ﱦﱠ
2.9 Quranic Interpretation in the Malay World
The acceptance of Islam in the Malay World has influenced the way of life of the people in the Muslim community. Quran is used as the main guidance for daily actions. Therefore, it needs to be learnt to understand. However, the high literacy of the language of Quran is incomprehensible to all the Muslims in this region except the religious scholars since Arabic is not their native language. Besides, even the companions rely on the explanation by the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him (PBUH) despite the fact that they were Arabs and the Quranic language was their
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native language which resulted in the prophet as the first Quranic interpreter (Ibrahim et al., 2011). Therefore, it is indisputable that the following generations desperately need in-depth descriptions of the interpretation in their mother language to understand the Quran. Hence, the local scholars took the responsibility for producing the Quranic interpretation in the native language in order to assist the people to understand the Quranic messages.
In the early stages of the development of Islam in the Malay world, the people's acceptance of Islam and interest in studying Islamic studies became the main focus of scholars in their efforts to educate the people about the teachings of Islam. The interpretation of the Quran in this region did not happen drastically. It developed in the 12th century gradually over the centuries until it became the focus of society (H.
Hussin & Majid, 2013). The interpretation of the Quran began with the verbal translation casually and concisely until the middle of the 17th century, when it was translated into Malay (Baidan & Erwati, 2019). This circumstance has been going on for quite some time due to various factors such as the Quranic interpretation in terms of writing was not considered important at that time by the community, the practical explanation of the content of the Quran was more preferred rather than the written explanation, and learning to read Arabic was quite foreign for the people (Azra, 2004).
Thus, it was quite hard to find the Quranic interpretation in this period.
As time passed, the writing of Quranic interpretation began to emerge in line with the development of knowledge and technology. The interpretation of the Quran that occurred at the early stage could be in literal or interpretive translation (Baidan &
Erwati, 2019; M. Hussin & Kamal, 2021). The Quran in Malay translation was accepted by the community as it was well-explained in accordance with the perception
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and customs of the people at that time (Nutawab, 2016). Moreover, a prominent past scholar, Syeikh Abdul Rauf Singkel was known as the pioneer of the Quranic interpretation in the Malay world through his work, Turjumān al-Mustafīd (Azra, 2013; Feener, 1998; Norhasnira, 2013). It was considered the first Malay interpretation of the complete Quran ever found in this region (Gusmian, 2010;
Helmiati, 2014; P. G. Riddell, 2014). Besides, another earlier Quranic commentary found in Malay was about a few verses from surah al-Kahf that was derived from the old manuscript which was preserved in the Cambridge University Library that was originally owned by the Dutch Arabist Erpenius after it was brought back from Aceh (P. Riddell, 1989). Asari (2016) described that Shamsuddin al-Samatrani was the original author of that Tafsir Surah al-Kahf. These discoveries demonstrated the great knowledge of the Malay scholars in Islamic sciences a long time ago.
In addition, the efforts of Syeikh Abdul Rauf in widening the study of Quranic interpretation were followed and disseminated to Malaya by his student, Sheikh Abdul Malik or also known as Tok Pulau Manis through the teaching of the book to the locals (Norhasnira, 2013). Tok Pulau Manis also translated the Tafsīr al-Bayḍāwy into Malay which later made him a classical figure of Quranic commentary in Malaysia (A. R. H. Abdullah, 1997; Norhasnira, 2013). Although the field of Quranic interpretation began to develop in Malaysia through him, it only started to flourish in the 20th century (H. Hussin & Majid, 2014). This was due to the writing of religious books that focused a lot more on the field of Aqidah, Sufism, and Fiqh in the previous periods (Suhaila & Razali, 2015; I. Yusoff, 1995).
Moreover, there are about 26 Quranic interpreters in Malaysia with more than 30 interpretation books of various styles that are influenced by different educational
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backgrounds of the authors who graduate from Mecca, Medina, Pakistan, and India (M. Abdullah & Syafi’i, 2009). Since the 20th century, it was found that tafsīr taḥlīlī, tafsīr ijmālī, tafsīr mawḍūʿī, and translation were the common styles of Quranic interpretation used by Malaysian scholars in their works (H. Hussin et al., 2012).
Based on the research conducted by Wahidah and Kadir (2017), a total of 66 interpretive works in Malaysia from 2001 to 2015 have been identified in which the interpretation based on selected surahs was the greatest number recorded. The variety of Quranic commentary works in Malaysia indicates that the people's awareness of the importance of this knowledge is increasing in strengthening the understanding of Islamic teachings in this majority Muslim country.
Meanwhile, the study of Quranic interpretation in Indonesia developed much earlier than in Malaysia since the Islamic knowledge within the Malay Archipelago began to expand from there with more proficient scholars in Islamic sciences.
Indonesia had produced a lot of Quranic interpretation books in various indigenous languages such as Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese (Gusmian, 2010; Nutawab, 2016;
P. G. Riddell, 2014). In fact, Indonesia even had the greatest number of Quranic interpreters in this region. Federspiel (1996) as cited in Said (2017) listed 48 Quranic interpreters who had written their Quranic exegesis by using the local languages in Indonesia. The pieces of literature have emphasized the importance of the local language in conveying the teachings of Islam to the Muslim community of that region.
Besides, the development of Quranic commentary in Indonesia faced four phases from the 7th century until the present day which are categorised as the Classical Period (8th - 15th century), Medieval Period (16th – 18th century), Pre-Modern Period (18 – 19th century), and Modern Period (20th century until present) (Baidan, 2003).
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Throughout the 19th century, the development of Quranic commentary writing was decelerating due to the factors which the people thought that they already had enough with the existing reference books of Arabic or Malay, the pressure from the Dutch colonisation that urged the scholars to strive for freedom of the country, and some scholars tend to teach verbally (Asari, 2016). However, this condition did not last so long. It began to shine again in the early 20th century with the emergence of several books of Quranic interpretation which awaken the freedom spirit from colonialism namely Tafsir Al-Quran Karim, Tafsir Al-Furqan, Tafsir Malja Al-Talibin, and Tafsir Tamsyiah Al-Muslimin (Ari, 2020; Roifa et al., 2017).
Then, the study of Quranic commentary kept growing in subsequent years with more production of complete Quranic interpretation of 30 juz through various methodologies and styles applied (Atabik, 2014; Fathullah & Kadir, 2020). Despite the emergence of more Quranic interpretations, Baidan (2003) criticised the content quality of some Quranic interpretations that give a misconception about the teachings of Islam. It has commonly been assumed that the quality of a matter will be easily affected when produced in large amounts if there was no control from the authorities or appropriate guidelines. All in all, the field of Quranic interpretation in Indonesia continues to grow signifying the need for the explanation of the holy scriptures for the understanding of society according to the time relevance.
On top of that, the study of Quranic interpretation in the Malay language has been rapidly growing in Thailand but it was not as active as in Malaysia. It was mostly concentrated in Southern Thailand with a larger population of Muslims, especially with the availability of Quranic interpretation studies at higher education levels such as at Yala Islamic University, Prince of Songkhla University (Pattani campus), and
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Narathiwat Rajnakhrin University (M. Abdullah, 2016). Besides, Dr. Ismail Lutfi Chapakia was widely known as a major contributor to the field of Quranic interpretation in Thailand by producing Tafsir al-Bayan, which was identified as the latest Quranic interpretation in Malay from that country (M. Abdullah & Syafi’i, 2009; Rorsuedee & Suliaman, 2011). His work was more prominent in the Malay world compared to the other Thai scholars since most of the exegetical works were made in their Thai language.
In addition, Singapore also moving along in the development of Islamic knowledge, including exploring the field of Quranic commentary despite being in the midst of modernisation with Muslims as a minority group. Said (2017) reported that Singapore had produced five outstanding Quranic commentaries which are Tafsir al- Quran (Singapore edition), Tafsir al-Quran ʿAbr al-AṯhīrTafsir al-Quran on Radio (Malaysia edition), Pedoman Kemuliaan Pada Mentafsirkan al-Quran (Tafsir Surah al-Fatihah dan al-Baqarah), Pelita al-Quran (Surah al-Baqarah/Ali ‘Imran/al- Nisa’/Juz ‘Amma), and Pedoman Tafsir Juz ‘Amma. This situation reflects the current need of local society for a clearer explanation of Islamic teachings. Generally, the efforts in pursuing the Quranic interpretation have been done by many Muslim scholars in Southeast Asia for a long time. It is how the scholars strive their best to make sure that the Islamic teachings can be understood and reached the whole people in the region.
48 2.10 Plants
Islam is extremely concerned with nature including plants. They provide a significant contribution to the environmental balance. The existence of tropical forests and magnificent gardens signify the presence of the great power of Allah (Tajudin, 2019). Jawhari (1929) emphasised that people should observe the secrets of the creation of plants to get to know Allah the Almighty Creator better by interpreting the plants in the Quran in detail with scientific facts. The Quranic Botanic Garden in Qatar (Quranic Botanic Garden, n.d.) and Quranic Park in Dubai (Dubai Municipality, 2019) demonstrated the importance of plants through the special Quranic garden with the purpose to reveal the miracles of the plants mentioned in the Quran that contributed to the various roles in the lives of people. Trees, flowers, and fruits were the symbol of tranquillity in paradise which were commonly implemented in Islamic gardens around the world (Man et al., 2017). The horticultural characteristics of plants also promoted their importance in landscape design (Hassan et al., 2015).
Previous literature acknowledged that the Quran emphasized environmental education through the preservation and conservation of nature which explicitly represented plants as one of the main elements (Mănoiu et al., 2016). Moreover, the advancement of human life leads to many new diseases that encourage scientists to study plant-based food or medicinal plants from the holy Quran to treat diseases rather than using modern medicine (Aboul-Enein, 2017; Azarpour et al., 2014a; Muhammad, 2014). Based on a lot of scientific studies, Quranic plants were highly recommended in many treatments as their nutritional contents are proven suit to the body's needs (Azarpour et al., 2014b; Fakhri & Adelzadeh, 2013; Jamshidi-Kia et al., 2018).
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In addition, the concepts of plants are largely utilised in the architectural building whether in traditional or contemporary houses as the building materials and decoration for its aesthetical values (Chuki et al., 2017; Perini & Magliocco, 2012).
The Malay architecture and other Asian countries use timber as the fundamental elements for the traditional dwellings and were influenced by the floral motifs for the wood carving (A. N. Ariffin & An, 2021; Chuki et al., 2017; Oranratmanee, 2018; I.
Said, 2002). Meanwhile, some people utilised the plant materials to make a variety of traditional handicrafts for domestic use or commercialisation which subsequently become their source of income for them (Nedelcheva et al., 2011; Reddy et al., 2008).
The existence of plants is significant for sustainability that encompasses the entire life of human beings.
Moreover, regarding the plants in the Quran, fruits are widely mentioned through the word thamarāt, fākihah, and quṭūfuhā by their relationship to giving examples and parables, trials and punishments, paradise, Allah’s ability and provision in the Quran (AlBzour, 2017). However, fruits were also discussed in terms of their specific names apart from the linguistic aspect like fig, olive, banana, grape, pomegranate, date, and jujube (Qamariah, 2019; Zulkepli, 2016). The use of plants as parables in the Quran is supported by the results found from a study conducted by Solehah (2017), that it embraces some or all parts of the plant as a way for Allah to advise His servants. Therefore, fruits as daily food intake for mankind play an important role in delivering the messages of the Quran.
As a matter of fact, green has notably symbolised the colour of plants. It is mentioned as much as eight times in seven different chapters (Al-Shraideh & El- Sharif, 2019). Meanwhile, Norwardatun (2019) claimed that green colour is
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mentioned nine times in the Quran and mostly it represents the plants. As green is the symbol of nature and peace, the greenery scene is positively impacting the mind and emotions of human beings (Bajirao, 2015; Carver et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2020).
People tend to feel relaxed when they are able to have a good time being in the natural landscape. Quran also describes the greatness of paradise and the people of heaven with the green colour (Al-Domi, 2015). This indicates that the value of plants is one of the reasons for happiness for humans in this world and the hereafter. Besides, green plants also act as a source of energy. As Allah says:
ﭐ ﲝﭐﱡﭐ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ
ﲧ ﲨ ﱠ
“He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold you kindle therewith” (Al-Quran. Yāsin 36:80).
From this verse, the scientists understand that only green plants could produce oxygen which is it is an essential element in the burning process (Rusdi & Omar, 2019). Without oxygen, fire burning would not happen. Undoubtedly, Allah is The Greatest, He who created the plants as a sign of His existence and to encourage people to study them as the knowledge from Him. On top of that, the study on plants of the holy book also attracted the attention of non-Muslim researchers. They compared the Quranic plants and the Biblical plants to seek any similarities, differences, or uniqueness between the plants in both holy scriptures. Musselman (2007) claimed that the Biblical plants were quite much rather than the plants mentioned in the Quran by a total of about 80 kinds of them and this did not include a certain part of the plants. It was recorded that more than 10 types of plants were similarly found stated in both the Quran and the Bible such as cucumber, date palm, fig, garlic, ginger, gourd, grape,
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mustard, olive, onion, pomegranate, and tamarisk (Janick, 2007; Musselman, 2003;
Zohary, 1982).
Nevertheless, ṭalḥ, sidr, and zaqqūm in the Quran are considered unique plants by some researchers (Musselman, 2007; Shakirova, 2018). The western scholars could not identify the real identity of ṭalḥ and sidr, while zaqqūm is the tree of hell as stated in the Quran but they still assumed that all the plants mentioned in the holy books including the Quran should be known by man. As Allah says:
ﭐ
ﱼﭐﱡ ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ
ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ
ﲈ ﲉ ﲊ
ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﱠ
Is that (Paradise) better entertainment or the tree of Zaqqum (a horrible tree in Hell?). Truly We have made it (as) a trail for the Zalimun (polytheist, disbelievers, wrongdoers). Verily, it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-fireز (Al-Quran. As-Ṣāffāt 37:62-64)
In Islam, anything related to the hereafter is the unseen event created by Allah and Muslims are obligated to believe in it. Moreover, few plants in the Bible were discovered the same as in hadith such as cumin and henna (Duke et al., 2008; Zohary, 1982). Both plants are used as medicine or cosmetics. This could be seen through some hadiths. As Prophet Muhammad said:
َماَّسلا َّلاِإ ٍءاَد ِّلُك ْنِم ٌءاَفِش ِءاَدْوَّسلا ِةَّبَْلحا ِفي
There is healing in black cumin for all diseases except death.
(Hadith. Al-Bukhāriyy. Kitāb aṭ-Ṭibb: Bāb al-Habbatu as- Saudā’: #5688)4
4 Al-Bukhāriyy. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāriyy. (trans.) M. Muhsin Khan. 2009. Sahih Bukhari. Riyadh:
Darussalam Publishers. Vol. 7. p. 1273.
52 And the Prophet’s Companion, Anas said:
ِمَتَكْلاَو ِءاَّنِْلحِبا اَهَفَلَغَـف ،ٍرْكَب ِبَِأ َْيرَغ ُطَْشَْأ ِهِباَحْصَأ ِفي َسْيَلَو .
When the Prophet (PBUH) arrived (at Medina), there was not a single companion of the Prophet (PBUH) who had grey and black hair except Abu Bakr, and he dyed his hair with Henna' and Katam (Hadith. Al- Bukhāriyy. Kitāb Manāqib al-Anṣār: Bāb Hijrah an-Nabiyy Ṣallalahu
‘Alayhi Wasallam wa Aṣhābihi: #3919)5
All in all, Allah has created the plants as a sign of love and mercy to his creations either to mankind or the animals as a source of sustainability in life. Without plants, all the living things could not get fresh air, and nutrients for health, and the ecosystem is disrupted which later can cause natural disasters. Allah knows that plants are essentials for humans to have a stable life. Therefore, Allah applies the element of plants in the Quran as a medium to encourage His servants to think about His creation and His power as a way to get closer to Him.