Razi: Master of Qur'anic Interpretation and Theological Reasoning

by Tariq Jaffer

Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Study of Textual Studies from the American Academy of Religion

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1148 - 1210) wrote prolifically in the disciplines of theology, Quranic exegesis, and philosophy. He composed treatises on jurisprudence, medicine, physiognomy, astronomy, and astrology. His body of work marks a momentous turning point in the Islamic tradition and his influence within the post-classical Islamic tradition is striking. After his death in 1210 his works became standard textbooks in Islamic institutions of higher learning. Razi investigates his transformative contributions to the Islamic intellectual tradition.

One of the leading representatives of Sunni orthodoxy in medieval Islam, Razi was the first intellectual to exploit the rich heritage of ancient and Islamic philosophy to interpret the Quran. Jaffer uncovers Razi's boldly unconventional intellectual aspirations. The book elucidates the development of Razi's unique appropriation of methods and ideas from ancient and Islamic philosophy into a unified Quranic commentary--and consequently into the Sunni worldview.

Jaffer shows that the genre of Quranic commentary in the post-classical period contains a wealth of philosophical material that is of major interest for the history of philosophical ideas in Islam and for the interaction of the aqli ("rational") and naqli ("traditional") sciences in Islamic civilization. Jaffer demonstrates the ways Razi reconciled the opposing intellectual trends of his milieu on major methodological conflicts. A highly original work, this book brilliantly repositions the central aims of Razi's intellectual program.

Genres: Islam, Religion

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Tahir Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this work Tariq Jaffer explores the ideas of Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) in the context of the intellectual currents of his social environment through the lens of his Qu'rānic exegesis (tafsīr). The methodology in his tafsīr has an emphasis of reconciling aql (reason) and naql (scriptural canon). If "scripture conveys evidence that God is in a direction or place, and the faculty of reason provides evidence that God is transcendent above direction and place, which source ought to be given priority?" Al-Rāzī assimilates a range of diverse sciences into his tafsīr "by exploiting the rich resources of the ancient and Islamic sciences" by analysing their veracity. We therefore get a look at his methodical synthesis in unifying these different sciences in to this one discipline of Qu'rānic exegesis. Enter the “Master of Qu'rānic Interpretation and Theological Reasoning”.

In the introduction the author traces the development of the study of al-Rāzī by Western scholars up until now. The major contribution has been in the twenty-first century with Ayman Shihadeh’s “The Teleological Ethics of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī” published in 2006. However, his works have garnered attention in the West since 1912. The latter half of the introduction breaks down the objectives of the author in each chapter. You have more appreciation for this section after you’ve finished reading the work as you can connect the dots. The introduction concludes with a very short (eight point) summary of the milestones in this prestigious theologian’s life. Unfortunately, we do not get a look at his life from a biographical perspective in the introduction or otherwise.

The first chapter begins by espousing the concept of doubt and how it has been used as a prerequisite to ascertaining certainty. This is then mirrored in the Ash'arī School and their perspective on belief (imān) through taqlīd (uncritical acceptance of authority). The author does a really good job in presenting the perspectives of the pillars of Ash'arīsm on this concept. He presents the view of Imām Abul al-Hasan al-Ash'arī (d. 324/936), Imām Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī (d. 403/1013), Imām al-Haramayn al-Juwaynī (d. 478/1085) and Imām Abū Hamid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) who all echo the position that taqlīd in assenting to belief is unacceptable and one must examine the rational evidences for oneself to attain truth.

We thus begin with al-Rāzī's concern of the uncritical acceptance of authority (taqlīd). He however not only attaches this to imān but extends it to other disciplines such as philosophy and tafsīr with the added function in his tafsīr of organising “all knowledge that was available during his time within the framework of his commentary". This includes disciplines such as logic, physics, metaphysics, astronomy, medicine, law, hadīth, kalām and mysticism. He wanted to expose previous errors in these fields by investigating and discussing their problems and their epistemic value in order to test their veracity; ultimately seeking to resolve them. The systematic procedure he employs seeks to demonstrate that you can elicit a thousand questions from a single verse of the Qu'rān. We get an insight in to this through the verse "the Master of the Day of Doom" from which al-Rāzī demonstrates his proposition, e.g. the nature of the soul’s substance, evidence that God’s power can cause the soul to return etc. The ultimate purpose devised in his methodology was to deter "commentators from uncritically assenting to interpretations and arguments" from previous authorities.

The final part of the first chapter examines the method in the Qu'rān itself which al-Rāzī points out is unmatched and the most advantageous in engaging the intellect. The first example in this work is of the verse 6:59, "With Him are the Keys of the Unseen", and how the verses that follow it instruct the audience through sensorial representations. Al-Rāzī's explanation of the method in which the Qu'rān substantiates theology through a didactic process which is logical and appeals to the faculties of intellect and the imagination was a joy to read. The author’s flow of the text and the manner in which he has written it keeps you engaged and this is followed in the second example of the Verse of the Throne. Again, it is broken down and argued that the verse is further confirmation of intellectual proofs which have also been established by Avicennian philosophical concepts thus making the point that philosophical knowledge derives its authority from the Qu'rān. He highlights the pattern in which this verse is presented and how it is tailored to the human intellects mode of discursive reasoning. It was an excellent example of reconciling aql and naql. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this part of the book. It made me reflect on the Word of God and the deeper aspects of it beyond the text itself, i.e. the purposeful arrangement of the verses which engage your senses.

The second chapter is a look at the origins of the methods adopted by al-Rāzī. He is an established pillar of authority in the Ash'arī school but as this chapter investigates, his methodology is strongly Mu'tazilite. He assigns a very authoritative role to reason. Al-Rāzī is obviously not of the Mu'tazilites as he disagrees with many of their foundational positions but "he is indebted to them for their methodology" which is explored further in this chapter. The author states his views are characteristic of the Mu'tazila but I saw them as no less as Māturīdī. For example, the author states that al-Rāzī "continued the Mu'tazilite trend that aimed to harmonise reason and divine revelation. According to this postulate, God is knowable through human reasoning. God's being and attributes are discoverable through human reasoning." This all conforms to Māturīdī theology which states that God can be known through the use of the intellect without the aid of revelation. However, where it does depart from the Māturīdīs is the treatment of mutashābihāt (ambiguous) verses. The Māturīdīs (dominant position of the school) do not interpret them and state that they are entrusting their meaning to God, i.e. the meaning of such ambiguities are known only to God. Al-Rāzī on the other hand interprets "He ascended the Throne" (57:4) as "to take possession of" or "to become master of", very much in line with the ta'wil methods of previous Ash'arī authorities like al-Juwaynī and al-Ghazālī who also gave prominence to reason as a source of knowledge to validate core beliefs.

The next part of the chapter seeks to demonstrate how al-Rāzī integrated the "Mu'tazilite interpretive method" in to Sunnism. I found this small section a dry read but it instantly picks up again when discussing the epistemological criterion for the application of ta'wil. Here we see how al-Ghazālī and al-Juwaynī tackled the ta'wil issue as well as al-Rāzī's inheritance of it from them. However, al-Rāzī sees the hadīth literature, even tawatur reports, as only yielding probable knowledge and not certain knowledge due to the many problems that can occur through transmission (al-Rāzī gives his justification for this in the book). This impacts the naql element of his tafsīr as he sets the pedestal very high for necessary/certain knowledge and this results in rejection of some of the reports attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallam) which "smacks of Mu'tazilism" influence. He argued such reports can only be accepted if one can establish that they came from the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallam) but this isn't possible on their own merit due to the issues he lists with their transmission hence as evidenced later in the book, establishing probable knowledge must go through the filter of the intellect to establish certain knowledge. In my opinion this wasn't a novel methodology of hadīth, except that it was extended to tawātur reports, as even the "hadīth weary" Hanafis, as Jonathan Brown describes them, would analyse the matn (and filter it through the intellect (unless it is mutāwatir/mashur or from a faqih Sahābi narrator) before accepting narrations and some of these Hanafis that codifed these principles were Mu'tazilites, i.e. ʿĪsā b. Abān (d. 220/835) and of course the Mu'tazilites themselves were very critical of hadīth). Al-Rāzī's concern was focussed on the transmission and its contingency which led him to classify tawātur reports as probable and not certain, something which without doubt would have made him a target in traditionalist circles.

The third chapter analyses his methodology in reconciling aql and naql. If the two of them clash then how is one to resolve this issue? We see how al-Rāzī tackles this problem by establishing that ta'wil (or the alternative of entrusting the meaning to God) is a logical necessity. To reject reason is to reject scripture according to al-Rāzī as it will lead to logical impossibilities and absurdities. How do you then establish naql on rational grounds? This is one of the issues addressed by al-Rāzī and the Ash'arī scholars in this chapter. We also get a look at the reception of his methodology in Traditional circles and their refutation through the perspective of Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328). He was highly critical of al-Rāzī's ta'wil methods and was of the opinion that scripture (naql) takes precedence over reason (aql). He turns the argument on its head by stating that "reason approved the truth of scripture" in the first instance so if the two of them conflict then to deny scripture is to deny the rational evidence which established its truth. He therefore holds to the apparent and declares God to be in a direction, namely, "above". The chapter makes for a really good read in analysing two different methodologies and their reasoning behind them.

The final two chapters further convey al-Rāzī's practice of ta'wil and how he systematised Avicennian philosophy into his Qu'rān commentary in his various works. The author presents al-Rāzī's tafsīr of the Qu'rān, 24:35, the Light Verse. We see a mixture of his rational approach as well as "methods and principles characteristic of classical Sūfism". He adopts the position of al-Ghazālī here who in turn also modelled his view from Ibn Sīnā (d. 428/1037) i.e. Avicenna. On another occasion we see how al-Rāzi interprets the same verse through classical Sūfism, diverging from philosophical and rationalist methods. He goes from proposing the intellect acquires theoretical knowledge through discursive reasoning (or intuition) to knowledge of the divine is bestowed upon an individual's heart by God. This is an example of how he applied different and diverse methods on the same verse which, as the author states, is just one example of the many times he does this in his commentary. The final chapter concludes with a look at al-Rāzī’s interpretation of the soul (nafs) and the spirit (rūh) and how he resolves difficulties concerning their nature by adopting fundamental elements from Abū Ishāq al-Nazzām (d. 230/845), a Mu’tazilite.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read about the method al-Rāzī incorporates in his tafsīr. When any passage from al-Rāzī is quoted by the author you are not left to decipher the extract yourself, it is always followed up with a commentary by the author. However the work has its shortcomings in that you don’t get an insight in to the debates he had with the various groups from the Mu'tazila to the Hanbalis. We never gauge how he developed as a scholar and theologian. You will not learn who his teachers are or his students so do not expect a life and works composition. The verses of the Qu'rān from his commentary that are presented in this work for examination are explored in depth but ultimately what you’re taking away from this book is how al-Rāzī engineers diverse disciplines in to one orthodox framework in his tafsīr. The aim was to introduce these different sciences in to the field of tafsīr as branches of knowledge for the orthodox mainstream which the Qu'rān itself has hidden within it for those that have the capacity to extract them. The author states that he was "the first Sunnī theologian to develop a methodology that unified reason (aql) and the scriptural canon (naql), which included the Qu'rān and prophetic traditions." However, in my opinion this endeavour was undertaken by Shaykh Abū Mansur al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) prior to al-Rāzī in his tafsīr, Ta'wilāt Ahle Sunnah. What al-Rāzī has introduced in to his tafsīr are textual devices to avoid taqlīd (something al-Māturīdī stresses to avoid too) as well as incorporating many different disciplines in to one field. This, no doubt, was a unique and masterful approach by al-Rāzī to advance the intellectual milieu of his people and future generations, may Allāh be pleased with him.

[Mostafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

أستطيع مطالعة عدة كتب أكاديميّة من المصادر الموفّرة لي من الجامعة، وكنت قد وقعت على هذا الكتاب من خلال بحثي، فقلت: "لعلّي أحمل نفسي على قراءته لاكتساب مصطلحات العلم بالإنجليزية"، وكان القلب مقبوضا مخافة السطحية والأغاليط، لتعوّدي ذلك من المفكرين العرب الذين يكتبون في هذه المسائل. إذ قلّما أقرا كتابا "عن شخص" دون أن أجد أنف الكاتب في النص، وأحيان لا أجد جهدا من الكاتب في فهم تلك الشخصية أصلا؛ بل الغالب هي محاولة تسخير تلك الشخصية لخدمة "النظام الفكري" للمؤلف، مع قطع النظر عما أرادته الشخصية أصلا.

كانت هذه حالتي الذهنية قبل قراءتي الكتاب، لكنّي أجبرت النفس، والحمدلله أنّي فعلت؛ الكتاب عظيم بكل ما تحمله الكلمة من معنى. يتناول الكتاب بالبحث أسلوب الرازي في التفسير، ونظريته في التأويل، ومشروعه في توفيق العقل والنقل، ومقارنة كل هذا بمنهج الجويني الغزالي والشيخ الرئيس ومنهج السادة الأشاعرة الأوائل. وتعرّض لمحاولة رد الإمام ابن تيمية لمنهج الرازي، ووصيته، وبروز منهج الرازي التفسيري في آية الكرسي وآية الروح وآية النور. وأكثرَ النقولات من أمهات الكتب وتحليلها بعباراته وشرحها.

أثناء مطالعتي للكتاب لاحظت أنه أرجع المنهج التأويلي لآيات الاستواء واليد وأمثالها عند الإمام الرازي -رحمه الله- إلى الاعتزال. وكنت أظن في كلامه مجانبة الدقة. حيث بدأ بعرض منهج الشيخ الأشعري ومولانا القشيري في المسألة، ويمكن تلخيصها بأن المجيء والنزول والاستواء صفات للمولى، لا يُعنى بها النقلة التي هي انتقال الجسم من حيز لآخر، ولا يُعنى بها أمورا مجازية أخرى، بل هي صفات حقيقة للمولى تعالى، ليست بجسمانية، وليست معلومة المعنى لنا.
• ثم بدأ بتوضيح بعدها مختار الرازي في التأويل، وسمّاه منهجا اعتزاليا أو أنه تأثر من الإمام بالمعتزلة، ويبيّن أنه مبنيٌّ على ثلاث مقدمات:
1. إذا كان ظاهر آية قرآنية مخالف للقواعد العقلية اليقينية المتوصّل إليها عن طريق النظر الإنساني، فظاهر الآية محال عقلي.
2. طالما أنه لابد من توافق النقل والعقل، يمتنع أن يكون المعنى المراد من النص هو ذلك المعنى المحال.
3. إذن لابد على المفسّر من صرف المعنى الظاهر إلى آخر.

لكن تسمية هذا التأثر تأثرا بالمنهج الاعتزالي بعيد بعض الشيء، إذ سبق الرازي إليه إمام الحرمين الجويني وحجة الإسلام الغزالي. فللغزالي كتاب قانون التأويل، وفي اقتصاده يقول: "لأن عقول العوام لا تتسع لقبول المعقولات، ولا إحاطتهم باللغات تتسع لفهم توسعات العرب في الاستعارات، وأما العلماء، فاللائق بهم تعرّف ذلك وتفهمه". وأيضا: "ولكنا لسنا نرتضي قول من يقول: إن ذلك من المتشابهات كحروف أوائل السور". وكله يدل على مخالفة الغزالي لمنهج الأشاعرة المتقدمين، واعتقاده بالتأويل. فكنت أظن أن هذه زلة من الكاتب.

بعد التقدم في الكتاب، لاحظت أنه، في الحقيقة، لم يكن مغيّبا عن هذه الحقيقة، لكنه لم يعتبر المحاولات التأويلية الأولى عند سابقي الرازي بأنها جادّة ومهمة للنظام العقائدي عندهم كما هي في مشروع الرازي، حيث قال:
"By using philosophical resources to resolve the ta'wil-issue, Razi continued a trend that earlier theologians, notably Juwayni and Ghazali, had already started. These two figures, among others, appropriated epistemological concepts from the Aristotelian-Avicenna philosophical tradition and naturalized them into the religious sciences. But Rāzi's contributions surpassed those of earlier figures. Razi integrated philosophical concepts and principles into the religious sciences by making them cornerstones of his methodology, and he applied them systematically to the Qur'an as he commented on it verse-by-verse, line-by-line, and word-by-word."

الحاصل أن الكتاب مفيد وممتع ومتعوب عليه.
لا أدري لِم أشعر بالحاجة لأن أقول "متعوب عليه"، بس لعل ذلك يوضح إشكالية موجودة في الكتب التي تتناول هذا المجال "دراسة".

[Arman Firman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated it 5 at first, but after reading a review by nicolai sinai and giving it a second look, it can't really get more than 4. I hope the author will fix the problems in a second edition.

[Shahrian Shihab · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good if you want to understand the theological and philosophical ideas of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. But it clearly contains many mistakes on different issues including Ash'arite theology, Traditionalist theology, Ibn Taymiyya etc.

Actual rating: 2.75/5 stars