SCIENTIFIC EXEGESIS REAPPRAISED: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE AL-JAWĀHIR FĪ TAFSĪR AL-QUR’ĀN AL-KARĪM

Abstract

This research aims to explore and examine the discipline of ‘scientific exegeses’ by providing a critical study of one of the first major works in that field, the al-Jawāhir fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm of Ṭanṭāwī Jawharī (1862-1940) a contemporary prominent Muslim theologian and exegete of Egypt.

Since the aim of this thesis is critically examine and explore the al-Jawāhir fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm as a founding document of scientific exegesis in contemporary Muslims world, historical development of scientific exegesis from the traditionalists up to contemporary scholars’ arguments, rational and textual, are examined to provide context for the research. Comparative discursive analysis method is used in order to differentiate between the traditionalists and modern time with regard to their methodology in dealing with the scientific exegesis.
Ṭanṭāwī Jawharī is chosen due to his seminal contributions in pioneering some important intellectuals in the study of scientific exegesis. Besides providing a biographical sketch of Ṭanṭāwī Jawharī, this research examines some of the significant matters and assesses the methodology of Ṭanṭāwī in dealing with his magnum opus incorporated into discussions of the al-Jawāhir in the eyes of other prominent scholars.

This research concludes that classifying the al-Jawāhir as an encyclopedic scientific exegesis is fairly justified and that it significantly contributed to the rich of Islamic scientific exegesis in contemporary Muslims world. Ṭanṭāwī and the al-Jawāhir’s main contribution, as suggested by this study, is in the integration of two branches of knowledge; the Qur’ān and science. In this, the al-Jawāhir represents a trend parallel to a new school of thought, the pioneers of which were philosophers who attempted to reconcile philosophy and religion.