Our first class facilities provide the perfect setting in which to study your postgraduate degree: our impressive building is the best purpose-built Middle East centre in the UK and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. The Institute is recognised as being among the main centres world-wide for social sciences and humanities teaching and research in relation to Arab and Islamic countries. We welcome students from all around the

world and offer a lively and friendly learning environment with plenty of contact with students and staff. Our range of MA and PhD programmes reflect the broad range and depth of research interests and experience amongst members of staff Supervision is offered in a wide range of specialisations covering language, literature, history, politics, economics, sociology/social anthropology, religion, and culture of the Arab and Islamic World. Find out about our taught masters programmes. Find out about our research programmes.

Why study Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter?

Largest centre for Middle East Studies in a UK university with excellent research links in the Islamic world Only UK university to offer MAs in Palestine Studies, Iranian Studies, North African Politics and Kurdish Studies MAs suitable for students from a wide range of disciplines Scholarships available and HRH Prince Alwaleed Al Saud Awards to support study visits to Arab countries Unique research resources including Europes most important research collection on the Arab world Learn Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Kurmanji or Sorani Kurdish as part of your postgraduate degree Students from all over the world including Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East

More information

We welcome enquiries about our postgraduate programmes throughout the year. Please contact: Taught postgraduate programmes Professor Jonathan Githens-Mazer Tel. +44 (0)1392 72 4032 Email [email protected] Research postgraduate programmes
Dr Clemence Scalbert-Yucel Tel. +44 (0)1392 72 5254 Email [email protected]

Research degrees

A research degree involves carrying out an in-depth study of a particular topic. At the University of Exeter we offer four types of research degree: MA or MSc by Research; Master of Philosophy (MPhil); Doctor of Philosophy (PhD); and professional doctorates.

Professional doctorates

Professional doctorates combine a significant taught element with production of a research thesis, and are designed to help members of specific professions develop both their academic and professional knowledge (eg educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, teachers and lecturers).

Masters by Research

The MA or MSc by Research offers the opportunity to obtain a research degree, without the commitment of a longer-term PhD. Not to be confused with the taught MRes degree, its ideal for those in employment interested

in pursuing a specific shorter-term research project. Successful students have the option to transfer to an MPhil or PhD on completion.

MPhils and PhDs

Research degrees involve an extensive investigation of a particular topic. The MPhil, although a qualification in its own right, is often used as a route to the longer PhD. The latter is only awarded when the results make an original contribution to knowledge in the field, which is normally assessed by a written thesis and oral examination. If you already have a portfolio of suitable quality published work which demonstrates a coherent research direction, you may be eligible for the PhD by Publication. This option reduces the study duration and you will work with a supervisor to produce an integrating chapter explaining how the publications form a coherent whole. A research degree usually involves the completion of a written thesis, however alternatives to this may be allowed where it is deemed suitable, this may include the presentation of part or all of the thesis in an alternative format, eg as a multimedia document or by means such as a piece of art, or a record of professional practice in the form of a series of case-studies, which must be accompanied by a commentary. If you might be interested in completing a thesis by alternative submission please contact the appropriate department to discuss whether this would be appropriate during the application process. There are opportunities to study for a University of Exeter PhD without residing locally: in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to study with us whilst registered as a distance-learning student, or if you have access to appropriate academic facilities, as a split-site student. All off-campus students receive supervision and support from our staff and are normally expected to attend the University for limited periods. A PhD is the highest qualification that a university can award and offers a challenging and exciting opportunity to work at the cutting-edge of research: if you have these qualities we can offer a very supportive environment in which to pursue research. At Exeter, students are also given support through our Researcher Development Programme.

How long do they take?

Full-time students can expect to complete an MA or MSc by Research in two years, an MPhil in two-to-three years and a PhD in three-to-four years. Home/EU students may be able to study part-time, however visa regulations normally prevent international students from following this option. Some departments will require you to register initially for the MPhil, with the possibility of transferring to the PhD upon satisfactory progress. This will not increase your overall period of study.

What are the entry requirements?

Normally a good UK Honours degree (2:1 Honours or international equivalent) and in some cases, a Masters degree. If you are seeking funding through one of the Research Councils (UK/EU students only), you will need to hold a minimum 2:1 Honours degree, although often these awards are won by those with 1st Class Honours due to high levels of competition. Additional entry requirements may apply for certain research degrees and you should follow any specific guidance on the departments website. If you are an international student, you will also need to satisfy our English language entry requirements.

Where can I find funding?

Our funding database search and deparmental webpages contain details of the latest funding opportunities. Some general information on funding can be found on the funding webpages.

How do I apply for a research degree?

Firstly you need to pinpoint your research area and identify which academics are undertaking similar research at Exeter. You may join a research team or work with an individual member of staff who can offer supervision in your chosen field. The subject entries within this website give a flavour for the research activities at Exeter and can be accessed by using the research degree index. The entries provide an overview of research in a specific subject and useful links to more information including individual department or research centre websites where you can see details about the research being undertaken and the specialisms of staff. When you have identified if support seems to be available, please contact the appropriate department to discuss your application.

Collection of books, the Grand Imam Dr. Abdel Halim Mahmoud Al-Azhar Sheikh http://almuada.mam9.com/

--------------

This is the legitimate translation of and commentary on the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad offered by The Book Foundation, copyright holder of Muhammad Asad's work. As a translation it is one of the most respected. As commentary, it is unsurpassed. Muhammad Asad, born Leopold Weiss, was a towering intellectual figure and lived most of his adult life in Arabia and the Muslim world. He drew upon his extensive knowledge of classical Islamic texts to provide an illuminating commentary founded upon extensive linguistic, cultural, and historical knowledge.
Multiple English translations of the Qur'an, Islam's scripture, line shelves at book stores. Amazon.com sells more than a dozen. Because of the growing Muslim communities in English-speaking countries, as well as greater academic interest in Islam, there has been a blossoming in recent years of English translations. Muslims view the Qur'an as God's direct words revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632).[1] Because the Qur'an stresses its Arabic nature, Muslim scholars believe that any translation cannot be more than an approximate interpretation, intended only as a tool for the study and understanding of the original Arabic text.[2] Since fewer than 20 percent of Muslims speak Arabic, this means that most Muslims study the text only in translation. So how accurate are the Qur'an's renderings into English? The record is mixed. Some are simply poor translations. Others adopt sectarian biases, and those that are funded by Saudi Arabia often insert political annotation. Since translators seek to convey not only text but also meaning, many rely on the interpretation (tafsir) of medieval scholars in order to conform to an "orthodox" reading.

Contextualizing the Qur'an

No serious researcher denies that Muhammad came to a milieu that was highly influenced by JudeoChristian ideas. Indeed, the Qur'an presupposes familiarity with Judeo-Christian ideas to the extent that it often does not give the full version of a narrative; there is no need to identify what is supposed to be common knowledge.[3] A typical example is in the verse that was only partially cited by Muslims commenting on news programs in the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks: "Whoever has killed a single human without just cause, it is as if he has killed the entire humankind."[4] In fact, the full verse is: "And for this reason, we ordained for the children of Israel that whoever has killed a single human without just cause, it is as if he has killed the entire humankind." Significantly, the complete verse refers to a divine edict not found in the Torah, but rather in the Mishnah, part of the Jewish oral tradition.[5] Evidence of Muhammad's familiarity with Judaism is present in the Qur'an. One verse suggests that his contemporaries accused him of having a Jewish teacher.[6] When some Arabs challenged Muhammad's claim to be a prophet based on his mortality, he suggested that they consult Jewish scholars about history.[7] Early Muslims resorted to Jewish lore so heavily that they produced a genre of literature: the Isra'iliyat, loosely translated as the Judaic traditions.[8] An oral tradition was even attributed to Muhammad wherein he supposedly said, "Relate from the people of Israel, and there is no objection,"[9] thereby enabling Islamic scholars to cite precedents from Jewish scholarship.[10] By the ninth century, this began to change. Muslim jurists, increasingly opposed to reliance upon Jewish lore, created new sayings from the Prophet and his companions that contradicted the original allowances. In one of these apocryphal traditions, Muhammad's face changes color when he sees his follower Umar reading the Torah. Muhammad declares that had Moses been their contemporary, he, too, would have followed the Muslim prophet.[11] An alternate version claims that the Prophet asked Umar, "Do you wish to rush to perdition as did the Jews and Christians? I have brought you white and

clean hadiths [oral traditions]."[12] Despite the unreliability of this hadith, it has evolved into a position that any Muslim who questions it could be accused of heresy. Since Muslims could no longer seek support from Jewish sources, successive generations of scholars lost understanding of Qur'anic references.[13] From the tenth century on, the result has been that voices of the medieval scholars have trumped the vox-dei. Without a serious reexamination, it is uncertain whether Muslims will be able to get to the essence of their religion's main document. The inaccuracies and artifices of medieval biases remain, unfortunately, pervasively present in English translations by Muslim scholars.

Early Translations
The first translations to English were not undertaken by Muslims but by Christians who sought to debunk Islam and aid in the conversion of Muslims to Christianity. Alexander Ross, chaplain to Charles I (r. 1625-49) and the first to embark on the translation process, subtitled his 1649 work as "newly Englished for the satisfaction for all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities."[14] Interestingly, Ross did not speak Arabic and relied on secondarily translating from the French, a language in which he was not well-schooled. He, therefore, based his interpretation on a problematic rendition by Andrew Du Ryer. According to George Sale (1697-1736), "[Du Ryer's] performance is far from being a just translation; there being mistakes in every page, besides frequent transpositions, omissions and additions, faults."[15] Most eighteenth and nineteenth century translations were undertaken by authors without strong background in Islam. As they were goaded by the urge to answer Christian polemic, their forgettable works do not reflect any intellectual depth; as such, copies are extremely rare. Among the best known, albeit pejorative, English-language analyses of Islam during this time were those by Christian authors such as George Sale, John Rodwell (1808-1900), Edward Palmer (1840-1882), and Sir William Muir (1819-1905).[16] Of these, Sale was probably the most important because he wrote a detailed critique about earlier translations.[17] His work became the standard reference for all English readers until almost the end of the nineteenth century.[18] However, his work was limited by his lack of access to public libraries forcing him to rely only upon material in his personal collection.[19] While Sale gave the impression that he based his translation on the Arabic text, others have suggested that he relied on an earlier Latin translation.[20] Sale did not insert verse numbers into his work, nor did he insert footnotes or other explanations. The result, therefore, is a work that is extremely difficult to comprehend. Indian Muslims were the first from within the faith to translate the Qur'an to English according to Abdur Rahim Kidwai, professor of English at Aligarh University, India. All wrote at a time of British colonialism and intense missionary activity. Kidwai noted works by Mohammad Abdul Hakim Khan (Patiala, 1905), Mirza Hairat Dehlawi (Delhi, 1912), and Mirza Abu'l Fazl (Allahabad, 1912).[21] Dehlawi was motivated consciously by a desire to give "a complete and exhaustive reply to the manifold criticisms of the Koran by various Christian authors such as Drs. Sale, Rodwell, Palmer, and Sir W. Muir." The early twentieth century reaction spurred a lasting translation trend. There have been successive new English translations, ranging from mediocre to reservedly commendable. Western university presses have undertaken publication of renditions: Princeton has published Ahmed 'Ali's rendition, and Oxford University Press has published the work of M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem. These productions are among the most widespread translations that are analyzed below.

Twentieth Century Classics

The Holy Qur'an. By Muhammad 'Ali. In 1917, an Ahmadi[22] scholar, Muhammad 'Ali (1875-1951), who later would become the leader of the Lahori subgroup, published his translation.[23] He constantly updated his work and had published

four revisions by his death in 1951. Contemporary reviewers praised Muhammad 'Ali both for his excellent English and explanatory notes.[24] Importantly, the Muhammad 'Ali translation became the version adopted by the Nation of Islam, both under the stewardship of Elijah Muhammad and current leader Louis Farrakhan. Muhammad 'Ali's biases show through, however. Consistent with his Lahori-Ahmadi creed, Muhammad 'Ali sought to eschew any reference to miracles. He sometimes departed from a faithful rendering of the original Arabic, as in the second chapter[25] in which the Qur'an replicates the Biblical story of Moses striking the rock for water,[26] and states "idrib bi asaka al-hajr," literally, "strike the rock with your staff." Muhammad 'Ali, however, changed the text to "March on to the rock with your staff," an interpretation for which the Arabic construction does not allow. Both Muhammad 'Ali's disbelief in the miraculous and his disdain for Judaism and Christianity undercut his work in other ways. The Qur'an makes frequent mention of jinn (spirits), from which the English word "genie" is derived. Muhammad 'Ali, curiously, argues that the Qur'an equates jinn with Jews and Christians.[27] While the Qur'an supports the story of Jesus' virgin birth,[28] Muhammad 'Ali denies it, providing a footnote to deny that the Qur'an was referring to anything miraculous.[29] Despite its blatant sectarian warp, Muhammad 'Ali's translationnow in its seventh edition[30]has formed the basis for many later works, even if the majority of both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims avoid directly acknowledging or using an Ahmadi translation. Nevertheless, among the Lahori Ahmadis, many of whom live in the United States, Muhammad 'Ali's work remains the definitive translation. The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. By Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. Marmaduke Pickthall (1875-1936) was the son of an Anglican clergyman who traveled to the East and acquired fluency in Arabic, Turkish, and Urdu. He was a novelist, traveler, and educator who converted to Islam in 1917. In 1920, he traveled to India and became a journalist for Muslim newspapers as well as headmaster of a Muslim boys' school.[31] While teaching in Hyderabad, Pickthall took a two-year sabbatical to complete his translation[32] and was aided by several notables, among them, Mustafa al-Maraghi, then-rector of Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam's top institutions of Islamic studies, and the nizam[33] of Hyderabad to whom the work is dedicated. Pickthall was aware of the problems of the Christian missionaries' translations and sought to remedy the defects since "some of the translations include commentation offensive to Muslims, and almost all employ a style of language which Muslims at once recognize as unworthy."[34] He first endorsed the position of Muslim scholars that the Qur'an was untranslatable but maintained that the general meaning of the text could still be conveyed to English speakers. Aware that heavily annotated works detracted from focus on the actual text, Pickthall provided few explanatory notes and tried to let the text speak for itself. As much as Pickthall strove to maintain the spirit of the Qur'an, he was, nonetheless, heavily influenced by Muhammad 'Ali, whom he had met in London. He adopted Muhammad 'Ali's bias against descriptions of miracles and argued, for example, that the Qur'anic description of Muhammad's night voyage to the heavens[35] was just a vision,[36] even though most Muslim theologians argue that it should be taken literally. While Pickthall's work was popular in the first half of the twentieth century and, therefore, historically important, its current demand is limited by its archaic prose and lack of annotation. Perhaps the death knell for the Pickthall translation's use has been the Saudi government's decision to distribute other translations free of charge. The Koran Interpreted. By Arthur Arberry. The 1955 translation of Arthur Arberry (1905-69) was the first English translation by a bona fide scholar of Arabic and Islam. A Cambridge University graduate, he spent several years in the Middle East perfecting his Arabic and Persian language skills. For a short while, he served as professor of classics at Cairo University; in 1946, he was professor of Persian at University of London, and the next year transferred to Cambridge to become professor of Arabic, serving there until his death in 1969. His title, The Koran Interpreted, acknowledged the orthodox Muslim view that the Qu'ran cannot be translated, but only interpreted.[37] He rendered the Qur'an into understandable English and

separated text from tradition. The translation is without prejudice and is probably the best around. The Arberry version has earned the admiration of intellectuals worldwide, and having been reprinted several times, remains the reference of choice for most academics. It seems destined to maintain that position for the foreseeable future.

Saudi-endorsed Translations
The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary. By Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali. Among those Qur'an translations which found Saudi favor and, therefore, wide distribution, was the Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali (1872-1952) rendition[38] that, from its first appearance in 1934 until very recently, was the most popular English version among Muslims. While not an Islamic scholar in any formal sense, Yusuf 'Ali, an Indian civil servant, had studied classics at Cambridge University, graduated as a lawyer from Lincoln's Inn in London, and was gifted with an eloquent, vivid writing style. He sought to convey the music and richness of the Arabic with poetic English versification. While his rendering of the text is not bad, there are serious problems in his copious footnotes; in many cases, he reproduces the exegetical material from medieval texts without making any effort at contextualization. Writing at a time both of growing Arab animosity toward Zionism and in a milieu that condoned anti-Semitism, Yusuf 'Ali constructed his oeuvre as a polemic against Jews. Several Muslim scholars have built upon the Yusuf 'Ali translation.[39] In 1989, Saudi Arabia's ArRajhi banking company financed the U.S.-based Amana Corporation's project to revise the translation to reflect an interpretation more in conjunction with the line of Islamic thought followed in Saudi Arabia. Ar-Rahji offered the resulting version for free to mosques, schools, and libraries throughout the world. The footnoted commentary about Jews remained so egregious that, in April 2002, the Los Angeles school district banned its use at local schools.[40] While the Yusuf 'Ali translation still remains in publication, it has lost influence because of its dated language and the appearance of more recent works whose publication and distribution the Saudi government has also sought to subsidize. The Noble Qur'an in the English Language. By Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Now the most widely disseminated Qur'an in most Islamic bookstores and Sunni mosques throughout the English-speaking world, this new translation[41] is meant to replace the Yusuf 'Ali edition and comes with a seal of approval from both the University of Medina and the Saudi Dar alIfta.[42]Whereas most other translators have tried to render the Qur'an applicable to a modern readership, this Saudi-financed venture tries to impose the commentaries of Tabari (d. 923 C.E.), Qurtubi (d. 1273 C.E.), and Ibn Kathir (d. 1372 C.E.), medievalists who knew nothing of modern concepts of pluralism. The numerous interpolations make this translation particularly problematic, especially for American Muslims who, in the aftermath of 9-11, are struggling to show that Islam is a religion of tolerance. From the beginning, the Hilali and Muhsin Khan translation reads more like a supremacist Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian polemic than a rendition of the Islamic scripture. In the first sura, for example, verses which are universally accepted as, "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray"[43]become, "Guide us to the Straight Way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who have earned Your anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)."[44] What is particularly egregious about this interpolation is that it is followed by an extremely long footnote to justify its hate based on traditions from medieval texts. Contemporary political disputes also pollute the translation, marring what should be a reflection of timeless religion. Whereas the Qur'an reports Moses's address to the Israelites as "O my people! Enter the Holy Land that God has assigned unto you,"[45] this Saudi version twists the verse with modern politics, writing, "O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine)."

The appendix includes a polemical comparison of Jesus and Muhammad, reporting that the former had no claim to divinity.[46] From a Muslim perspective, what Jesus did or did not do should be drawn from the Qur'anic text, not an appendix, and certainly not by Muslim readings of the gospels. In fact, while the Qur'an does take issue with the Christian claims of divinity for Jesus, it views him, along with his mother Mary, as being truly blessed and peaceful, much in concordance with the general Christian belief.[47] Although this Saudi-sponsored effort, undertaken before 9-11, is a serious liability for American Muslims in particular, it still remains present in Sunni mosques, probably because of its free distribution by the Saudi government.

Bucking the Saudi Orthodoxy

The Message of the Qur'an. By Muhammad Asad. Not every translation preaches the Saudi line. Muhammad Asad, for example, presents a rendering that is simple and straightforward.[48] A Jewish convert to Islam, the former Leopold Weiss (19001992) sought to depart from the traditional exegetic approaches and reflect independent thought. Asad, an Austrian journalist, was well-versed in the Jewish and Christian scriptures and brought this knowledge to bear in the form of erudite footnotes. Strangely, though, he chose to interpolate material in his translation of chapter 37 to show that the sacrificial son was Ishmael and not Isaac.[49] This is rather unusual, for while most contemporary Muslims opine that Ishmael was the sacrificial son, early exegetes differed on his identity, and as is well known, the Bible clearly states that it was Isaac (Genesis 22:9).[50] Indicative of the desire and drive of Saudi Arabia to impose a Salafi[51] interpretation upon the Muslim world, the kingdom has banned Muhammad's work over some creedal issues. Because the Saudi government subsidizes the publication and distribution of so many translations, the ban has in effect made Asad's translation both expensive and difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, it remains one of the best translations available, both in terms of its comprehensible English and generally knowledgeable annotations. Al-Qur'an, A Contemporary Translation. By Ahmed 'Ali. Other translations have bucked the Saudi orthodoxy. Ahmad 'Ali, noted Pakistani poet and diplomat, has put aside the sometimes archaic prose of Yusuf 'Ali and Marmaduke Pickthall in order to present the Qur'an in contemporary English.[52] While 'Ali writes that he seeks to present "a translation, not an interpretation, theological or otherwise,"[53] he, like Muhammad 'Ali, seeks to downplay any report that may seem far-fetched, and in so doing, denies certain Biblical, Midrashic, and Talmudic antecedents. In dealing, for example, with the Qur'anic version of Moses's anger at the Jews for worshipping the golden calf, he translates the 'aqtulu anfusakum[54] as "kill your pride"[55] rather than the literal "kill yourselves" which is how it also appears in Exodus 32:27. The Qur'anic retelling and reliance on the Biblical narrative to demonstrate the seriousness of idol worship is thus lost. 'Ali also seeks to downplay Christian parallels within the Qur'an. He translates Jesus's speech in 3:49 as, "I will fashion the state of destiny out of mire for you, and breathe (a new spirit) into it, and (you) will rise by the will of God." The literal translation is, "I will fashion from you, from clay, the likeness of a bird, and will breathe unto it; and by God's will it will fly." 'Ali's footnote does not acknowledge that the Qur'anic view parallels the Gospel of Thomas. These departures from the literal portrayal of events from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament are important because they might lead lay readers to miss the Qur'anic imperative to seek the history of the prophets from the earlier scriptures.[56] The influence of its flaws may be short-lived, though. Despite its accessibility to non-Muslim and academic readers due to its recent Princeton University Press publication, many Muslim scholars have criticized the translation because of the liberties it takes with the text.[57] Future editions are unlikely. The Qur'an: The First American Version. By Thomas B. Irving. Just as Ahmad 'Ali sought to produce a contemporary translation, so did Thomas Irving, an American convert to Islam who changed his name to Ta'lim 'Ali. While Irving provides a useful introduction to the Qur'an, its language, and previous translation history, his own translation is fundamentally

flawed.[58] While seeking to stick to linguistic accuracy, Irving makes some basic linguistic errors. Arabic words are built from three-letter roots to which are added prefixes, infixes, suffixes, and vowels, and their context can lead to a wide range of meanings. For example, Irving translated ahl addhikr both as "people of the reminder" and "people of long memories" instead of "people of remembrance."[59] In the latter example, he misses the fact that the Qur'an is referring to Jewish scholars who, based on the Biblical command of zakhor (to remember) were at the time of Muhammad referred to as "the people of remembrance."[60] Many Muslims reject the subtitle, "The First American Version," because it sounds too much as if the Qur'an is being put into a paradigm of the various versions of the Biblean idea not welcome to Muslim scholars who feel that multiple versions lead to corruption of the text. The translation has never been in great demand, and since Irving's death in 2002, there can be no revision; so, it is likely that, without the interest and subsidy from Islamic institutions, the version will simply be another forgettable effort.

Sectarian Translations
The Holy Qur'an. By Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali. While the Saudis may seek to monopolize Qur'anic interpretation among the Sunni community, many Shi'ites reject their annotation. Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali, an Indian scholar of Arabic and Persian, has produced a translation that has become the standard Shi'ite translation.[61] The copious instructions on Shi'ite doctrine and ritual observances ensure that the audience remains almost exclusively Shi'ite. Mir Ahmed 'Ali's translation relies strongly on the commentary of his spiritual advisor, Ayatollah Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi, an Iranian scholar noted for his focus on mysticism. While the latest 2002 version is marred by typographical errors, more serious for the general reader is its heavy sectarian bias and its disparagement of several figures that are revered by Sunni Muslims. Yazdi states in his introduction, for example, that neither of the first two caliphs was an authority on the Qur'an and that there are "authentic evidences of their ignorance of it."[62] The ayatollah also makes the dubious claim that Zaid bin Thabit, deemed by many to be Muhammad's scribe, had no "academic" qualifications for the compiling of the Quran.[63] Stylistically, too, the most recent edition is unwieldy for the general reader. The translation is published in Arabic reading style, so that the pages are arranged from right to left; the first page therefore appears as the last page. This peculiarity, combined with the ungainliness and heaviness of the large tome, makes Mir Ahmed 'Ali's work more suited for mosque ritual reading than scholarly consultation. Yet, the translation carries gravitas that the previous Shi'ite rendition[64] did not have, since it is written, as the term 'Syed' (or sayyid) indicates, by a descendant of Muhammad and because it includes commentary by one of the highest-ranking authorities in contemporary Shi'ism. A paperback edition, printed in the more conventional left-right format, is widely found in Shi'ite institutions in North America.[65] The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English. By Abdalhaqq Bewley and Aisha Bewley. The Shi'ites have their translation, and so, too, do the Sufis.[66] The creedal bias of the Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewleys' Sufi-inspired work is evident in the translators' preface: "Acknowledging the complete impossibility of adequately conveying the meanings of the Qur'an in English or indeed in any other language, Allah, may He be exalted, chose pure, classical Arabic as the linguistic vehicle for His final Revelation to mankind because of its unique capacity of retaining and conveying great depth of meaning in a multi-faceted way which is beyond the scope of any other language, particularly in the debased form which they have arrived in at the time in which we live."[67] This creedal statement is not supported by the Qur'an, which holds that the revelation was in Arabic simply because, had it been in another language, the Arabs would have questioned why Muhammad, who was Arab, was issuing them a revelation in a foreign tongue.[68] For all this obvious bias on the part of the translators, the work is in excellent, readable English, rendered in a manner that is neither flowery nor prosaic. The translators seem to have fulfilled their "main objective in presenting this new rendering:

to allow the meaning of the original, as far as possible, to come straight through."[69] The lack of footnotes allows the reader to see the text as it is, and despite the creedal issue mentioned at the beginning of this analysis, there is little evidence of sectarian bias in the actual translation. Because of their Sufi leanings, the translators are not likely to be endorsed by the mainstream Islamic religious trusts and most definitely not by the Saudi religious foundations. The result is that an excellent work will most probably remain expensive and unavailable at most libraries and mosques.

Falling Short
An Interpretation of the Qur'an. By Majid Fakhry. Many new translations seek to improve upon past translations. Sometimes they fall short. This is the case with Majid Fakhry's translation.[70] A professor emeritus of philosophy at the American University of Beirut, Fakhry seeks to present the Qur'an in comprehensible English, correcting "the errors or lapses" of previous translations.[71] For someone versed in Islamic philosophy, and therefore presumably aware of the focus on the linguistic uniqueness of the Qur'an, Fakhry's prosaic rendition never comes close to communicating to the reader the powerful rhetoric of Islam's main document. His inattention to verb structure results, as noted by one reviewer in an academic journal, in the "tendency to translate an active Arabic verb into an English passive and vice versa. This undercuts both theological clarity and rhetorical effectiveness."[72] While the publisher claimed that Al-Azhar University had approved the translation, the facsimile Arabic document included with the book simply notes that "there is nothing in the translation that goes counter to the Islamic Faith, and that there is no objection to its printing and distribution."[73] This is an appropriate formula for any book containing Qur'anic verse and does not confer special status. Since this work does not contribute in any specific way to what is already available in a crowded market, Fakhry's work will lack staying power. Its absence in mosques indicates its lack of status among Muslims. The unflattering academic reviews[74] also indicate that, although produced by a Western university press, it is likely to be overlooked by the academic world as well. The Qur'an, A New Translation. By M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem. The most recent mass-market attempt to publish an English translation of the Qur'an is the result of a seven-year effort by a University of London professor.[75] Consistent with his traditional Egyptian training, M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem has memorized the Qur'an. As a believer, he writes an introduction to his work that reflects the age-old Muslim tradition, and therefore, simply reports the Muslim stories without any question as to their reliability. He feels that Gabriel instructed Muhammad on how to design the final corpus and that there are indeed "records" to show that there were twenty-two scribes for writing the text of the document.[76] Considering that the translator is a professor of Islamic studies at a secular university and ought to be aware of the haziness of early Islamic history, he should have adopted a more cautious approach to presenting such information as fact. Revisionist theories advanced by John Wansbrough, Patricia Crone, Michael Cook, and others would not have commanded scholarly attention if the reports that Abdel-Haleem seeks to pass as reliable were indeed so.[77] He does provide an excellent analysis of the context of certain verses and points out a fact that is still unknown to many scholars: that the terms Islam and Muslim in the Qur'an refer not to the reified constructs of later Islam but to devotion to God, and that as such, earlier prophets are described as Muslim.[78] The translator makes it clear that he intends to "go further than previous works in accuracy, clarity, flow, and currency of language."[79] The preciseness of English is certainly commendable, but there are problems that show that Abdel-Haleem has incorporated his doctrinal bias into his translation. As Fazlur Rahman, former professor of Islamic Studies at University of Chicago, has shown, the Qur'an contains no evidence of the corpus-soul dualism of later Islam, and so the word nafs as used in the Qur'an is not representative of "soul" as understood in Greek philosophy, Christianity, or post-Biblical Judaism.[80] Yet, Abdel-Haleem translates nafs as "soul" throughout his work.[81] By comparison, the Bewleys render the word in the more linguistically correct "self."[82]

Footnotes and commentary are kept to an absolute minimum, supplied only when there is absolute need. An excellent example is where in rendering the word ummi as "unlettered," Abdel-Haleem provides a note to show that it could also be translated as "gentile."[83] This allowance for difference of opinion is particularly noteworthy since most traditional Muslim approaches do not wish to consider the "gentile" interpretation, although in the context of the entire Qur'an, that certainly seems the more correct version. The Abdel-Haleem translation comes without accompanying Arabic text. This can actually be a positive factor since it allows Muslims to take this version anywhere without having to worry about ritual protections for a sacred document that the Arabic version would mandate. The lack of footnotes and commentary promote research and a reading of the actual text. Noteworthy also is the fact that throughout, the translator renders the Arabic Allah as God, an astute choice, since the question of why many Muslims refuse to use the word God as a functional translation has created the misconception for many that Muslims worship a different deity than the JudeoChristian creator. Abdel-Haleem has done a good job. If any Qur'anic English-language translation might stand to compete with the Saudi-financed translations, this Oxford University Press version is it. Nevertheless, the field remains open for future attempts to reflect the true meaning of the Qur'an because this mandates not only translation but also a better understanding of context. The revisionist works of scholars such as John Wansbrough, Michael Cook, Patricia Crone, Christoph Luxenberg, GerdRudiger Puin, and Andrew Rippin, while opposed by many, indicate that there is much that is unclear about the early history and interpretation of the Qur'an. Their theories about such key elements as the influence of contemporary politics should be addressed in any work seeking to elucidate Islam's main document.[84]

Conclusion
Even for native Arabic speakers, the Qur'an is a difficult document. Its archaic language and verse structure are difficult hurdles to cross. Translation only accentuates the complexity. The fact that translators and theologians have, over time, lost much of the Judeo-Christian cultural references rife in the Qur'an is just one more impediment. Medieval Muslim scholars sought to abandon consideration of the Jewish and Christian testaments as sources of understanding the Qur'an; they largely succeeded. Most religious authorities in Islamic countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Iran, oppose any attempt to reinterpret the Qur'an without relying on medieval scholarship. For most Muslims unaware of the evolution of Islamic scholarship, the Qur'an is immutable and uncreated, even though the Qur'an never makes such a proclamation, and theologians reached such a conclusion only after much debate. Immutability means that the seventh century values of some Qur'anic verses, rather than being placed in their seventh century Arabian context, are portrayed as the eternal divine mandate, giving rise, for example, to an argument that females must inherit half as much as males. The failure of Muslim scholars to place the Qur'an into historical or spatial context has lead to generalizations that have harmed Islam, a trend accentuated by the fact that most Quranic translators are now Muslims. Such a failure facilitates the use of the Qur'an by governments that support chauvinism and incite hate and by terrorists such as those who brought down the World Trade Centers. In order to make itself acceptable to a world torn by Islamist terrorism, Islam faces more than just the hurdle of a proper English translation of its main document. Until Muslims learn to question the reliability of the Muslim oral traditions, or divorce themselves from medieval exegetical constructs, they will be living in a world much apart from the Judeo-Christian entity that has known reformation and enlightenment. Perhaps this is the reason why, for most academics, the translation of choice still seems to be that of Arthur Arberry. The urge among many translatorsespecially now that many adhere to the religion itselfis to produce a functional and relatively accurate English rendition. Many of these believers fail to take an

academic approach to the history and the Judeo-Christian references in Islam's main document. Polished English prose should not substitute for poor scholarship. In addition, sectarian differences within Islam have undercut any Muslim consensus on a translated version. Increasingly, it looks like the quest for the perfect rendition will be endless.

Khaleel Mohammed is an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University.
[1]

This is based several verses of the Qur'an, among them, Qur. 15:9, 26:195, 97:1. [2] Mahmoud Ayoub, The Awesome News (Hiawatha, Iowa: Cedar Graphics, 1997), p. xi. [3] Bernard Lewis, The Crisis of Islam (New York: Random House, 2004), p. 5. [4] Qur. 5:33. [5] Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, 37a. [6] Qur. 16:103: "We know well that they say, 'A mortal teaches him.' But the language of the one to whom they allude is foreign, and this is the clear Arabic tongue." Abrahamian teachings could come only from Christianity or Judaism. Because the local Christian community spoke Arabic and the local Jewish community Judeo-Arabic, then contemporary context would suggest a teacher with a foreign tongue to be Jewish. [7] Qur. 16:43, 21:7; Khaleel Mohammed, "The Identity of the Qur'an's Ahl al-Dhikr," in Andrew Rippin and Khaleel Mohammed, eds., Coming to Terms with the Qur'an (Montreal: McGill University Press, forthcoming), pp. 39-54. [8] See Gordon Newby, "Tafsir Israiliyaat," Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Dec. 1980, pp. 685-97. [9] See M.J Kister, "Haddithu 'an Bani Israil wa la Haraja: A Study of an Early Tradition," Israel Oriental Studies, 2 (1972): 215-39. [10] Ibid. [11] Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 194, Alim CD, English Translation. Hadith refers to oral reports attributed to Muhammad. [12] Ignaz Goldziher, Muslim Studies (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1971), pp. 2, 131. [13] Closing the door on Jewish sources did not prevent adaptation of Christian traditions. [14] Abdur Rahim Kidwai, "Translating the Untranslatable: A Survey of English Translations of the Qur'an," Muslim World Book Review, Summer 1987, pp. 66-71. [15] George Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed (New York: W. L. Allison Co, 1880), p. x. [16] Ibid.; John Rodwell, The KoranTranslated from the Arabic (London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1909); Edward Palmer, The Qur'an (Clarendon: Oxford Press, 1880); Sir William Muir, The Coran (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1878). [17] Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed, pp. vii-xii. [18] Arthur Arberry, The Koran Interpreted (New York: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1955), p. 11. [19] Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed, p. xi. [20] Thomas B. Irving, The Qur'an: First American Version (Battleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, 1985) p. xxii. [21] Kidwai, "Translating the Untranslatable," pp. 66-71. [22] A follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1908), who claimed to be the reviver of Islam. Mainstream

Islam opposed his beliefs, and his sect bifurcated into the Qadiani and Lahori subgroups after his death. His followers are severely persecuted in Pakistan, which has declared them as non-Muslims. [23] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an (Columbus: Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc, 1991). [24] For example, "Reviews of the English Translation of the Holy Quran with Commentary," Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A., accessed Feb. 17, 2005. [25] Qur. 2:60. [26] Exodus 17:1-6. [27] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, sura 72:1. [28] Qur. 3:46. [29] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, sura 3. [30] Dublin, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A., 2002, redesigned, with expanded index. [31] Encyclopedia of Islam (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), s.v. "Pickthall." [32] Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (Hyderabad: Hyderabad Government Press, 1930). [33] An honorific title given to the ruler of Hyderabad in British India. [34] Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, p. vii. [35] Qur. 17: 60. [36] Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, p. 208. [37] Arberry, The Koran Interpreted, p. 24. [38] Yusuf 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary (Lahore: 1934-37). [39] A.R. Kidwai, "Abdullah Yusuf Ali's Views on the Qur'anic Eschatology," Muslim World League Journal, Feb. 1985, pp. 14-7. [40] "L.A. Schools Review Donated Korans, Citing Derogatory Commentary," Magazine of the American Library Association, Feb. 11, 2002. [41] Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language: A Summarized Version of At-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir with Comments from Sahih alBukhari (Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers, 1996). [42] Ibid., pp. 5-6; Steven Schwartz presents a scathing review, "Rewriting the Koran," Weekly Standard, Sept. 27, 2004. [43] Qur. 1: 7; Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language, p. 10. [44] Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language, p. 10. [45] Qur. 5:21. [46] Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language, p. 1181. [47] Qur. 3:42-57; 19:16-36. [48] Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur'an (Gibraltar: Andalus Press, 1980). [49] Qur. 37:100; Asad, The Message of the Qur'an, p. 688. [50] The change from Isaac to Ishmael was not due to Qur'anic directive but rather the efforts of later interpretations. See, Reuven Firestone, "Abraham's Son as the Intended Sacrifice: Issues in Qur'anic Exegesis," Journal of Semitic Studies, 1(1989): 95-132. [51] A term meaning "predecessors" and applied to the ideology that seeks to recreate a lifestyle and world based on the practice of the earliest Muslims.

[52]

Ahmed 'Ali, The Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation (Karachi: Akrash Printing, 1984). [53] Ibid, p. 8. [54] Qur. 2:54. [55] Ahmed 'Ali, The Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation, p. 17. [56] Qur. 10:94, 16:43, 21:7. [57] See, for example, Kidwai, "English Translations of the Qur'an," Anti-Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Oct. 2000. [58] Irving, The Qur'an: The First American Version (Battleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, 1985). [59] Qur. 16:43, 21:7; ibid., pp. 140, 171. [60] Mohammed, "The Identity of the Qur'an's Ahl al-Dhikr," pp. 39-54. [61] Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text with English Translation and Commentary. Special Notes from Ayatullah Mahdi Pooya Yazdi (New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., 1988). [62] Ibid., p. 30a-b. [63] Ibid. [64] Muhammad Shakir, Holy Qur'an (New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc., 1987). This translation draws heavilyand without acknowledgementon the work of Marmaduke Pickthall. [65] New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc., 1988. [66] AbdalHaqq Bewley and Aisha Bewley, The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English(Norwich: Bookwork, 1999). [67] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. v. [68] Qur. 41:44. [69] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. iii. [70] Majid Fakhry, An Interpretation of the Qur'an (New York: New York University Press, 2002). [71] Ibid., p. 4. [72] A.H. Johns, "Review of an Interpretation of the Qur'an," Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, June 2004, pp. 83-4. [73] Ibid. [74] Ibid. See also Andrew Rippin, "Review of Two Translations of the Qu'ran," H-Mideast-Medieval, Dec. 2004. [75] M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation (New York: Oxford University Press 2004). [76] Ibid., pp. xvi-xvii. [77] John Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1978); Patricia Crone and Michael Cook, Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976); Michael Cook, The Koran: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). [78] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. xxiv. [79] Ibid., p. xxix. [80] Fazlur Rahman, Major Themes of the Qur'an (Minneapolis: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1994), p. 112. [81] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. 50. [82] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. 68. [83] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. 105, note a. [84] Christoph Luxenberg, Die Syro-aramaishe Lesart des Koran (Berlin: Das Arabische Buch, 2000);

Andrew Rippin, ed. Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur'an (Oxford and New York: Clarendon and Oxford University Presses, 1988). For Puin's views and findings, see Toby Lester, "What Is Koran?" Atlantic Monthly, Jan 1999, pp. 43-56.

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an

by Khaleel Mohammed Middle East Quarterly Spring 2005, pp. 58-71 SPRING 2005 VOLUME XII: NUMBER 2

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu 16th Jumada al-Awwal 1434 (28th March 2013) Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (Radi-Allahu 'anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, "On the Day when all mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds, some of them will be enveloped in their sweat up to the middle of their ears." Bukhari Vol. 6 : No. 460

Tasauf moden / Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Kuala Lumpur : Darul Nu'man, 1997. Tafsir Al-Azhar : juzu' 1 hingga 30 / Prof. Dr. Haji Abdul Malik Abdul Karim Amrullah (HAMKA) Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Jakarta : Penerbit Pustaka Panjimas, 1982 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 26-27-28/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Surabaya : [s.n], 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 10-11-12/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : [s.l]: PanjiMasyarakat, 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 29-30/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Surabaya : Yayasan Latimojong, 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 7-8-9/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : [s.l] : Panji Masyarakat, 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 13-14-15-16-17/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Jakarta : Penerbit Pustaka Panjimas, 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke - 1-2-3/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : [s.l] : Yayasan Nurulislam, 1984 Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke -22-23-24-25/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Surabaya : Yayasan Latimojong, 1984

Tafsir Al-Azhar : Juzu' ke -4-5-6/ Prof. Dr. Haji Abdulmalik Amrullah Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, Haji ( Prof. Dr. Hamka ) : Jakarta : Yayasan Nurul Islam, 1984 Muzaffar Iqbal (1998), Muhammad Asad: A Biography. Islamic Studies, 37 (3): 411 -414. Muhammad Asad (1900-1992) merupakan seorang pentafsir, diplomat, wartawan, penulis dan penterjemah yang aktif.

Sahih Al Bukhari: The Early Years Of Islam

by Muhammad Asad

This work comprises the historical chapters of the most important compilations of Traditions, Sahih of Imam al-Bukhari and depicts the beginning of the Prophet's revelation, the merits of his Companions and the early years of Islam up to and including the decisive turning point of Islamic history, the Battle of Badr. The author had set out to translate the whole of Sahih al-Bukhari but much of his manuscripts were destroyed in the chaos that followed the Second World War.(less)
Published (first published June 1981) ISBN 9839154451 (ISBN13: 9789839154450) original title Sahih Al Bukhari: Early Years of Islam

Author: Translated Publisher: A.S. Pages: 306 Binding: Hardback Description

by

Muhammed

Asad. Noordeen

from

the

publisher:

This work comprises the historical chapters of the most important compilations of Traditions, Sahih of Imam alBukhari and depicts the beginning of the Prophet's revelation, the merits of his Companions and the early years of

Muhammad Asad, salah seorang pemikir Islam teragung yang pernah hidup, akan tetapi hampir tidak di kenali di Barat dan suatu misteri bagi kebanyakan orang Islam sendiri. Tetapi, kepada mereka yang mengikuti kehidupannya melalui buku-buku dan penulisannya, pasti mengetahui bahawa tidak ada seorangpun yang lebih banyak memberi sumbangan di dalam zaman ini terhadap kefahaman Islam dan kebangkitan umat Islam, atau berkerja lebih keras untuk membina jambatan diantara Timur dan Barat, melebihi daripada Muhammad Asad. Asad dilahirkan sebagai Leopold Weiss pada Julai 2, 1900 di Lviv (Lemberg), Galicia, kini Ukraine, yang sebelum ini adalah sebahagian daripada jajahan empayar Austria. Pada tahun 1926, beliau memeluk Islam dan menjadi Muhammad Asad. Kisah tahun-tahun sebelum keIslamannya menggambarkan pengembaraan kerohanian seorang manusia yang mencari jalan yang sebenar, seorang manusia yang dilanda keinginan untuk mengembara, yang tidak dapat mententeramkan jiwa yang meronta sehinggalah beliau memeluk Islam.
Islam up to and including the decisive turning point of Islamic history, the Battle of Badr.

Pada tahun 1922, beliau telah menjadi wartawan luar negara di Timur dekat dan Timur jauh untuk Frankfurter Zeitung, salah satu akhbar yang terkemuka di Eropah. Kerjaya beliau dalam bidang kewartawanan membawa beliau ke Palestin, Mesir, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Arab Saudi dan Afghanistan dan beliau memberikan perspektif yang unik terhadap peristiwa dunia, terutamanya berkaitan isu Arab dan Yahudi. Menyeberangi Mediterranean, hentian pertama Leopold adalah di Kaherah. Di sana beliau cuba mempelajari bahasa Arab dan meluangkan masa bersama Shaikh Mustafa Marghi, murid kepada reformis Mesir yang terulung, Imam Muhammad Abduh. Mustafa Marghi, seorang pemikir yang tajam dan kritikal yang dengan kredibilitinya yang unggul, kemudiannya menjadi Shaikh al-Azhar (Rektor Universiti al-Azhar). Daripada Leopold Weiss kepada Muhammad Asad Pada awal musim panas tahun 1924, Muhammad Asad meneruskan lagi perjalanannya. Beliau mengembara ke Amman, Damsyik, Tripoli dan Allepo, ke Baghdad dan ke pergunungan Kurdistan, sehingga ke bumi yang paling aneh iaitu Iran dan kemudin merentasi pergunungan liar dan padang rumput Afghanistan. Dengan pengembaraan yang meluas keseluruh dunia Islam, minat beliau terhadap Islam semakin mendalam. Untuk memahami bagaimana umat Islam dapat membangkitkan semula diri mereka; Asad mengambil pendekatan karekteristik: beliau berusaha untuk menyelami dan memahami sumber utama Islam, iaitu al-Qurn. Bermula dengan kajian yang intensif dalam bahasa Arab klasik, pada masa yang sama beliau hidup bersama orang Arab badwi dari semenanjung tengah dan timur tanah Arab yang mana pertuturan dan bahasa mereka tetap kekal tanpa sebarang perubahan sejak zaman Nabi Muhammad ketika mana al-Qurn sedang diwahyukan. Hal ini memberikan kefahaman kepada beliau akan makna sebenar dan semantik bahasa alQurn yang tidak diketahui oleh mana-mana orang Barat dan hal ini juga membolehkan beliau kemudianya menterjemahkan al-Qurn kepada bahasa Inggeris iaitu The Message of the Qur'n. Bersama komentarnya, The Message tidak mempunyai sebarang tandingan dalam menyampaikan makna dan semangat kitab suci tersebut kepada para pembaca yang bukan berbangsa Arab. Dalam pengkajian beliau mengenai al-Qurn, Asad mendapati bahawa kejatuhan umat Islam bukanlah disebabkan oleh kekurangan yang ada dalam sistem Islam tetapi kegagalan umat Islam itu sendiri untuk menghidupkannya. Bukan umat Islam yang yang menjadikan Islam itu hebat, tetapi Islam itu sendirilah yang membuatkan umat Islam itu hebat. Asad terus mengembara dan meneroka semenanjung tanah Arab dari bahagian utara ke selatan sehingga Semasa di India, beliau menghabiskan usahanya dalam menterjemah dan menghuraikan Sahih al-Bukhari dalam

Bahasa Inggeris, suatu tugas yang belum pernah dilakukan oleh mana-mana sarjana Islam pada ketika itu. Sepertimana yang dinyatakan sendiri oleh Muhammad Asad, ide tentang menghuraikan Sahih Bukhari itu telah tersemat di jiwanya ketika beliau berada di Madinah selama lima tahun, mempelajari ilmu berkaitan ulum al-hadith. Sahih al-Bukhari keseluruhannya sempat diterjemahkan dan disyarahkan oleh Asad. Penerbitan pertamanya bermula pada tahun 1935 dan jilid pertama yang mengandungi lima bahagian sempat diterbitkan sebelum Perang Dunia Kedua meletus. Kelima bahagian itu sepatutnya dituruti oleh tiga puluh lima bahagian lagi yang telahpun diterjemah dan disyarahkan. Namun hajatnya tergendala akibat perang tersebut. Ketika Perang Dunia ke-2 tercetus, Asad yang berada di India di masa itu bersahabat dengan Muhammad Iqbal, yang mencetuskan ide pemisahan Pakistan. Iqbal memujuk Asad agar meninggalkan rancangannya untuk mengembara ke utara Turkistan, negeri Cina dan Indonesia sebaliknya membantu menyedia dan menjelaskan premis intelektualisme bagi masa depan negara Islam. Tetapi, Asad berada di bawah tahanan Inggeris di India pada akhir Perang Dunia. Apabila berakhir perang, Asad berhasrat meneruskan usahanya menerbitkan Sahih al-Bukhari yang tergendala. Telah ditakdirkan, tercetus pula kekacauan antara kaum pada ketika itu yang mengakibatkan terbentuknya negara Pakistan. Sejak perang berakhir, Asad menetap di daerah Punjab. Namun rusuhan yang berlaku pada ketika itu telah memusnahkan segala terjemahan dan huraian Sahih al-Bukhari yang telah beliau siapkan. Menurut Asad beliau melihat dengan matanya sendiri bagaimana helain-helain manuskripnya terapung di atas aliran Sungai Ravi di celah helain kitab-kitab Arab yang dikoyak bersama tinggalan perpustakaannya. Demikianlah kesudahannya kepada usaha lebih sepuluh tahun dalam menyiapkan manuskrip tersebut. kekal aktif dari segi intelektual sehingga ke akhir hayatnya. Beliau juga tidak pernah meninggalkan kehidupan yang penuh dengan pengembaraan dan penghijrahan, bergerak dari timur ke barat, utara ke selatan, menghabiskan selama 19 tahun di Tangier, Maghribi, sebelum berpindah ke Mijas, Andalusia salah satu daerah di Sepanyol. Perjalanan ke India Jilid pertama The Message of the Quran diterbitkan pada tahun 1964. Ia merupakan terjemahan dan tafsiran hingga ke Surah at Taubah. Keseluruhan Tafsir The Message of the Qur'n di terbitkan pada tahun 1980. Asad berhasrat hanya untuk mendedikasikan dua tahun untuk melengkapkan terjemahan dan tafsir al-Qurn tersebut tetapi akhirnya memakan masa selama tujuh belas tahun. Ia telah dipuji sebagai salah satu terjemahan al-Qurn yang terbaik, kalaupun tidak yang paling unggul, ke dalam bahasa Inggeris. Salah satu keperluan yang paling mendesak dalam zaman ini adalah untuk membantu

umat memahami bagaimana dan mengapa al-Qurn telah membimbing dan mengilhamkan generasi manusia dalam tempoh lebih empat belas abad. Interpretasi tidak bermaksud sebagai pemutus yang muktamad dan akhir, sebaliknya sebagai landasan awal bagi meneroka makna universal yang dikemukakan al-Qurn kepada kita. Walaupun terdapat banyak tafsir al-Qurn yang bercambah di pasaran, kebanyakan tafsir tradisional terikat dengan rangka penginstitusian Islam kepada satu set hukum, rukun dan amalan yang tertentu. Semangat al-Qurn tidak dapat sebenarnya difahami sekiranya kita membacanya hanya dalam rangka perkembangan ideologi yang lahir setelahnya dan terlepas dari melihat makna dan aspirasinya yang asal. Kenyataannya adalah kita sebenarnya terbelenggu sebagai tawanan intelektual terhadap kelompok yang lain seperti mana mereka juga adalah tawanan kepada idealisme lampau dan tidak mampu melahirkan sumbangan yang bermakna kepada kebangkitan Islam dalam dunia moden.

Namun Asad tidak berputus asa. Beliau mendapat keazaman baru bahawa segala usahanya tersebut tidak akan hilang begitu sahaja tetapi merupakan persediaan baginya dalam suatu usaha yang lebih agung iaitu menterjemah dan menghuraikan al-Quran di dalam Bahasa Inggeris berdasarkan prinsip bahawa pintu ijtihad tidak akan dan tidak pernah tertutup kepada daya pencarian intelek manusia. Pada tahun 1987, Asad menerbitkan This Law of Ours and Other Essays, yang merupakan koleksi artikelnya tentang pemikiran politik dan aliran keagamaan umat Islam yang beliau tulis saban tahun tetapi tidak di terbitkan. Beliau kekal aktif dari segi intelektual sehingga ke akhir hayatnya. Beliau juga tidak pernah meninggalkan kehidupan yang penuh dengan pengembaraan dan penghijrahan, bergerak dari timur ke barat, utara ke selatan, menghabiskan selama 19 tahun di Tangier, Maghribi, sebelum berpindah ke Mijas, Andalusia salah satu daerah di Sepanyol. tidak lain dari kitab The Message of the Qurn oleh Muhammad Asad. The Message of the Qurn mula diterbitkan pada 1980 setelah 17 tahun dihasilkan dengan tekad dan iltizam yang keras. Dengan ketahanan dan kesungguhannya mendakap agama yang luhur, beliau mengangkat al-Qur'n dengan ketinggian penghormatan seorang mukmin dan keghairahan pemikir dalam misi intelektuil. yang terbaik, jika tidak yang terbaik, dan tiada penterjemah lain yang telah berhasil menyampaikan sedekatnya makna al-Qurn kepada mereka yang tidak mampu membaca teks Arab atau komentar klasik. Nilai tersendiri dari karya yang diwakafkan oleh Muhammad Asad sepanjang hidupnya untuk membawa pencerahan terhadap ajaran al-Qurn ini telah mendapat pengiktiran yang luas dan wajar di saat bangkitnya kesedaran dan kecenderungan sejagat untuk menyingkap pesan universal yang ditawarkan Islam kepada bangsa manusia. adalah tema utama yang diketengahkan dalam komentarnya keaslian ide yang dilontarkan menzahirkan pemikirannya yang kritis dan ideal tentang sejarah, falsafah dan fikrah IslamMenimbangkan kenyataan bahawa kebanyakan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia dan Indonesia cenderung untuk membaca dalam Bahasa Melayu berbanding Inggeris, yang lebih kerap digunakan seputar kelompok yang berada, terdapat keperluan yang mendesak untuk

menterjemah karya yang begini penting kepada komuniti di Malaysia dan Indonesia agar keseluruhan mesej yang unik dan universal dari The Message of the Qurn akan dapat diakses oleh kumpulan masyarakat yang lebih luas. The Message of The Quran mengemukakan konsep Pentafsirannya yang jitu dan keaslian ide yang dilontarkan menzahirkan pemikirannya yang kritis dan ideal tentang sejarah, falsafah dan fikrah Islam rujukan kepada Kitab Bible adalah berdasarkan versi teks Authorized King James Version.

Abu Daud Asas Baghawi Baydawi

Abu Daud Sulayman al-Ashath (w. 275 H.), Kitab as-Sunan. Mahmud ibn Umar az-Zamakhshari (w. 538 H.), Asas al-Balaghah. Al-Husayn ibn Masud al-Farra al-Baghawi (w. 516 H.), Maalim at-Tanzil. Abd Allah ibn Umar al-Baydawi (w.685 atau 691 H.), Anwar at-Tanzil waAsrar at-Tawil. Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Bayhaqi (w. 458 H.), Kitab as-Sunan alKubra.

Bayhaqi

Bidayat al-Mujtahid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd (w. 595 H.), Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa Nihayat al-Muqtasid, Kaherah t.t. Bukhari Darimi Darqutni Encyclopedia of Islam Faiq (ed. 1) Leyden 1913-38. Mahmaud ibn Umar az-Zamakhshari (w.538 H.) Kitab al-Faiq fi Gharib alHadith, Hyderabad 1324 H. Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (w. 256 H.), Al-Jami as-Sahih. Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ad-Darimi (w.255 H.), Kitab as-Sunan. Ali ibn Umar ad-Darqutni (w. 385 H.), Kitab as-Sunan.

Fath al-Bari Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (w. 852 H.), Fath al-Bari bi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Kaherah 1348 H.

Hakim Ibn Hanbal

lihat Mustadrak Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (w. 241 H.), Al-Musnad.

linguistik, idiomatik, dan hermeunetik al-Quran yang memperkukuh keupayaan dan kehebatan akliah bagi kaum yang berfikir (li qawm yatafakkarun). Ia turut kefahaman sejarah dan falsafah, riwayat Israiliyyat, komentar terhadap usul hadith dan fikah, rujukan yang ekstensif terhadap kitab-kitab tafsir klasik, teori hukum dan falsafah, dan penggarapan tema-tema pokok dari setiap surah. Keutamaan dalam perbahasan adalah tema pembaharuan, dan perbincangan seputar falsafah dan sejarah yang signifikan dari setiap surah (asbab al-nuzul).

Purification of the Heart: Hamza Yusuf on Imam al-Mawlud's

[Mathar al-Qulub PB, 212pp, Starlatch Press, Signs Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases]

Tafsirnya merupakan sebuah komentar al-Quran yang terbaik Ia telah melahirkan sumbangan yang bermakna dalam mengangkat kefahaman rasional dan memugar tradisi akliah yang mengesankan. Kekuatan teks The Message adalah pemahaman dasarnya terhadap aspirasi Islam yang mendengungkan prinsip kebebasan. Ia merumuskan faham maqasid yang penting Gagasan pembaharuan yang radikal jelas diperlihatkan dalam tafsiran dan kupasan ayat-ayat alQuran yang ditafsirkannya secara waqii Tafsir The Message of the Qur'an didedikasikan kepada mereka yang berfikir (for people who think). Sepertimana yang telah dijelaskan oleh Asad dalam penerangannya terhadap ayat 3133 dari Srah al-Baqarah bahawa melalui kemampuan manusia untuk berfikir secara konsepsual, maka dengannya, status manusia adalah lebih tinggi martabatnya daripada Malaikat. Dan Dia mengajarkan kepada Adam nama-nama (ism) seluruhnya [2:31] Keseluruhan pendekatan hermeneutika Muhammad Asad terletak pada penegasan beliau bahawa setiap kenyataan al-Quran adalah ditujukan kepada akal manusia. Oleh itu ia mestilah mampu difahami baik secara literal atau secara alegori Salah satu dari prinsip pokok pemikiran Abduh adalah perjuangan untuk menyatukan antara akal (aql) dan wahyu (wahy). Perhubungan antara akal dan wahyu adalah isu yang paling rumit sejak kurun terawal Islam. Menurut Abduh, akal dan wahyu tidak mungkin berbentur antara satu sama lain, kerana agama dan sains adalah dua sumber daripada Islam, dan keduanya aktif dalam lapangan yang berbeza. Kerana itu, fikiran (aql) menurut Abduh, adalah teman wahyu yang terintim kerana ia membantu manusia memahami teks suci al-Quran. Sekiranya manusia tidak menggunakan akal sebaiknya, ia tidak akan mampu melahirkan penghargaan terhadap Tuhan yang telah menciptanya.

Beberapa tahun berlalu sebelum saya kebetulan bertemu dengan tafsiran yang paling penting yang mengulas pernyataan Tuhan menyangkut hal ini ketika saya membaca buku Islam at the Crossroad (Islam di Persimpangan Jalan) yang dihasilkan tidak lain oleh Muhammad Asad. Dalam bab Tentang Pendidikan Asad jelas menekankan bahawa al-Quran sarat dengan saranan untuk belajar supaya kamu berakal, supaya kamu berfikir, dan supaya kamu ketahui. Asad juga menekankan tentang kepentingan akal dalam huraiannya terhadap terhadap ayat: Dan Dia menzahirkan kepada Adam (as) nama setiap benda. [2:31] Istilah Arab ism (nama) menunjukkan menurut pandangan semua ahli filologi, suatu ekspresi menyampaikan pengetahuan (tentang sesuatu). Menurut Asad, dalam terminologi falsafah, ia menandakan makna suatu konsep. Ayat-ayat seterusnya menunjukkan berdasarkan pemberian ilmu yang diraihnya dari Tuhan berupa nama atau konsep pemikiran itu, manusia adalah, dalam sesetengah keadaan, lebih tinggi darjatnya daripada Malaikat. Nama adalah ekspresi simbolik kepada kekuatan untuk memaknakan ungkapan, kemampuan untuk menghuraikan pandangan yang merupakan ciri yang unik kepada manusia dan yang memungkinkannya, dalam pernyataan al-Quran, untuk menjadi khalifah Allah (khalifah) di bumi. Beliau menekankan kerasionalan Islam yang seiringan dengan pendekatan intelektual beliau terhadap agama. Demikian itu selari dengan pendekatan Muhammad Abduh yang membangunkan sebuah sistem keyakinan berdasarkan akal budi. Ujar Abduh: Agama mestilah dianggap sebagai teman sains, menggalakkan manusia untuk menyiasat rahsia kewujudan, menyerunya untuk menghormati kebenaran dan bergantung kepada semua itu dalam perlakuan dan kehidupan bermoral. Prinsip kedua adalah usaha Abduh untuk memadukan antara fikiran (aql) dan wahyu (wahy). Perhubungan antara akal dan wahyu adalah isu yang paling rumit sejak kurun terawal Islam. Pencerahan yang mendadak telah membawa saya mencari The Message of the Quran. Ia menjawab banyak kemusykilan saya tentang agama ini khususnya seputar isu takdir, doktrin pembatalan (an-nasikh wal-mansukh), sama ada al-Quran terikat dengan batas masa atau tidak, seakan pembenturan antara ayat-ayat al-Quran dengan penemuan sains moden dan isu-isu kritikal yang lain. Sepanjang halaman The Message of the Quran, saya temui jawapan terhadap persoalan yang menyesakkan pemikiran saya. Pengetahuan yang paling bernilai yang saya raih adalah agenda reformasi Muhammad Abduh terpancar lebih jelas setelah saya membaca The Message. Masalah utama kepada kebanyakan orang Islam hari ini adalah sama ada Islam berupaya merangka suatu sistem yang mengimbangi antara keimanan dan kemodenan. Satu abad yang lampau, Muhammad Abduh telah berhujah bahawa sementara sebahagian aspek dari agama kekal tidak berubah khususnya yang menyangkut soal ibadat (ibadah) dan aqidah (kepercayaan) atau yang dikenal sebagai ath-thawabit (yang tetap), bagaimanapun isu tentang tatakelola dan pemerintahan harus ditangani dengan fikiran manusia kerana ia tercakup dalam wilayah al-mutaghayyirat (yang berubah). Ia adalah bertolak dari agenda reformasi dan rasionalisme Abduh tersebut, dengan penekanannya terhadap akal (aql) dan keadilan Tuhan (adl), yang menzahirkan seakan kemampuan untuk

melacak dan melantarkan faham teologi Islam yang dinamik yang berupaya menangani cabaran kemodenan. Masyghulnya, apa yang kita saksikan hari ini, upaya yang signifikan ini telah digagalkan oleh kebangkitan golongan literalis salafis dan gugatan pengaruhnya. Salah satu dari prinsip pokok yang dicanang oleh agenda pembaharuan Abduh adalah penekanan terhadap tafsiran baru (ijtihad) dari hukum Islam berdasarkan keperluan pada keadilan sosial (maslahah) pada zamannya. Menurut Abduh, di mana kelihatan terdapat percanggahan antara teks (nas) dan keadilan sosial (maslahah), maka keadilan sosial yang harus diberikan keutamaan. Menurut Abduh, akal dan wahyu tidak mungkin berbentur antara satu sama lain, kerana agama dan sains adalah dua sumber daripada Islam, dan keduanya aktif dalam lapangan yang berbeza. Kerana itu, fikiran (aql) menurut Abduh, adalah teman wahyu yang terintim kerana ia membantu manusia memahami teks suci al-Quran. Sekiranya manusia tidak menggunakan akal sebaiknya, ia tidak akan mampu melahirkan penghargaan terhadap Tuhan yang telah menciptanya. Menurut Asad, pemikir besar Islam yang lampau telah memahami masalah ini dengan cukup baik. Di dalam tafsiran mereka, mereka mendekati al-Quran dengan akal. Yakni, mereka cuba menjelaskan maksud setiap kenyataan al-Quran dengan kekuatan bahasa Arab yang dikuasainya dan dengan ajaran Nabi (saw) (sunnah). Mereka juga memanfaatkan pengetahuan am yang telah mereka capai dan daripada pengalaman sejarah dan budaya yang telah membentuk masyarakat manusia sehingga ke zaman mereka. Asad secara terang menekankan kepentingan akal dalam perbahasannya terhadap ayat: Dan Dia menzahirkan kepada Adam (as) nama setiap benda. [2:31] Istilah ism (nama) menunjukkan menurut pandangan semua ahli filologi, suatu ekspresi menyampaikan pengetahuan (tentang sesuatu). Menurut Asad, dalam terminologi falsafah, ia menandakan makna suatu konsep. Ayat-ayat seterusnya menunjukkan berdasarkan pemberian ilmu yang diraihnya dari Tuhan berupa nama atau konsep pemikiran itu, manusia adalah, dalam sesetengah keadaan, lebih tinggi darjatnya daripada Malaikat. Nama adalah ekspresi simbolik kepada kekuatan untuk memaknakan ungkapan, kekuatan untuk menghuraikan pandangan yang merupakan ciri yang unik kepada manusia dan yang memungkinkannya, dalam pernyataan al-Quran, untuk menjadi khalifah Allah (khalifah) di bumi. Muhammad Asad tentang Alquran Ahmad Syafii Maarif Di antara mufassir Alquran kontemporer, almarhum Muhammad Asad patut dicatat sebagai salah seorang yang paling terkemuka. The Message of the Qur'an barangkali merupakan magnum opus (karya besarnya) yang dikerjakan seumur hidup dengan menetap di Arabia selama beberapa tahun. Terjemahan tafsir yang aslinya setebal hampir 1.000 halaman ini ke dalam bahasa

Indonesia akan diterbitkan Mizan dalam tempo dekat ini. Dengan munculnya karya Asad dalam versi Indonesia, maka bertambahlah literatur tafsir Kitab Suci umat Islam ini. The Message diterbitkan pertama kali oleh Dar al-Andalus, Gibraltar, 1980, dan telah dipakai oleh puluhan universitas di seluruh dunia yang ingin mengenal lebih jauh tentang sumber utama ajaran Islam. Dengan penguasaan bahasa Arab, termasuk dialek-dialek lokal, Asad dengan The Message-nya tidak diragukan lagi telah memberikan sumbangan yang sangat berharga kepada khazanah ilmu pengetahuan dan kemanusiaan. Dalam suasana Nuzul Alquran ini ada baiknya kita menurunkan beberapa pandangan Asad tentang Kitab Suci ini sebagaimana dapat dibaca dalam kata pengantar tafsirnya itu. Kita kutip: ''Antara ayat pertama dan terakhir terkembang lebarlah sebuah kitab yang, melebihi gejala lain manapun yang kita kenal, telah memengaruhi secara fundamental sejarah agama, sosial, dan politik dunia. Tidak ada kitab suci lain yang pernah memiliki dampak langsung serupa atas kehidupan orang yang pertama kali mendengarkan pesannya dan, via mereka dan generasi yang mengikutinya, atas seluruh arus peradaban.'' (Hlm i). Asad dan banyak sarjana Barat lain telah sama sampai kepada kesimpulan bahwa tanpa Alquran tidak akan ada gerakan Renaisans di Eropa yang kemudian mendorong munculnya abad ilmu pengetahuan yang berlanjut sampai hari ini. Menurut Asad, tafsir ini mungkin yang pertama dalam sebuah bahasa Eropa dengan menggunakan pendekatan yang bersifat idiomatik (hlm v). Menurut Asad, pertanyaan kunci yang hendak dijawab Alquran adalah: ''Bagaimana semestinya saya berperilaku agar meraih kehidupan yang baik di dunia dan kebahagiaan dalam kehidupan yang akan datang?'' (Hlm i). Pertanyaan Asad ini sebenarnya tidak lain dari doa yang hampir selalu kita ucapkan: ''Tuhan kami, berilah kami kebaikan di dunia dan kebaikan di akhirat, dan bebaskan kami dari siksa neraka.'' (Al-Baqarah: 201). Jika kita konfrontasikan pertanyaan Asad ini dengan realitas kehidupan umat Islam sekarang, jawaban yang diberikan sebegitu jauh masih belum juga mengenai sasaran. Kitab Suci ini belum kita jadikan sahabat utama dalam perjalanan. Dalam perlombaan peradaban kita keok, nasib di akhirat pun penuh tanda tanya. Alquran memang masih dibaca dan bahkan diperlombakan, tetapi suasana dunia Islam, menurut pantauan saya, sangat tidak bersahabat dengan gambaran yang diberikan Kitab Suci ini, yaitu sebuah corak kehidupan yang adil, sejahtera, dan bebas, sebagai realisasi dari surat Al-Anbiya: 107 berupa rahmatan li al-'alamin (rahmat bagi semesta alam). Jangankan menebarkan rahmat Allah di muka bumi, kita sendiri tampaknya sudah sulit membedakan mana jalan lurus yang harus ditempuh dan mana pula jalan bengkok yang harus dihindari. Alquran di depan kita tidak lagi berfungsi sebagai alfurqan (kriterium pembeda) antara jalan yang benar dan jalan yang salah. Tetapi, kita tentu percaya bahwa kita tidak akan terus terpasung di lorong sempit yang pengap ini. Setelah berabad-abad menderita kena pukulan palu godam sejarah, lambat atau cepat kesadaran menyeluruh di berbagai bagian dunia Islam untuk sebuah pencerahan pasti akan

datang. Syaratnya, inisiatif untuk ''memancing'' perhatian Tuhan harus senantiasa dilakukan, berupa kerja-kerja kreatif yang berani untuk melawan suasana kebekuan. The Message Muhammad Asad adalah di antara langkah strategis untuk menuju kebangkitan umat secara otentik, sebuah ummatan wasathan (umat medium, tidak ekstrem), seperti yang terbaca dalam Al-Baqarah: 143. Asad menerjemahkannya dengan a community of the middle way (komunitas jalan tengah, hlm 30). Semoga kita semua akan bergerak menuju ummatan wasathan itu sekalipun banyak gangguan dalam perjalanan. Amin. Pencarian hermeneutikal Muhammad Asad untuk mendedahkan makna kepada teks al-Quran terletak pada pendapatnya bahawa al-Quran mengandungi unsur-unsur mitos yang tidak seharusnya diambil secara literal sebagai peristiwa sebenar dalam sejarah. Apa yang perlu dilakukan oleh umat Islam adalah untuk melangkah kebelakang dan merenung bahan-bahan itu dengan mesej yang mendasari al-Quran seperti mana ia diwahyukan berserta etika dan ajaran sosialnya. Tugas ini menjadi lebih mudah memandangkan al-Quran sangat memberikan penekanan terhadap akal, sebagai kunci untuk memahami makna teks al-Quran. Hal ini bererti setiap ayat al-Quran ditujukan kepada akal budi dan dengan itu mestilah dapat dicapai oleh kaum yang berfikir [li qaumin yatafakkarun]. Asad adalah yang pertama mengakui bahawa manakala kategori yang pertama (ayat muhkamat) membentuk intipati al-Quran, kategori yang berikutnya (mutasyabihat), adalah melalui keumuman metafora dan subjek metafizik, iaitu mewakili bahagian realiti yang melangkaui penglaman manusia. Menyentuh idea metafizikal agama berkaitan al-ghayb [alam yang melangkaui jangkauan pencerapan manusia], satu-satunya cara untuk memastikan ia dapat disampaikan kepada manusia adalah melalui pinjaman imej daripada fizikal-sebenar atau pengalaman-mental; atau menggunakan apa yang disebut Zamakhshari di dalam tafsirnya terhadap surah ke-13 ayat ke-35, Melalui sebuah gambaran parabolik, dalam erti kata sesuatu yang kita tahu da ripada pengalaman, tentang sesuatu yang melangkaui daya tanggapan kita [tamthilan li-ma ghaba anna bi-ma nushahid]. Dan ini adalah maksud paling dalam tentang terma dan konsep almutasyabihat yang digunakan di dalam al-Quran. Nilai tersendiri dari karya yang diwakafkan oleh Muhammad Asad sepanjang hidupnya untuk ini telah mendapat pengiktiran yang luas dan wajar Gerakan ini telah mempengaruhi dan. Aspirasi Islam yang diungkapkan oleh Muhammad Asad wajar diperjuangkan dan digerakkan dengan meluas bagi mengangkat dan melanjutkan idealisme pembaharuan yang dicetuskannya bagi memberdaya akal dan ijtihad. yang merangkul seluruh umat The Message Muhammad Asad adalah di antara langkah strategis untuk bangkit autentik, menuju kebangkitan umat secara otentik, sebuah ummatan wasathan (umat medium, tidak ekstrem), seperti yang terbaca dalam Al-Baqarah: 143. Asad menerjemahkannya dengan a community of the middle way (komunitas jalan tengah, hlm 30). Muhammad Asad dalam kupasannya terhadap ayat 58 surah al-Nisa ini - Istilah amanah

menunjukkan sesuatu yang dipercayakan seseorang dengannya, baik dalam pengertian fizikal atau moral (Razi). Jika seseorang membaca perintah ini dalam konteks ayat yang mendahului dan mengikutinya, ia menjadi jelas bahawa ia berkait dengan pesan atau melihat pada bentuk jamak amanat kepada kebenaran yang telah disampaikan kepada orang-orang beriman dengan perantaraan wahyu Ilahi, dan yang mereka harus tanggapinya sebagai amanah yang suci, untuk diserahkan kepada mereka yang berhak terhadapnya i.e., kepada semua manusia, kepada siapa pesan al-Quran dimaksudkan. Ini, tentunya, tidak menghalang perintah ini dari turut membayangkan skop yang lebih luas iaitu, dari diterapkan kepada sebarang objek material atau tanggungjawab moral yang mungkin telah dipercayakan kepada seorang yang beriman dan, secara khusus, dalam menjalankan kekuasaan duniawi dan kedaulatan politik oleh komuniti Muslim atau negara Muslim, kepada mana ayat seterusnya merujuk. khittah dakwah yang ideal yang dirumus dari semangat al-Quran kefahaman yang jelas terhadap pesan dakwah Islam yang universal mengangkat nilai Islam yang universal dan menjelaskan fikrah dakwah yang ideal.. idealisme syariah. Tafsirnya memberi penekanan yang penting untuk mengangkat nilai Islam yang universal dan yang inklusif. Asad dengan tafsiran yang ekstensif bersandarkan hujah akliah yang meyakinkan. dari pandangan mufassir yang muktabar. yang digarap dari n dan Kupasannya ini memberi kefahaman yang jelas terhadap pesan dakwah Islam yang universal dan mengangkat nilai-nilai maqasidnya yang murni dan rasional.menggagaskan prinsip Islam yang menjelaskan fikrah dan idealisme dakwah yang signifikan digariskan dalam al-Quran.

Ayat 58 surah al-Nisa yang menggariskan prinsip amanah dan adil ini dikaitkan dengan ayat berikutnya tentang kebijakan asas dalam negara hukum dan syarat dalam mengangkat pemerintah (ulil amr), yang sanggup menegakkan nilai-nilai syariyah: Wahai orang-orang yang telah mencapai keimanan! Taatilah Allah, dan taatilah Rasul (saw), dan orang-orang yang mempunyai kuasa di kalangan kamu; dan sekiranya kamu berselisih dalam sesuatu perkara, maka kembalilah kepada Allah dan Rasulnya (saw), sekiranya kamu benar-benar beriman kepada Tuhan dan Hari Akhir: itu adalah yang terbaik [bagi kamu] dan terbaik dalam perhitungan akhir. [4: 59] Pandangan ini juga dilakarkan oleh Muhammad Asad dalam The Message of Quran, yang berhujah bahawa ayat ini melantarkan dasar yang jelas tentang kuasa moral dan politik yang fundamental dalam syariat: baca perkaitannya dengan ayat 3:26, yang menyatakan Tuhan sebagai Tuhan penguasa seluruh alam dan justeru sumber akhir dari semua autoriti moral dan politik ayat di atas melantarkan peraturan yang fundamental tentang tata tindak seseorang yang beriman dan juga konsep basis tentang tatacara pengurusan negara Islam. Kuasa politik dipegang sebagai mandat (amanah) dari Tuhan; dan kehendakNya, sebagaimana diperlihatkan dalam perintahnya mencakup Undang-Undang Islam, adalah sumber yang sebenar dari semua kedaulatan. Penekanan, dalam konteks ini, terhadap mereka dari kalangan kamu yang diamanahkan memegang kuasa membuatkannya jelas bahawa pemegang autoriti (ulu l-amr) dalam sebuah negara Islam haruslah seorang Muslim.

Purification of the Heart

Signs Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart Translation and Commentary of Imam al-Mawlud's Mathar al-Qulub By Hamza Yusuf Paperback: 212 pages ISBN-13: 9781929694150 Publisher: Starlatch Press, U.S.

About The Book

Purification of the Heart, as its title states, is a course on the vessel of human spirituality, character, and morality -- the heart. The suffering and problems that we confront in our lives on a personal and even global level actually come down to the condition of the heart.

Muslim scholars throughout history have written extensively on this topic, as prompted by the wellknown statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and verses of the Quran.

This present text is based on the poem known as Matharat al-Qulub (literally, Purification of the Hearts), which offers a means by which purification can be achieved. It was written by a great scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud al-Ya'qubi al-Musawi al-Muratani. As his name indicates, he was from Mauritania in West Africa. He was a brilliant scholar who mastered all of the Islamic sciences, including the inward sciences of the soul. The spiritual diseases of the heart addressed in this volume include: miserliness, wantonness, hatred, iniquity, envy, ostentation, vanity, fraud, and more. Imam Mawlud directs his attention to each of these diseases, discusses their causes, and offers cures. His teachings imply that purification is a life-long process, not something that is applied once

and then forgotten. Purity of heart never survives a passive relationship. Rather, it requires constant consideration. This book hopes to introduce to readers how that is done.

The Prophet spoke about the heart in a manner that leads one to believe that its corruption means disaster for the soul and our happiness. "Purification" is not a state per se, as you will soon hear, but is a process and always so. It is called the "Greater Jihad" because the struggle never ends, so long as we live in this world. Our faith depends on winning this struggle, as does the kind of life we will meet in the Hereafter.

"If we examine the trials and tribulations all over earth, well find they are rooted in human hearts. Covetousness, the desire to aggress and exploit, the longing to pilfer natural resources, the inordinate love of wealth, and other maladies are manifestations of diseases found nowhere but in the heart. Every criminal, miser, abuser, scoffer, embezzler, and hateful person does what he or she does because of a diseased heart. So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward. Instead, change the condition of the inward. It is from the unseen world that the phenomenal world emerges, and it is from the unseen realm of our hearts that all actions spring. . . . We of the modern world are reluctant to ask ourselveswhen we look at the terrible things happeningWhy do they occur? And if we ask that with sincerity, the answer will come back in no uncertain terms: all of this is from our own selves. In so many ways, we have brought this upon ourselves. This is the only empowering position that we can take." Excerpted from Hamza Yusufs Introduction

ABOUT HAMZA YUSUF

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977, he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world and studied for ten years in the U. A. E., Saudi Arabia, as well as North and West Africa. He received teaching licenses in various Islamic subjects from several well-known scholars in various countries. After a ten years of studies abroad, he returned to the USA and took degrees in Religious Studies and Health Care. He has traveled all over the world giving talks on Islam. He also founded Zaytuna Institute which has established an international reputation for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West and which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam. Shaykh Hamza is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest University, the Kairoiuin in Fes. In addition, he has translated into modern English several classical Arabic traditional texts and poems.

Pencerahan yang dibawa dari karya tafsir Muhammad Asad ini telah mencetuskan faham

pembaharuan yang meluas di dunia Islam yang terkesan dari pemikiran islah Sayyid Jamal alDin al-Afghani, Shaykh Muhammad Abduh, dan Shaykh Muhammad Rashid Rida. Tidak ada versi al-Qurn lain dalam bahasa Inggeris yang memuatkan komentar dan interpretasi yang ekstensif yang dinukil dari mufassir besar, yang karya aslinya hanya dapat diakses oleh ulama Arab. Sepertimana sarjana Muslim British yang terkemuka, Hasan Gain Eaton, mengungkapkan dalam Prolog barunya kepada karya tersebut, tidak ada satu nukilan yang lebih bermanfaat sebagai petunjuk kepada al-Qurn dalam bahasa Inggeris dari terjemahan dan komentar Muhammad Asad, dan tiada penterjemah lain yang telah berhasil menyampaikan sedekatnya makna al-Qurn kepada mereka yang tidak mampu membaca teks Arab atau komentar klasik.

Leopold Weiss dilahirkan pada 2 July 1900. Muhammad Asad meninggal dunia apada 20 July 1992. Beliau dikebumikan di tanah perkuburan Islam Granada, Andalusia.

About the Author

Muhammad Asad was a Polish-born journalist, writer, translator, and diplomat. He is the author of The Road to Mecca.

Product Details

File Size: 2815 KB Print Length: 998 pages Publisher: The Book Foundation (December 17, 2008) Language: Malay, English and/or Arabic

All manuscripts should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) with a standard font Times New Roman of 12 points. Manuscripts should not exceed 20 pages (1.5 spacing)

Dawah and human development education/training programmes. 2. 3. Current methods of dawah and technologies used in disseminating dawah. Institutions/organisations of dawah and human development.

4. Challenges faced by dawah and human development practitioners in various issues of dawah. 5. The thoughts and contributions of Muslim scholars in dawah and human development. To develop and discuss academic research which related to dawah and human development disciplines. 2. To offer new findings on current methods and technologies of dawah.

3. To open space for dawah and human development scholars and practitioners in sharing and expanding their knowledge and practices. 4. To extend and promote high quality research on dawah and human development.

The work of dawah is generally considered as a responsibility to every fellow Muslims. Therefore, dawah is suggested to be delivered within individuals capacity and strength. However, in order for dawah to be efficiently performed, dawah should be propagated wisely through a systematic approach, and people who are professionally involved in dawah should have profound knowledge and skills in many fields. Current development shows that scholars in dawah are moving towards various methodological approaches in order to gain effective ways inviting fellow Muslims and non-Muslims to the message of Islam. This includes having knowledge related to human development, spirituality, psychology, ethnicity and culture, diverse aspects of religious ideas and values, and communication and information technology competencies. Based on this background, Department of Dawah and Human Development, Academy of Islamic Studies takes an initiative to address recent important issues in relation to Dawah and Muslim world. It is also to provide a platform for scholars and practitioners to identify any challenges faced in disseminating da'wah. The seminar will discuss around areas of da'wah specialisation, the need for da'wah in the era of globalisation; institutions and sharing of experiences in the field of da'wah; contributions and achievements of prominent Muslim scholars; communications skills and other methods of dawah.
Al-Ustaz al-Imam Muhammad Abduh digambarkan sebagai figur dakwah yang terkemuka di dunia Islam yang telah mencetuskan gagasan pembaharuan dan menzahirkan pengaruh yang monumental dalam pemikiran Islam moden. Perjuangan Abduh berteraskan kepada ide Pan Islamisme yang digagaskan oleh Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Afghani yang menyeru kepada kebebasan fikiran dan pemugaran ijtihad.

Usaha kebangkitan dan pemberdayaan massa ini diungkapkan oleh Al-Haj Abdul Malik Abdul Karim Amrullah (Hamka) sebagai aspirasi perubahan yang merangkul ide modernis yang inklusif berdasar al-Quran dan al-Hadith. Mereka yang biasa melazimi karya Buya Hamka pasti merumuskan bahawa asas pemikiran Abduh tentang perjuangan dan kefahaman politik Islam dan cita-cita perjuangannya adalah demi membawa kepada harakah perubahan yang bersendikan agenda islah dantajdid. Pengaruh Abduh dalam Gerakan Reformis Sesungguhnya telah terserlah kekuatan fikrah dan idealisme Abduh yang tuntas sebagai politikus dan mufti ad-dayyar yang besar yang mengungkapkan ide pembaharuan dan keadilan dan menzahirkan upayanya untuk melonjakkan semangat pembaharuan Islam yang substantif. Pandangan yang diketengahkan Abduh dalam makalah pentingnya alRisalah al-Waridah telah membawa perubahan yang radikal di al-Azhar dan menggerakkan pemikiran islah dan idealisme mazhab yang segar dan fiqh sunni yang seminal. Abduh merupakan penerus kepada cita-cita perjuangan yang dilandaskan oleh gurunya, Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Afghani. Perjuangan al-Afghani di Mesir, Iran, Paris, dan Afghanistan telah dizahirkan dalam karya dan fatwa Abduh yang memperlihatkan aspirasinya untuk mengangkat martabat agama,aqal, dan sains. Ide pencerahan yang diilhamkannya telah membawa perubahan penting dalam kehidupan masyarakat dan memangkin kekuatan baru dalam sejarah sosio-budaya umat. Kesan pemikiran Abduh telah memberikan pengaruh yang meluas dalam gerakan Islam sedunia. Pendiri Muhammadiyah, Ahmad Dahlan, sang pencerah yang membawa gerakan pembaharuan di Indonesia telah terkesan dengan pengaruh perjuangan Abduh di Mesir. Sayid Shaykh al-Hadi yang melontarkan pesan pembaharuan dan meniupkan mesej nahdah di Tanah Melayu juga terkesan dengan gagasan pan-Islamisme yang digerakkan oleh Abduh. Demikian juga rakan-rakannya yang digelar Kaum Muda seperti Shaykh Tahir Jalaluddin, Burhanuddin al-Helmi dan Pendeta Zaba. Pelajar-pelajar Melayu dan Indonesia yang menuntut di Mesir di zaman kebangkitan ketika itu terpukau dengan watak dakwah dan cetusan ide Abduh yang menzahirkan hasrat pembaharuannya dengan lantang dan memplokamirkan gagasan dan cita-cita perjuangan yang jitu terhadap gerakan Islam. Abduh telah merakamkan sumbangan yang bermakna dalam mengangkat dan menggerakkan kekuatan dan semangat perjuangan Islam di seluruh dunia. Hasil karyanya yang ditulis sejak akhir kurun ke 19 telah menzahirkan corak dakwah yang revolusioner dan mewarnai pemikiran dan pandangan Islam kontemporer.

Pengaruh dan dampak yang jelas daripada pemikiran Abduh dalam karya tafsir, diperlihatkan dalam penulisan kitab magnum opus The Message of The Quran oleh Muhammad Asad, seperti dinyatakannya: Pembaca akan dapati banyak rujukan yang dibuat daripada pandangan Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905) di nota kaki. Pengaruh beliau dalam dunia moden Islam tidak mampu untuk dijelaskan sepenuhnya. Cukup untuk dinyatakan bahawa setiap aliran pemikiran Islam yang tumbuh di zaman moden adalah berakar daripada pengaruh yang bercambah dari tradisi pemikiran dan idealisme beliau, secara langsung atau tidak. Abduh Selaku Syaikh al-Azhar Muhammad Abduh diangkat sebagai ulama dan Syaikh al-Azhar pada 1899. Ketika menerajui Azhar dan menjawat mufti besar di Mesir, beliau meneruskan ide pencerahannya dengan menerapkan rencana pembaharuan yang digagaskan oleh al-Afghani. Perjuangannya yang tak mengenal kalah telah menzahirkan perobahan yang revolusioner terhadap struktur dan kaedah pengajian di al-Azhar yang membangkitkan sentimen di kalangan pemuka Islam dan ulama orthodoks di Mesir. Abduh merombak sistem persekolahan dan pengajaran dan memperkenalkan subjek humanis, falsafah, sejarah dan mewajibkan mata pelajaran sains di kulliyyah. Gerakan pemikiran yang dibawa dan diterapkan secara radikal ini telah merobah secara tuntas pendekatan ulama dalam memahami tafsir dan hadith dan mencetuskan kekuatan dan keyakinan baru terhadap kelompok muda. Asas yang dibentuk oleh Abduh ini telah berhasil melahir dan membangkitkan kader bagi merealisasi cita-cita Islamiyahnya. Sayyid Muhammad Rasyid Rida, murid al-Ustaz al-Imam yang palling ulung telah menulis sebuah kitab yang sangat bermanfaat berjudul Tarikh al-Ustadh al-Imam Muhammad Abduh. Kitab yang ditulis oleh Sayyid Rasyid Rida ini merupakan rujukan teks yang penting dan autoritatif yang mengetengahkan pandangan dan ketangkasan ide sang reformis, ketahanan daya juang dan tekad perjuangannya yang kental, dan menampilkan sosok dan sudut humanis Abduh yang terbaik, sebagaimana diungkapkannya dalam majalah al-Manar: Sesungguhnya ini merupakan sebuah suara lantang yang ditulis di dalam bahasa Arab yang cukup jelas. Ia adalah seruan kebenaran daripada bangsa Arab yang akan menusuk ke telinga bangsa Timur. Ia terbit dari tempat yang tidak jauh sehingga dapat didengari oleh orang Timur dan Barat, dibawa angin lantas dinikmati pula oleh orang-orang Turki dan Parsi. Penampilan Abduh sebagai mufassir besar dizahirkan dalam bab pertama dengan perbincangan teks yang analitis dan terperinci dalam mengupas surah-surah awal. Kitab

yang dihasilkan dalam dua jilid besar ini merakamkan dengan terperinci biografi Imam Muhammad Abduh dan memuatkan memoir dan catatan-catatan penting yang dihasilkannya sepanjang berkempen di Mesir. Ia turut mencantumkan intisari penting dan tema-tema besar pemikirannya yang diilhamkan daripada pengaruh al-Afghani dan melampirkan makalah ringkas yang ditulisnya tentang tafsir al-Quran yang pernah dimuatkan dalam akhbar al-Muayyid dan al-Manar. Aliran Rasionalisma Abduh Rasyid Rida adalah murid Abduh yang akrab. Watak dan syakhsiah Abduh yang revolusioner telah meresap dalam fikrah, dan karakter tafsirnya. Tafsir al-Manar yang diklaim sebagai tafsir terbaik di abad ini adalah penyempurna kepada hasrat pembaharuan yang diasaskan oleh al-Afghani dan Abduh. Kekagumannya terhadap Abduh terpahat dalam karya dan analisis yang dikemukakannya tentang kepentingan perjuangan dan pemikiran Abduh, yang digelarnya sebagai Hakim al-Islam. Pengaruh Rasyid Rida juga terpahat dalam politik Mesir yang bergolak ketika itu. Rida dikenal sebagai reformis, moralis, idealis, arabis, faqih, filasuf, mufassir, muhaddith dan historis yang hebat dalam sejarah pemikiran dan harakah kebudayaan Arab dan Islam. Keunggulannya sebagai peneraju wacana sosial dan pemikiran Islam diiktiraf dengan penghasilan yang mantap dan substantif dalam penulisan hadith, sirah, tasawwuf, tafsir, dan fiqh al-muasir. Tafsir al-Manar yang dilakarkannya adalah sebuah hasil tulisan yang populis dan kontemporer yang meraikan manhaj tafsir bil mathur dantafsir bil maqul sebagai landasan dan pijakan teks yang ideal. Tafsirnya diperkukuh dengan hujah dan dalil yang mendasar dan telah menzahirkan pengaruh besar kepada masyarakat Islam yang mula mendukung pandangannya yang bebas dan rasional. Kaedah tafsir ini yang bukan hanya berdasarkan sumber yang sahih tetapi juga aqal yang rasional telah dipertahankan dengan tuntas oleh Shaykh al-Azhar kemudiannya iaitu Shaykh Mustafa al-Maraghi yang kemudiannya turut mengarang tafsir kontemporari yang sangat menarik sebanyak sepuluh jilid yang dikenali sebagai Tafsir al-Maraghi. Bersandarkan idealisme Abduh dalam mengketengahkan rasionalisma, Syaikh Mustafa alMaraghi menyatakan dalam mukaddimah tafsirnya: Maka dengan itu kami tidak mendatangkan riwayat-riwayat kecuali riwayat yang dapat diterima dan dibenarkan berdasar ilmu pengetahuan. Dan kami tidak melihat di sana hal-hal yang menyimpang daripada permasalahan agama yang tidak diperselisihkan oleh para ahli.

Menurut kami, yang demikian itu lebih selamat untuk menafsirkan kitabullah serta menarik hati orang-orang yang berkebudayaan ilmiah yang tidak mungkin puas kecuali dengan bukti-bukti dan dalil-dalil serta cahaya pengetahuan yang benar. Demikian juga dinyatakan oleh penulis Tafsir al-Azhar iaitu Buya Hamka yang menyebut: Syeikh Muhammmad Abduh adalah orang yang mula-mula membuka fikiran baru. Tegasnya fahaman muda di Mesir. Di dalam bahasa Inggeris ditulis: The first leader of modern thought in Egypt (Perintis pemikiran moden di Mesir). Petujuk al-Manar Rasyid Rida telah menghuraikan fikrah Abduh yang disampaikan dalam kuliahnya tentang faham mazhab dan fiqh Islam yang luas yang disandarkan kepada keterangan ayat, hadith dan hikmah syarak. Dalam muqaddimah Tafsirnya, beliau mengungkapkan: Ini adalah satu-satunya tafsir yang mencantumkan tafsir al-mathur(berdasarkan hadith) yang sahih dan tafsir al-maqul (aqliah) yang sarih (jelas), yang menjelaskan hukum syarak, dan sunan (ketentuan) Allah pada insan, dan kenyataan al-Quran sebagai hidayah (petunjuk) untuk manusia di setiap tempat dan masa. Katanya lagi: Dan ia menimbangkan antara hidayahnya dengan kondisi manusia pada waktu ini, dan sesungguhnya mereka telah membelakangkannya, dan keadaan kaum salaf (terdahulu) daripada mereka yang mendakap talinya dengan erat, dengan meraikan kemudahan pada tabirnya (ungkapan), dan menjauhi perbahasan yang berkait dengan peristilahan sains dan seni, dengan cara yang difahami oleh umum. Sesungguhnya dengan itu ia tidak dapat disingkirkan olehnya kaum yang khusus, dan inilah haluan yang diikuti olehnya ketika menyampaikan durusnya (pengajian) di (Jami) al-Azhar oleh Hakim alIslam al-Ustadh al-Imam al-Shaykh Muhammad Abduh. Demikianlah ungkapan Sayyid Muhammad Rasyid Rida dalam Tafsir al-Quran al-Hakim almushtahar bi ism Tafsir al-Manar yang dicetak oleh Dar al-Manar; Kaherah pada tahun 1947 bersamaan dengan 1366 Hijriah.