Razi : Master of Qur'anic Interpretation

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Razi : Master of Qur'anic Interpretation,
& Theological Reasoning -
*[A5+] Paperback - 252 pages,
by Tariq Jaffer,
Published by Oxford University Press, USA.

Back in Stock April 2020

Description :

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, may Allah be pleased with him, (1148 - 1210 Common Era) wrote prolifically in the disciplines of theology, Qur'anic 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^_C.E. his works became standard textbooks in Islamic institutions of higher learning (Dars e Nizami). The author investigates the Imam's 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 Qur'an. 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 Qur'anic commentary—and consequently into the Sunni worldview.

Jaffer shows that the genre of Qur'anic 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.

Readership: Students and scholars of Islamic studies. Scholars interested in the intellectual history of Islam, the Qur'an, and the tradition of Qur'anic commentary. Scholars of Razi.

Table of Contents :

---Acknowledgements,
---Introduction.

---[1]. Forging a New Methodology,
------1.1. Razi's escape from taqlid in Philosphy,
------1.2. Razi's escape from taqlid in Qur'an Commentary,
------1.3. The Qur'ans Method.

---[2]. Devising Rules of Exegesis,
------2.1 Razi's engagement with the Mu'tazila,
------2.2. The opponents of 'Mu'tazilite' Ta'wil,
------2.3. Razi's critique of Classical Ash'arism,
------2.4. Razi's integration of the Mu'tazilite interpretive Method into Sunnism,
------2.5. The epistemological criterion for the application of Ta'wil.

---[3]. Reconciling Reason ('Aql) and Transmitted Knowledge (Naql),
------3.1. Razi's rationalist objection to Scripture (al-mu'arid al-'aqli),
------3.2. The priority of reason ('aql) over Scripture (naql),
------3.3. The rational justification for the Prophet's, may Allah bless him & grant him peace, Credibility,
------3.4. Miracles and the Boundaries of Reason,
------3.5. The reception of Razi's Methodology in Islamic Traditionalism : Ibn Taymiyya on Razi.

---[4]. Interpreting the Intellect and Light,
------4.1. Razi's appropriation of Avicenna's Philosophical Exegesis,
------4.2. Razi's reception of Imam al-Ghazali's Interpretation of Light,
------4.3. Razi's Divergences from Avicenna and al-Ghazali : Light as a Bestowal of Knowledge.

---[5]. Interpreting the Soul and Spirit,
------5.1. Razi's Exegesis on the Soul (nafs) and Spirit (ruh) : Structure and Strategy,
------5.2. The Soul's Quiddity (mahiyya) and its Temporal Origination (huduth),
------5.3. The Soul's relation to the Body,
------5.4. Razi's Doctrine on the Vital Spirit,
------5.5. The Soul's Separability : Sleep and Death,
------5.6. The Prophet's, may Allah bless him & grant him peace, Soul.