Rāzī: Master of Quranic Interpretation and Theological Reasoning (Book report)
The title is a book by Tariq Jaffer and published by Oxford University Press. The following is a report of the book.[1]
Overview
• Presents original research on the methods of Razi's Quranic interpretation and theological reasoning
• Connects Razi's thought to the history of philosophical and scientific ideas in Islamic civilization
Description
Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies from the American Academy of Religion
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1148 - 1210) wrote prolifically in the disciplines of theology, Quranic 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 his works became standard textbooks in Islamic institutions of higher learning. Razi investigates his 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 Quran. 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 Quranic commentary—and consequently into the Sunni worldview.
Jaffer shows that the genre of Quranic 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.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. Forging a New Methodology 2. Devising Rules of Exegesis 3. Reconciling Reason ('Aql) and Transmitted Knowledge (Naql) 4. Interpreting the Intellect and Light 5. Interpreting the Soul and Spirit Bibliography Index
Author Information
Tariq Jaffer, Assistant Professor, Amherst College
Tariq Jaffer is Assistant Professor of Religion at Amherst College.
Reviews and Awards
Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies from the American Academy of Religion "Razi: Master of Qur?anic Interpretation and Theological Reasoning, is a thoroughly researched and eloquently expressed contribution to an exciting and relatively new line of inquiry in Islamic studies/Near Eastern studies Jaffer's writing is engaging and elegant, and the organization of the book as a whole, as well as within each chapter and subsection, makes his thesis and subpoints accessible and clear. Overall, his first published monograph, based upon his dissertation, is a pleasure to read both in form and content. Jaffer's monograph engages thoroughly and critically with previous scholarship and is, in itself, a truly excellent addition to the emerging study of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and the trend of incorporating philosophical methods and ideas into theological thought in the postclassical Islamic intellectual world." - The Journal of Religion
"Jaffer's monograph will serve as an excellent introduction to the thought of Fakhr al-din al-Razi, and to some of the ways in which philosophical thought intersects with the interpretation of the Qur'an." - Journal of the American Academy of Religion