A Hermeneutical Approach to the Holy Quran in the Context of Surah al-Mâûn
Abstract
Surah al-Mâûn is one of those disputed surahs of the Holy Quran. To begin with, it’s a matter of controversy whether the Surah belongs to the Mecca or Medina periods of Prophecy. Beside those who believe that the Surah, which consists of seven verses, was revealed at Medina in total, while there are also some mufassirs who think that three verses of the Surah were revealed at Mecca, and the remaining at Medina. It’s obvious that the origin of the dispute is the differentiation among various riwayats coming from the Sahabah. Furthermore, various arguments have been made about the meaning of such words as “sahûn” and “mâûn” included in the Surah; and the identity of the people mentioned in the Surah is a severely disputed question. This study prefers trying to understand the dispute by focusing on its historical background than solving it. By that, we analyze and understand the data, from which the dispute arises; thus, try to make it more comprehensible. The reason why we prefer focusing to understand the dispute than solving it is our wish to set forth an example of hermeneutical approach to the Holy Quran. By that example, our objective is to emphasize the significance of the comprehensive approach to the Quranic tafsir in general. As a matter of fact, such an endeavor will show that we need a new point of view not only for the Surah al-Mâûn but for any problems faced in the field of Quranic tafsir. We believe that this point of view is the original point of view of the first generation, whom history made us forgot.
Keywords: Tafsir, Hermeneutics, Asbab al-Nuzûl (Circumstances of Revelation), Historicity, Surah al-Mâ’ûn
el-Mâ‘ûn Sûresi Özelinde Bir Kur’ân Hermenötiği Denemesi
Öz:
Mâ’ûn sûresi etrafında pek çok ihtilafın bulunduğu sûrelerden biridir. Öncelikle sûrenin Mekkî-Medenîliği konusunda bir ihtilaf bulunmaktadır. Yedi âyetten müteşekkil olan sûrenin tamamının Mekke’de indiği görüşünde olanların yanında, ilk üç âyetinin Mekke’de, geri kalanının Medine’de indiği görüşünde olan müfessirler vardır. İhtilafların arkasında sahabeden gelen farklı rivâyetlerin olduğu görülmektedir. Ayrıca sûrede geçen “sâhûn” ve “mâ‘ûn” gibi sözcüklerin anlamı konusunda farklı görüşler olduğu gibi sûrede kendilerinden bahsedilenlerin kimler oldukları konusunda da ciddi görüş ayrılıkları bulunmaktadır. Biz bu çalışmamızda söz konusu ihtilafları çözmeye çalışmak yerine tarihsel arka planına odaklanarak anlamayı deneyeceğiz. Bununla ihtilaflara zemin teşkil eden verileri analiz ederek onları anlaşılır hale getirmeye çalışacağız. Bu çalışmanın sûredeki ihtilafları çözmek yerine onları anlamaya odaklanmasının nedeni, Kur’ân hermenötiğine dair bir örnek ortaya koymaktır. Bu örnekle, genel manada Kur’ân’ın anlaşılması ve tefsirinde anlamacı yaklaşımın önemini vurgulamış olacağız. Nitekim bu deneme sonucunda sadece Mâ’ûn sûresinde değil, genel manada Kur’ân tefsirinde karşılaşılan sorunlar için farklı bir bakış açısına ihtiyaç duyulduğu görülecektir. Bu bakış açısının tarihin bize unutturduğu ilk neslin özgün bakış açısı olduğu söylenebilir.
Surah al-Mâûn is one of those disputed surahs of the Holy Qur’an. To begin with, it’s a matter of controversy whether the Surah belongs to the Mecca or Medina periods of Prophecy. Beside those who believe that the Surah, which consists of seven verses, was revealed at Medina in total, while there are also some mufassirs who think that three verses of the Surah were revealed at Mecca, and the remaining at Medina. It’s obvious that the origin of the dispute is the differentiation among various riwayats coming from the Sahabah. Furthermore, various arguments have been made about the meaning of such words as “sahûn” and “mâûn” included in the Surah; and the identity of the people mentioned in the Surah is a severely disputed question. This study prefers trying to understand the dispute by focusing on its historical background than solving it. By that, we analyze and understand the data, from which the dispute arises; thus, try to make it more comprehensible. The reason why we prefer focusing to understand the dispute than solving it is our wish to set forth an example of hermeneutical approach to the Holy Qur’an. By that example, our objective is to emphasize the significance of the comprehensive approach to the Qur’anic tafsir in general. As a matter of fact, such an endeavor will show that we need a new point of view not only for the Surah al-Mâûn but for any problems faced in the field of Qur’anic tafsir. We believe that this point of view is the original point of view of the first generation, whom history made us forgot.
Tafsir Hermeneutics Asbab al-Nuzûl (Circumstances of Revelation) Historicity Surah al-Mâ’ûn.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Religious Studies |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 15, 2022 |
Submission Date | August 15, 2022 |
Published in Issue | Year 2022 |
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