The characteristics and approaches of Qasasun in the field of Qur'an interpretation in the early Islamic centuries

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. student, Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

2 Visiting Associate Professor of the Department of Islamic Studies, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran and Associate Professor of the Department of Islamic Studies, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
One of the most effective verbal tools and styles in conveying the concepts and experiences of the nation, which has an ancient history, is storytelling. Stories and storytelling are not specific to a specific culture and land and have existed in every nation and society for a long time. Contrary to Jahiliyyah, where the ignorant storytellers used to tell stories for entertainment, education, and lessons in the Islamic society, this art got a religious color and the newly Muslim Jewish Qasasun used the teachings of their previous religion (Judaism) in the envelope of the Islamic religion, using the style of storytelling. They entered the culture of the society. Qassasun is a little-known and unorganized group that has had an effective presence in Islamic society for several centuries in such a way that in the books of Rijal and translations of the early and middle centuries of Hijri, besides mentioning various guilds of scholars, the group of "Qassasun" is also mentioned. And the word has come out. Since the fields of hadith, history and interpretation have been among the main materials and tools of Qasasun's speeches, their influence on Islamic culture is wide and significant. One of the areas where Qasasun's approach has not been spared is the field of Qur'an interpretation. Our goal in this research is to research and explain the characteristics and reasons of Qassasun's approaches to the field of Qur'an interpretation in the early Islamic centuries. The method of this research is a descriptive-analytical method based on library documents. The findings of the research show that the nature of the activity of this group in the field of interpretation of the Holy Qur'an was in conflict with the contents of the verses of the Qur'an and the teachings of Islam. One of the characteristics of Qasasun's negative approach to the interpretation of the Qur'an is verbosity in the interpretation of the Qur'an and the expression of marginal and unhelpful content while explaining and interpreting the contents of the Qur'anic verses. Even in the interpretation of words from the Qur'an that had a clear meaning or a clear and unambiguous appearance, they quoted long and strange words. Another characteristic of Qasasun's negative approach to interpreting the Qur'an is the distorted interpretations of the character and history of the divine prophets and the noble Prophet of Islam (PBUH). This distorted approach, the purpose of which is to destroy the spiritual and divine personality of the prophets, is based on intense piety, asceticism and pure worship of God Almighty, and an all-round, continuous and very strict jihad against the ego, lusts, carnal and satanic desires, and the purity of the prophets is essential in perceiving, communicating and acting on the divine revelation and their virtue, and lowering the status of the prophets to the understanding of the inferiority of human beings is a captive and a slave to the lusts of the self and is all materialistic and worldly. Another characteristic of the negative approach of Qasasun in the interpretation of the Qur'an is the distortion and destruction of the foundations and fundamental principles of the religion of Islam, that is, its principles, including monotheism, prophethood, resurrection and imamate, were exposed to distortion and misunderstanding and emptying it of the revealed teachings of the Qur'an. The main reason for the activity and negative and destructive approach of Qasasun in the interpretation of the Holy Qur'an is the lack of knowledge of Qasasun in the science of Qur'an interpretation and its rules. It is also a complete and comprehensive reliance on Israel. Punishers and Jews made a lot of effort to match the Holy Quran with the Torah. They constantly tried to make the Qur'an appear like the Torah, full of stories and legends, and to relate the myths and legends with the verses of the Qur'an. The Jews looked at the Torah as the divine book, and in their opinion, the narrations that did not agree with it were considered false. They put the Torah on the same level as the Qur'an.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

References [In Persian & Arabic]
Quran, translated by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi.
Aghabozorg Tehrani, Mohammad Mohsen. (n.d.). Al-Dhariah Ila Tasanif Al-Shi'a. Beirut: Dar Al-Adwa. [In Arabic]
Al-Kattani, Abdul Hayy. (1961). Administrative Ranks. Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Abunaim Isfahani, Ahmad ibn Abdullah. (n.d.). Hilyat Al-Awliya Tabaqat Al-Asfiya, edited by Shafi'i Kadkani. Beirut: Dar Al-Qura. [In Arabic]
Amin, Ahmad. (1979). Pervasive Islam, translated by Abbas Khalili. Tehran: Eqbal. [In Persian]
_____ (n.d.). Zahayr Al-Islam. Lebanon: Dar Al-Kutub Al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Al-Tirmizi, Muhammad ibn Isa. (1982). Sunan, edited by Abdul Wahhab Abdul Latif. Beirut: Dar Al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Ameli, Ja'far Murtadha. (1997). An Introduction to the Life of the Prophet. Translated by Mohammad Sepehri. Qom: Dar al-Sirah. [In Persian]
Askari, Sayyid Murtadha. (1982). The Role of Imams in Reviving the Religion. Compiled by Mohammad Ali Javidan. Tehran: Ahl al-Bayt Institute. [In Persian]
Ayyashi, Mohammad bin Masoud. (2001). Tafsir al-Ayyashi. Edited by Hashem Rasouli. Tehran: Maktabat al-Ilmiyyah. [In Persian]
Al-Fu'adi, Abdul Hadi. (1966). Stories in the Islamic Era. Baghdad: Dar al-Zaman. [In Arabic]
Baghdawi, Abu Muhammad Hussein ibn Mas'ud ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Farra'. (1999). Ma'alim Al-Tanzil Fi Tafsir Al-Qur'an, edited by Abdul Razzaq Al-Mahdi. Beirut: Dar Ihya Al-Turath Al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Balaghi, Sadr al-Din. (2002). Quranic Stories, 17th ed. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [In Persian]
Diyari Bidgoli, Mohammad Taghi. (2000). Research on Israelites in Quranic Exegeses. Tehran: Sohrevardi. [In Persian]
Dehani, Majid al-Rahman et al. (2019). Israelites in the Story of Prophet Moses. Second International Congress on Innovation and Research in Humanities and Islamic Sciences. [In Persian]
Firoozabadi, Majd al-Din Abu Taher Mohammad bin Ya'qub. (1996). Basa'ir Dhawi al-Tamyiz fi Lata'if al-Kitab al-Aziz. Edited by Mohammad Ali al-Najjar. Cairo: Ihya al-Turath al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Ghazali, Mohammad bin Mohammad. (n.d.). Ihya Ulum al-Din. Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Husseini Milani, Sayed Ali. (2004). Extracting the Objectives from Analyzing the Similes. Qom: Chapekhaneye Sharie. [In Persian]
Halabi, Ali ibn Burhan al-Din. (n.d.). Al-Sirah Al-Halabiyyah. Beirut: Dar Ihya Al-Turath Al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Hamawi, Yaqut ibn Abdullah. (1998). Mu'jam Al-Buldan. Beirut: Dar Ihya Al-Turath Al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Hanbali, Ibn Rajab. (2004). Dhayl Tabaqat Al-Hanabilah, edited by Abdul Rahman bin Sulaiman Al-Uthaimin. Riyadh: Maktabah Al-Ubaykan. [In Arabic]
Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abdullah. (1988). Al-Musannaf, edited by Saeed Al-Lahham. Beirut: Dar Al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Ibn Babawayh. (1985). Al-Illal Al-Sharai. Qom: Davari Bookstore. [In Persian]
Ibn Jazari, Shams al-Din Abu al-Khair. (1972). Ghayat Al-Nihaya Fi Tabqat Al-Qurra. Cairo: Maktaba Ibn Taimiyah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Juzayy, Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali. (n.d.). Nawaṣikh Al-Qur'an. Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad. (n.d.). Musnad. Beirut: Dar Sadir. [In Arabic]
Ibn Sa’d. (1998). Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, edited by Abdul Qadir Ata. Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Shabba al-Nimairi, Abu Zaid Omar. (1990). Tarikh Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, edited by Fahim Shaltout. Qom: Dar Al-Fikr. [In Persian]
Ibn Adi, Abdullah. (1989). Al-Kamil, edited by Yahya Mokhtar Ghazavi. Beirut: Dar Al-Fikr. [In Arabic ]
Ibn Asakir, Ali ibn Hasan. (1994). Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, edited by Ali Shiri. Beirut: Dar Al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Ibn Mubarak, Abdullah. (1990). Musnad, edited by Mustafa Usman Muhammad. Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Muflih, Abu Abdullah Muhammad. (1996). Al-Adab Al-Shar'iyah wa Al-Manahil Al-Mur'iyah, edited by Shu'ayb Al-Arnaut. Beirut: Mawsu'at Al-Risalah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Manzur, Muhammad ibn Mukarram. (1993). Lisan Al-Arab, 3rd ed. Beirut: Dar Sadir. [In Arabic]
Jahiz, Amr ibn Bahr. (1927). Al-Bayan wa Al-Tabyin. Cairo: Al-Maktaba Al-Tijariyah Al-Kubra. [In Arabic]
Jafarian, Rasul. (1987). Political History of Islam. Tehran: Dar Rah Haq. [In Persian]
_____. (1999). Storytellers in the History of Islam and Iran. Unknown: Dalil. [In Persian]
Khalili, Sayyed Mohammad Jafar. (2011). The Role of Jews in Society's Deviation during the Caliphate Era and Imam Ali's Resistance. Alavi Research Quarterly, 2(2), pp. 105-124. [In Persian]
Khadiri, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. (1999). Tafsir Al-Tabariyin. Riyadh: Dar Al-Watan. [In Arabic]
Khateeb Baghdadi, Ahmad ibn Ali. (1982). Al-Jami' li Akhlaq Al-Rawi wa Adab Al-Sami'. Riyadh: Maktabah Al-Ma'arif. [In Arabic]
Khateeb Baghdadi, Ahmad ibn Ali. (1996). History of Baghdad, edited by Mustafa Ata. Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah. [In Arabic]
Mahallati, Zabihullah. (2000). The Judgments of Imam Ali. Tehran: Qaem Nowin. [In Persian]
Mustafawi, Hassan. (1981). Investigation into the Words of the Holy Quran. Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing Agency. [In Persian]
Mo'in, Mohammad. (2012). Moin's Dictionary. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications. [In Persian]
Mulla Ali Qari, Nur al-Din Ali bin Mohammad. (1987). Al-Asrar al-Marfu'ah fi Akhbar al-Mawdu'ah (al-Mawdu'at al-Kubra). Edited by Mohammad Lutfi al-Saba. Beirut: Al-Maktab al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Nanaeh, Ramzi. (2011). Israelites and Their Impact on Exegesis Books. Damascus: Dar al-Qalam and Dar al-Bayda. [In Arabic]
Nawayri, Shihab al-Din Ahmad bin Abdul Wahab. (2003). Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun al-Adab. Edited by Mofid Qamhiyyah et al. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah. [In Arabic]
Pakatchi, Ahmad. (2013). Research on Hadith Collections of Sunni Muslims. Tehran: Imam Sadegh University. [In Persian]
Paknejad, Seyyed Reza. (n.d.). Jews and Quraysh. Yazd: Mehdi Charity Foundation. [In Persian]
Qasemi, Hamid Mohammad. (2001). Israelites and Their Influence on Prophet Stories in Quranic Exegesis. Tehran: Soroush. [In Persian]
Qarshi, Sayyid Ali Akbar. (1992). Quran Dictionary. Tehran: Dar al-Kotob al-Islamiyyah. [In Persian]
Qaradawi, Yousuf Abdullah. (1988). Al-Muntakhi min Kitab al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib li al-Mundhiri. Qatar: Center for Sunnah and Sirah Studies. [In Persian]
Subut ibn Ajami, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim. (1996). Kunuz Al-Dhahab Fi Tarikh Al-Halab, edited by Shuqi Shath and Falah Bakour. Halab: Dar Al-Qalam Al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Suyuti, Jalal al-Din Abdul Rahman. (2015). Tahzir Al-Khawas Min Akathib Al-Qasas. Beirut: Al-Maktab Al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Suyuti, Jalal al-Din Abd al-Rahman. (n.d.). Tadrib al-Rawi fi Sharh Taqrib al-Nawawi. Edited by Abu Qutaybah al-Faryabi. Beirut: Dar Tayyiba. [In Arabic]
Suyuti, Jalal al-Din. (1980). Al-Jami al-Saghir. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Shojapurian, Valiullah. (2011). Reflections on the Aspects of Storytelling in the Quran. Journal of Arabic Literature, 5(2), Autumn and Winter. [In Persian]
Shurtuti, Saeed. (1998). Aqrab al-Mawarid fi Fasahat al-Arabiyyah wa al-Shawarid. Tehran: General Administration of Hajj, Endowments, and Charitable Affairs. [In Persian]
Safadi, Salah al-Din. (1999). Al-Wafi bi al-Wafayat. Edited by Ahmad al-Arnaout and Turki Mustafa. Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath. [In Persian]
Tabatabai, Mohammad Hussein. (1984). Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran. Qom: Alameh Tabataba’i Scientific and Cultural Foundation. [In Persian]
Yadullah ibn Muslim. (1987). Tawil Mukhtalif Al-Hadith, edited by Abdul Qadir Ahmed Ata. Beirut: Cultural Books Foundation. [In Arabic]
Zahabi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad. (1992). Sir A'alam Al-Nubala. Beirut: Dar Ihya Al-Turath. [In Arabic]
Zahabi, Muhammad Hussein. (1988). Al-Tafsir wa Al-Mufassirun. Cairo: Wahba Bookstore. [In Arabic]‌
 
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics