Abstract
The Qur’an and the Sunnah hold great importance in guiding humanity to the right path, directing people towards divine guidance (hidāyah), and reforming both the material and spiritual dimensions of the individual and social life. These two primary sources have, since the earliest periods of Islam, preserved their status as universal guides capable of addressing the needs and challenges of every era, regardless of changing historical conditions, societal transformations, and differing cultural realities. In this context, the Qur’an and the Sunnah have functioned as dynamic guides that keep the gate of ijtihād open and allow for the derivation of new rulings appropriate to changing conditions of time and place. Accordingly, within the Islamic intellectual tradition, scholars have engaged in ijtihād based on the foundational principles of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, thereby developing solutions tailored to the needs of their respective eras. However, from the late fourth century AH (tenth century CE) onwards, the practice of ijtihād declined and remained limited for centuries. In the nineteenth century CE, however, the issue of ijtihād was reintroduced into scholarly discussions within the Islamic world. In this context, prominent figures of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r (Social Qur’anic Exegesis) school of thought examined the concept of ijtihād in their Qur’anic exegeses and expressed various views on the subject. This article comparatively examines the approaches to ijtihād found in the Qur’anic exegeses of leading representatives of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r school, namely Muhammad Abduh, Rashı̄d Riḍā, al-Marāghı̄, Sayyid Quṭb, Maḥmūd Shaltūt, and, among the Turkish representatives, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Süleyman Ateş. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to present the views of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r school on ijtihād from an analytical and comparative perspective.
1 This article is derived from the doctoral thesis in progress titled “Evaluation of Sayyid Qutb’s Tafsir Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur’ān from the Perspective of Sociological Exegesis/Seyyid Kutub’un Fî Zilâli’l-Kur’ân Tefsirinin İctimaî Tefsirinin Açısından Değerlendirilmesi” at the Graduate School of Education, Usak University.
Keywords: Qur’an, Tafsir, Social Qur’anic Exegesis (Ijtimāı̄ Tafsir), Ijtihād
Abstract
The Qur’an and the Sunnah hold great importance in guiding humanity to the right path, directing people towards divine guidance (hidāyah), and reforming both the material and spiritual dimensions of the individual and social life. These two primary sources have, since the earliest periods of Islam, preserved their status as universal guides capable of addressing the needs and challenges of every era, regardless of changing historical conditions, societal transformations, and differing cultural realities. In this context, the Qur’an and the Sunnah have functioned as dynamic guides that keep the gate of ijtihād open and allow for the derivation of new rulings appropriate to changing conditions of time and place. Accordingly, within the Islamic intellectual tradition, scholars have engaged in ijtihād based on the foundational principles of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, thereby developing solutions tailored to the needs of their respective eras. However, from the late fourth century AH (tenth century CE) onwards, the practice of ijtihād declined and remained limited for centuries. In the nineteenth century CE, however, the issue of ijtihād was reintroduced into scholarly discussions within the Islamic world. In this context, prominent figures of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r (Social Qur’anic Exegesis) school of thought examined the concept of ijtihād in their Qur’anic exegeses and expressed various views on the subject. This article comparatively examines the approaches to ijtihād found in the Qur’anic exegeses of leading representatives of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r school, namely Muhammad Abduh, Rashı̄d Riḍā, al-Marāghı̄, Sayyid Quṭb, Maḥmūd Shaltūt, and, among the Turkish representatives, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Süleyman Ateş. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to present the views of the Ijtimāı̄ Tafsı̄r school on ijtihād from an analytical and comparative perspective.
1 This article is derived from the doctoral thesis in progress titled “Evaluation of Sayyid Qutb’s Tafsir Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur’ān from the Perspective of Sociological Exegesis/Seyyid Kutub’un Fî Zilâli’l-Kur’ân Tefsirinin İctimaî Tefsirinin Açısından Değerlendirilmesi” at the Graduate School of Education, Usak University.
Keywords: Qur’an, Tafsir, Social Qur’anic Exegesis (Ijtimāı̄ Tafsir), Ijtihād
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