The main question is whether or not it can be used to interpret the Qur'an. They wrote many books on Islam and especially on the interpretation of the Qur'an and the 'sciences' of the Qur'an ('ulūm al-Qur'an). Nine years later, in 1967, he graduated from the university program in the Department of Qur'an and Hadith Interpretation, Faculty of Islamic Theology, Al-Azhar University.
From 1980 to 1982 he completed a doctoral program at al-Azhar University, also in the field of Qur'anic studies. He was also active in several organizations, including Lajnah Pentashhih al-Qur'an (Department of Correction of Qur'anic Maṣāḥif), Badan Pertimbangan. He has written many books and articles, most of which deal with the Qur'an and its interpretation.
28, in which he discusses many contemporary issues from a Quranic perspective; and Kaidah Tafsir9, which elaborates many principles for interpreting the Qur'an. Sahiron Syamsuddin, 'In Search of the Integration of Hermeneutics and 'Ulum al-Qur'an', in Muslim Christian Relations Observed: Comparative Studies of Indonesia and the Netherlands, ed.
Gadamer’s and Paul Ricoeur’s Hermeneutics According to Shihab and ‘Imāra
Fifth, the horizon, ideas and knowledge of the interpreter play an important role in determining the meaning of the text. However, this pre-understanding should not affect the reader's understanding of the text, lest he misunderstand it. Without due consideration, the interpretation could be influenced by the interpreter's prior understanding and his contemporary horizon of understanding.
This results in a misunderstanding of Gadamer's hermeneutics, especially when he says that Gadamer's hermeneutics is subjectivist and therefore not suitable for the interpretation of the Qur'an. If you read Gadamer's work carefully, you will find that Gadamerian theories represent a "balanced" hermeneutic that takes an honest position on the objectivity of the text being interpreted as well as on its subjectivity. Shihab is not right when he says that according to Gadamer the autonomy of the text meant that the reader could interpret it according to his or her own prior knowledge and interest.
Interpretation, then, is like a dialogue in which the reader is exposed to the effects of the text, while the text is exposed to the interests and prejudices of the reader. The distance of time and place that separates the text from its reader becomes a barrier to the understanding of the text. The second point that can be drawn from 'Imāra's statement is that Ricoeur suggested ignoring authorial intent in the process of interpretation and proclaimed the 'death of the author'.
If we refer to Ricoeur's works, we see that he pointed out the importance of the author's intention, as we can see in his statement quoted earlier. By paying attention to these grammatical devices of the self-reference of discourse we obtain two advantages. On the one hand, we get a new criterion for the difference between discourse and language codes.
Furthermore, to my knowledge, Ricoeur does not refer to the "death of the author" at all.
The Application of Hermeneutics to the Qur’an
Its meaning is clearly stated in some definitions of the term tafsīr al-Qur’ān. For example, Abū Ḥayyān (d) defined tafsīr as "the science in which aspects of the Qur'an are discussed according to the indication (dalāl) of its intention (murādihī) in accordance with human capabilities."44 The term murād (intention ) here refers to what God intended when He revealed the Qur'an, but he remains optimistic and points out that Schleiermacher's theory needs to be adjusted to conform to the nature of the Qur'an.
The autonomy of the text, which he considers one of Gadamer's ideas, cannot be applied to the Qur'an. As a result, Shihab does not agree with Gadamer's idea of the unimportance of authorial intention in the process of interpretation. He argues for the importance of authorial intention in the interpretation of the Qur'an, which he mentions when discussing Schleiermacher's hermeneutics, although this can only be achieved to the extent that human ability allows.
This contextualization of the Qur'anic message has been expressed by many scholars of Islamic jurisprudence in the past and by many Muslim thinkers in the modern era, although they use different terms. 150; Abdullah Saeed and Ali Akbar, “Contextualist Approaches and Interpretation of the Qur'an,” Religions, vol. Regarding the subjectivity of the reader/interpreter, which Imāra blamed on scholars of hermeneutics, we can say that in this case he is not entirely right.
Regarding the negation of the divine nature of the Qur'an, of which he accuses hermeneutics, he corresponds to Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd, who calls the Qur'an 'muntaj thaqāfī' ('a cultural product'). However, it must be understood and interpreted contextually because it was revealed in the Arabic context in the 7th century. 56 Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd, 'The Textuality of the Qur'an', presented at Islam and Europe: Past and Present.
His charge that Abū Zayd abolished the divine origin of the Qur'an is not supported by the available data. So 'Imāra's statement: "Hermeneutics is knowledge based on the idea of the death of the author" is not quite right. Therefore, thinking about God is an alienation in the sense that man's natural position is to think about society.
The Impact of the Debate in the Indonesian Context
So it is acceptable for those who agree with hermeneutics like Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd to disagree with classical scholars in some cases. This is because hermeneutics has nothing to do with whether a text is revelation or not. His accusation of Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd for stating that the Qur'an was created by the Prophet Muhammad is incorrect.
If we read Abū Zayd's works carefully, we will find that he believes that Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet in order to respond for the first time to the situations in which he found himself at the time. So in this case Adian Husaini, like 'Imāra, misunderstood what Abū Zayd really meant by his term muntaj thaqāfī ('cultural product') for the Qur'an. Regarding the development of a hermeneutic approach to the Qur'an, it can be said that those who are interested have tried to apply it.
Taking the linguistic aspects and the historical context of the verses, he contextualizes them by saying that democracy that recognizes human equality, individual responsibility and the application of law is in accordance with the Qur'anic Shura and, therefore, Muslims should practice it today. 69. So, he connects it with the "natural, human, material, concrete-practical-operative dimensions".70 Another symbolic interpretation that he proposes can be seen in the interpretation of Q.S. The development of the hermeneutic approach among Indonesian Muslim scholars can also be seen in the interpretation of some Qur'anic verses by Sahiron Syamsuddin.
In his book Hermeneutics dan Pengembangan Ulumul Qur'an, he explains, for example, that the Qur'an literally speaks of the permission to wage war given to the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, using an approach he calls 'ma'nā-cum-maghzā'. ' in which he searches for the original meaning (ma'nā) of the verses and their meaning (maghzā). He concludes that the main message of the verses is not war itself, but consists of (1) "abolition of ẓulm (oppression; . unjust action), (2) establishment of religious pluralism and (3) peace."72 The above examples can show us that Indonesian Muslim scholars in the present period used a hermeneutic approach.
Concluding Remarks
In this case, he appreciates Schleiermacher's grammatical hermeneutics and says it can be applied to the interpretation of the Qur'an. Regarding his psychological hermeneutics, Shihab points out that it must be adapted to the divine nature of the Qur'an. Gadamer's hermeneutics is included by Shihab in the subjectivist school which ignores the importance of the original meaning of the text under interpretation.
Gadamer's hermeneutics must be seen as part of the objectivist-cum-subjectivist school, especially when he proposes what he calls the 'fusion of horizons' (i.e. the horizon of the text and that of the interpreter). Third, according to Shihab, some hermeneutic theories can be applied to the Qur'an, and can even broaden the insights of the interpreter, while 'Imāra totally rejects them for several reasons that can be considered weak. Fourth and finally, both engage in the discussion of Western hermeneutics with the aim of responding to some Muslim scholars who introduced it, notably Ḥasan Ḥanafī and Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd.
However, 'Imāra's criticism of these thinkers is not strong enough and even represents a misunderstanding of their thoughts. Fourth, the ideas proposed by Shihab and 'Imāra have some influence on the discourse on this topic among Muslim scholars in Indonesia. Some scholars like Adian Husaini agree with 'Imāra in terms of rejecting Western hermeneutics, while some agree with Shihab who has a moderately 'selective' attitude towards it and has even used some 'appropriate' hermeneutical approaches to the interpretation of several Qur'anic verses .
Husaini, Adian in Abdurrahman Al Baghdadi, Hermeneutics and Tafsir of the Qur'an, Jakarta: Gema Insani Press, 2007. Pink, Johanna, Muslim Qur'anic Interpretation Today: Media, Genealogies and Interpretive Communities, Sheffield, South Yorkshire: Equinox Publishing , 2018. Saeed, Abdullah in Ali Akbar, »Kontekstualistični pristopi in razlaga Kur'ana«, Religije, let.