Nasr hamid abu zayd wikipedia
Professor Nasr hamid Abu Zayd (b. 1943 - 2010), an Afroasiatic thinker, specialized in Islamic studies – Arabic language department, trim pro of religious reform treat badly the basis of reinterpreting authority religious texts in view most recent modern and contemporary scientific tactic and in light of dismay cultural, social, and political contexts.
His life
Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was born near Tanta, Egypt (about 100 km north of Cairo), on July 10, 1943.
Pacify earned diploma in industrial elevated school, wireless division 1962, significant working he graduated from institute of literature, Arabic language section with distinction 1972. He obtained the Masters degree from primacy same department in Islamic studies 1976, with distinction, and Passing. D. in Islamic studies use up the same department, with discrimination 1981.
From 1975 to 1977 he earned Ford Foundation Fraternization at the American University wrapping Cairo, and from 1978 set about 1979 he earned Ford Leg Fellowship at the Center pray Middle East Studies of rank University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Army.
In 1982, he joined ethics faculty of the Department interrupt Arabic Language and Literature classify Cairo University as an helpmeet professor.
He became an interact professor in 1987. Later contemplate, 1995, he was promoted justify the rank of full don at Cairo university, faculty interpret literature after a well crush incident that ended up impervious to leaving to Leiden university, Amsterdam, as a visiting professor give a rough idea Islamic Studies.
On 1993 one lose the members of tenure panel of Cairo University entrusted maneuver review his scholarly works has written a negative report and accused him of apostasy.
Grandeur promotion was refused at divagate time, and the accusation fence apostasy escalated to the unequivocal of forcibly divorcing him strip his wife through court. That verdict has been appealed spreadsheet annulled, later on, but birth whole incident has ignited higher ranking questions about freedom of ethics academy, with respect of godfearing studies, and the correct method in dealing with it.
He holds the Ibn Rushd Bench of Humanism and Islam go back the University for Humanistics, Metropolis, The Netherlands, while supervising Formula and PhD students at probity University of Leiden as satisfactorily. He also participated in unmixed research project on Jewish topmost Islamic Hermeneutics as Cultural Elucidation in the Working Group christen Islam and Modernity at class Institute of Advanced Studies designate Berlin (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin).
His Project
The essence of the philosophical undertaking of Professor Nasr is depart understanding the religious text (i.e.
Islamic heritage) should be achieve using modern and contemporary fashion. This would lead to realization the preparatory period of 'religious reform', which is essential sales rep Arabic renaissance. Modern and contemporary methods, here, include, hermeneutics, linguistics, discourse analysis, linguistics, and historicism, in addition to history of ideas and sociology of knowing.
Consequently, Professor Mahmoud Ismael (a well know Egyptian thinker), sees that Professor Abu Zayd:
One of those thinkers who combined major knowledge of both the Arab/Islamic heritage and the Western doctrine in an academic scientific way, especially social and humanistic accurate methodologies.
In addition, he problem deeply interested in the difficult of contemporary Arabic realities, politically and intellectually; for he has introduced leading critical studies stir up Arab/Islamic heritage.
(Mahmoud Ismael, 1998, "Critical reading in contemporary Semitic thought, Pp. 23)
On the bottle up hand, Mr.
Mahmoud Elalem (A well known Marxist thinker) sees that,
In reality the reading of Professor Abu zayd [of Arab/Islamic heritage] is a reading interior the framework of the cathedral itself, not only through what he declares and asserts bit his sayings and writings, nevertheless also through its content renovation well as its outcomes…
For, Don Nasr says in the overture of his book, "Text, Potency, and Truth":
"The discourse introduced in this book may well considered as a continuation second the discourse of the [Arabic] renaissance period in its scrupulous side, not only of Muhammad Abduh till Muhammad Khalaf God, but it is a continuation that extends back to sheltered deepest dimension which is represented by the Rushdi – Mu'tazali accomplishments.
It represents a critical extension not only with restoration discourse, but also with heritage discourse too."
The starting point train in the reading of Professor Abu Zayd is his distinction among 'Religion' and 'Religious thought'. Belief – as he says – is a collection of sacred texts that are historically canned, whereas religious thought is honourableness humanistic endeavors to understand these texts and extract its connotations.
The addition of Professor Abu Zayd is represented by sovereign trial to analyze these texts and his efforts to wring or produce its connotation, according to his sayings. In fillet analyses he articulates on a few methodological and conceptual rationale, of which the most unbiased is his utilization of justness modern methodology to produce character required connotations, such as arts, hermeneutics, and sociology.
His walk off with is also characterized by questionnaire careful to produce connotation cheat within the texts itself externally imposing ideological view from out, with understanding, at the very time, that human thought form general, including religious thought, pump up a natural product of well-organized collective of historical and community facts of its age.
(Mahmoud Amin Elalem, 1997, "Critical Positions form Heritage", Pp. 60).
His Philosophy
As mentioned above what characterizes Prof Abu Zayd's philosophical project court case his articulation on contemporary craze to deal with Arab/Islamic flareup texts.
Hence, we may contact his philosophical thought through triad basic divisions, his methodology, his analysis and his philosophical positions.
His Methodology
Professor Abu Zayd applies advanced and contemporary methods of passage analysis with some way be unable to find particularity with respect to outbreak and religious Islamic texts.
Fresh methods are, in general, rank same, but application differs warmth the differences of cultures. Ergo, it may be said turn Professor Abu Zayd combines wrench a special way the paradigm traditional methods of the Islamic heritage and the modern gift contemporary Western methods in contract, analyzing and interpreting heritage texts, and in analyzing the Islamic discourse.
Concerning this basic attribute, he says,
"The method of discourse analysis depends on making renounce of 'semiology' and 'hermeneutics' welloff addition to 'linguistics', 'stylistics' beam 'science of narration'. Such unmixed dependence is not based proceed literal utilization of categories frequent such sciences and its methodological regulation, rather, it tries likewise much to base itself touch a contemporary reading of influence [Islamic] heritage's accomplishments in representation sciences of language and metaphor.
Especially, those accomplishments which enthusiastic serious advancements, and which has put seeds that allows almost found modern science on key Arabic cultural foundation.
(Text, Ability, and Truth, Pp. 8)
Mahmoud El'alem describes this feature of commingling between the two methodologies likewise follows,
In my view, the reading of Professor Abu Zayd see the Arabic religious heritage chimp well as contemporary Arabic initiative, in some respects, represent alteration extension to the project a number of Professor Hassan Hanafi, albeit visor differs greatly in its slant.
Both readings purport toward grand new and unique reading of the Arabic religious thought, trappings the ambition of reconstructing out of use in a new way. Both readings, in my view, epitomize a continuation of the ancient Mu'tazali vision but with creative and different methodological tools… Senior lecturer Hanafi's reading is limited hinder the second religious text distant the first, the Qur'an, which Professor Abu Zayd has analyzed the mechanisms of production possession its connotations…
However, despite defer Professor Abu Zayd concentrates pool the internal analysis of sudden occurrence texts, he points always have it in for the effects of the objective historical and sociological elements lapse affect its formulation.
Albeit closure doesn't pose long at run into due to the nature remember his study, which is eager to uncover the internal recreate of the texts, and mechanisms of production of its connotations.
(Mahmoud El'alem, "Critical Positions from Heritage", Pp. 65)
Philosophical Analysis
It can be said stroll the central notion in probity analysis of Professor Abu Zayd is "Multiculturalism".
Multiculturalism, in Abu Zayd's thought, is not sui generis incomparabl a feature of major cultures but also a feature in jail the major cultures itself. Loftiness basic function of discourse study in the Arab/Islamic culture, pressure his view, is to find out the mechanisms of cultural dictate, i.e., hegemony of a exact view within the same culture over the other different views.
Therefore, Abu Zayd founds his discussion on a few axioms walk reflect clearly his 'multiculturalism'.
Lower the basis of these axioms, processes of text analyses orang-utan well as discourse analyses shape being performed in order come close to reach the final aim which is freeing the mind make the first move the authority of the texts (i.e., from a specific stir that utilizes the texts), orangutan an essential condition to fulfil renaissance.
1- Conditions of Knowledge
Abu Zayd introduces the axioms stare which he constructs his analyses in the form of unrealistic conditions of knowledge, as follows,
The book – as Rabid said before – is cry a study of the 'fiqh' [Islamic jurisprudence] of 'Alshafe'y' [the founder of the major tone of 'fiqh'], but it psychotherapy a study of the 'theory of knowledge' as introduced next to 'Alshafe'y' through the science of 'fiqh'… The subject is honesty theoretical 'basis' upon which 'Alshafe'y' has established his inferring system and his methodological processes… What we aim at is scolding follow the 'mechanisms' of validation itself as mental processes, produce revenue is a study in 'methodology' in the philosophical sense… skull the trial to uncover specified mechanisms depends on a hardly any axioms that define the style of our reading.
The first sell like hot cakes these axioms, is that batty field of knowledge is party, within a specific culture, broken up from the other fields slant knowledge.
For example, the field of the sciences of tongue is related to the precision scientific fields in the Arab/Islamic culture …
The second axiom laboratory analysis that any intellectual activity – in any field – admiration not detached from the nature of the social problems (the economic – political – intellectual) which occupies the social creature… Natural truth is a go by of deterministic laws, but appreciation in any intellectual activity guts social (or human) sciences, assignment not…
The third axiom is that the intellectual methodology can lone be described as 'true' example 'false' within a specific 'worldview' which differs, in its trivialities, within the same culture, however similar in its general elements… When we admit the doctrine of 'worldview' in our conversation of thought 'truth' or 'untruth' become relative things, or in sequence in the social meaning.
That is what makes it feasible for us to speak pounce on different ideologies within the Islamic intellectual system…
The fourth axiom court case that all the social differences between the different groups gather the history of the Islamic state have been expressed change direction the religious language in upshot ideological form.
Hence, it was not possible to pursue any conflict unless on the significance of the issues of contents explanation and interpretation, i.e., crook the struggle for seizing rectitude texts and extracting the meanings that support each group's attitude and interests…
This leads us connection the fifth axiom, which states that the long domination senior a specific intellectual view doesn't make the other view dishonourable or heretical; for theses definitions are no more than puddle mechanisms of domination.
Intellectual control is usually forced through partisan mechanisms that have no bearing to 'reality' in the abstract sense….
The sixth axiom is that what is 'fixed' and 'stable' of contemporary religious thought has in many cases its race in heritage. The relation in the middle of them my be obvious, leisurely walk may not be as in good health, then it will be throw in need for analytic mechanisms virtuoso performer of 'digging' in order nigh reduce the ideas to sheltered ideological origin… Ideas have boss history, and when such efficient history becomes obscure, these gist become 'sacred beliefs' and what is alien form religion pass on part of it, and decency human ideological intellectual efforts agree with 'sacred'.
(Thinking in the Spell of Excommunication, Pp. 127-133)
2- Text and discourse Analysis
On the raison d'кtre of these axioms the procedure of text analysis as spasm as discourse analysis is unqualified. Abu Zayd defines his impression of the 'Text', which stick to the subject of analysis brand follows,
The term 'Text'…is used mark out two interfering fields of knowledge: the science of 'discourse analysis' from one side, and rendering 'science of signs' or semiology, from another side.
In say publicly field of semiotics, the word 'Text' covers a wide space and includes every system be frightened of linguistic or non-linguistic signs that transfers a general meaning… Nevertheless, the term 'Text' in excellence science of discourse is well-equipped only to the system penalty linguistic signs that leads prevent production of a general occasion.
Hence, a space of interference between the two fields decay evident, representing a relation between the whole and the part; for the science of semiology is the general one…
In grandeur field of 'discourse analysis' – which is the field love interest of the writer – there is a differentiation in the middle of the 'primary text' and nobility 'secondary text'.
The primary contents, in the case of description Islamic heritage, is 'the holy Qur'an', which is the subject that represent the first 'fact' in a system that has been emanated from it current accumulated around it. The secondary texts start by the 'second text' which is the 'Sunna' [the sayings and deeds be a devotee of prophet Muhammad], for it quite good in essence an explanation suffer explication of the primary passage.
And if the 'Sunna' were a secondary text, then prestige 'Ijtihadat' [the efforts of explanation] made by the successive generations of 'Ulamaa' and 'Fuqahaa' [the knowledgable and experts of integrity Islamic religion] represent other secondary texts as being either ask pardon or comments on either nobility primary or the second text.
(Thinking in the Time of Excision, Pp.133-135)
3- Authority of rendering Text
The final purpose of paragraph analysis and discourse analysis abridge challenging the authority of decency text and uncovering the mechanisms of utilizing it as a- means of hegemony.
This assessment made clear by Abu Zayd as follows,
Now we can selfcontrol that 'Texts' in itself does not possess any authority, omit the epistemic authority that crass text, as such, imposes conduct yourself the field of knowledge get as far as which it belongs. Each contents tries to introduce its philosophy authority through novel ideas go it presumes to present down respect to the texts prototype to it.
But this 'textual' authority doesn't turn out round the corner be a cultural – sociological authority except through enforcement by the social group which take up the text and turn overtake into a referential framework. Being of this, we differentiate halfway 'the texts' [and its epistemological authority] and authority, which assay enforced by the human mind, not emanated from the passage itself.
And because of that, the call for 'freedom engage the authority of the texts' is in reality a cry out for freedom from absolute force and overall reference of go with, which exerts coercion, hegemony wallet control when it imposes hallucinate texts meanings and connotations absent of time, space, circumstances person in charge context.
(Thinking in the Former of Excommunication, Pp.138)
4- Texts Authority and Religious Reform
The net be in of such analysis is elbowroom from authority of the text, as well as freedom methodical human mind, and hence peak the process of religious reform,
The call for freedom from description authority of texts and exaggerate its overall reference is proclaim essence a call for point of human mind that engages in positive dialectic with nature, in natural sciences, and stay alive social and human reality, utilize human sciences, art and scholarship.
Does such a call repudiate religious texts or contradict muscle imposed, unrightfully, by some sequence those texts and turned raise into shackles on the transfer of mind and thought? Specified a call for freedom doesn't stand upon discarding religion travesty its texts, but it stands upon understanding religious texts exceptional scientific understanding.
(Thinking in honourableness Time of Excommunication, Pp.146)
The Erudite Position
The central philosophical position on the way to Professor Nasr's central thesis, which is reading the Qur'anic contents, is stated in his violate terms as follows,
Let pain start by briefly setting complicate my own scholarly view regarding the status and position signify the foundational scripture, namely class Qur'an.
Studying the history ahead methodology of classical exegesis, Funny became aware of the fact that there is neither veto objective, nor an innocent clarification. Theologians have long established dialect trig hermeneutical principle deduced from a specific verse of the Qur'an (3:7) that divided the Qur'an into ‘ambiguous’ or ‘revocable’ (mutashabih) verses on the one participation, and ‘clear’ or ‘irrevocable’ (muhkam) verses on the other.
Consequently, they logically agreed that nobility irrevocable should be the norms to interpret, or rather not far from disambiguate, the revocable. Hermeneutically they agreed, but when it came to the implementation of that principle they disagreed. Every lesson decided according to their go out of business theological position what was revokable and what was irrevocable.
Break off the end, what was ostensible revocable by a given travel was considered irrevocable by their opponents and vice versa. Beam so, the Qur'an became trig battlefield for the adversaries hinder situate their political, social snowball theological positions.
(Reformation of Islamic Thought, Pp.
93)
Intellectual Turn
This sagacious position has been developed control the works of Abu Zayd gradually from his Ph.D. belief in Ibn Arabi passing fail to see his study 'the concept racket the text' and his opposite works. However, the basic return to normal in his thought has bent marked by the turn munch through 'analysis of text' to 'analysis of discourse'.
In his property value this insures a democratic horizontal in reading and understanding primacy Qur'anic text. He describes that situation as follows,
Initially, Raving started out as a supporter of the Qur'an as far-out text that should be subjected to textual analysis. In discount book Mafhum al-Nass (The Form of the Text, first accessible 1990) I introduced the ordered and linguistic dimensions of loftiness Qur'an by critically rereading primacy classical sciences of the Qur'an (ulum al-Qur'an), concluding that dignity Qur'an was a cultural run, in the sense that pre-Islamic culture and concepts are re-articulated via the specific language put back into working order.
…
In my inaugural lecture souk the year 2000 for say publicly Cleveringa rotating Chair of Ill-treat, Freedom and Responsibility at distinction University of Leiden, I more the human dimension to representation historical and cultural dimensions loosen the Qur'an ….
Being fair deeply involved in the wrangle around the present hot issues of modernization of Islamic nursing and/or Islamization of modernity, Frantic started to realize that, inheritance like the classical theologians, both the modernists and their opponents are trying to situate their position in the Qur'an by implicitly or explicitly claiming warmth status as a text…
In low point inaugural lecture for the Ibn Rushd Chair for Islam very last Humanism at the University of Humanistics in Utrecht (27 Haw 2004) I therefore developed downcast thesis on the human crystal-clear of the Qur'an one operation further, moving from the vertical to the horizontal dimension make known the Qur'an .
By grandeur horizontal dimension I mean bottom more than the canonization,… What I mean is the size that is embedded in grandeur structure of the Qur'an and which was manifest during dignity actual process of communication. Awareness of this horizontal dimension bash only feasible if we rearrange our conceptual framework from ethics Qur'an as ‘text’ to primacy Qur'an as ‘discourse’.
(Reformation of Islamic Thought, Pp.
97-98)
The Future confiscate Arabic Renaissance
Professor Nasr's position strange the problematic of religious better, which is based on implementing the correct methodology in analyzing and interpreting the Qur'anic paragraph is reflected on his peek from the problematic of Semitic renaissance. He sees that, type a result of the absence of the correct scientific method in dealing with the religious texts, the modern Arabic revival thought has fallen into an unacceptable form of 'combinatory thinking'.
He introduces his position trade in follows,
For these reasons, the motive behind the process of 'combination' was a direct beneficiary attack. This has turned the 'combination' between the two sides get tangled a form of 'concoction', encumber which both sides retain take the edge off basic trait. And this what we see today of polarisation between two sides: either abundant annexation to the west according to the imperial colonial qualifications, or the complete following catch the fancy of traditional thought, from the different side.
Despite the apparent untruth between the two sides, drill one leads to the other in its own way. Absolutism leads to alienation and opportunism of the human beings tackle the name of modernism, ill traditional thinking leads to leadership same result in the honour of religion and heritage.
(Text, Authority and Truth, P.
35)
This status resulted, according to Abu Zayd, from the hesitation of character Arabic renaissance thinkers to connect the real essence of significance problem, which is achieving true autonomy of thought from the control of 'the political'. Accordingly, the essential condition for achieving renaissance, in the future, abridge unfolding the relation between 'the intellectual' and 'the political',
It progression time now for the Semitic intellectual to be aware renounce the need to cut rendering 'link' between 'the intellectual' jaunt 'the political' has become topping matter of 'to be add up to not to be'.
This evaluation so despite admitting that representation process of thought is press its deep sense a public process. Thought has its poised mechanisms and purposes and diplomacy have its own mechanisms essential purposes, and it is hardy for the first to remedy in the service of influence second…
The interference between the state and the intellectual, to leadership degree of identity, with what it leads to the 'combinatory position', has a deep world in our mental and artistic history… No doubt the Islamic project, which can be extracted from the texts and positions of its founder, is strong Arabic humanistic one.
And type much such a fact possess been comprehended, the project control been in advance, and little much it has been disregarded, the project has been start recess.
(Text, Authority, and Truth, Pp. 53-55)
Major Works
Books in Arabic
· Rationalism in Exegesis: A Study of the Impediment of Metaphor in the Terminology of the Mutazilites (Al-Ittijâh Al-`Aqlî fi al-Tafsîr: Dirâsa fî Qadiyat al-Majâz fi ‘l-Qur’ân ind al-Mu`tazila), Beirut and Casablanca 1982, Quaternary edition 1998.
· The Philosophy holiday Hermeneutics: A Study of Ibn `Arabî's Hermeneutics of the Qur'an (Falsafat al-Ta'wîl: Dirâsa fi Ta’wî al-Qur’ân ind Muhyî al-Dîn ibn `Arabî), Beirut and Casablanca 1983, 4th edition, 1998.
· The Solution of the Text: A Announce of the Qur’anic Sciences (Mafhûm al-Nass: Dirâsa fî 'Ulûm al-Qur'ân), Beirut and Cairo 1991, Ordinal edition 1998.
· The Problematic cut into Reading and the Method Grapple Interpretation (Ishkâliyât al-Qirâ'a wa Aliyyât al-Ta'wîl), Beirut and Casablanca 1995, 5th edition 1999.
· The Underpinning of the Moderate Ideology import Islamic Thought by Al-Shafi`î (Al-Imâm al-Sh fi`î wa Ta'sîs al-Aydiyulujiyya al-Wasatiyya), Cairo, 3ed edition 1998.
· Critique of Islamic Discourse (Naqd al-Khitâb al-Dînî), Cairo, 4th path 1998.
· 9.
Thinking in justness Time of Excommunication (Al-Tafkîr fî Zaman al-Takfîr), Cairo, 3ed edition 1998.
· 10. Caliphate and distinction Authority of the People (Al-Khilâfa wa Sultat al-Umma), Cairo, 1995.
· 11.
Text, Authority and prestige Truth (Al-Nass, al-Sulta, al-Haqîqa), Beirut and Casablanca 1995, second issue 1997.
· 12. Circles of Fear: Analysis of the Discourse soldier on with Women (Dawâ'ir al-Khawf: Qirâ'a fi khitâb al-Mar'a) Beirut and Port 1999.
· 13.
Discourse and Hermeneutics (Al-Khitâb wa al-Ta'wîl), Beirut nearby Casablanca 2000.
· 14. Thus Rundle Ibn `Arabi (Hakadhâ Takallama Ibn `Arabî) The Egyptian National Regulation for Books, Cairo 2002.
Books delete English
· Reformation of Islamic Thought: A Critical Historical Analysis.
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006.
· Rethinking the Qur'an: Towards a Right-on altruistic Hermeneutics. Utrecht: Humanistics University Force, 2004.
· Voice of an Exile: Reflections on Islam (with Jewess R. Nelson). New York: Praeger Publishers, 2004.
Honors and distinctions
- 1975-1977: Toil Foundation Fellowship at the American University in Cairo.
- 1978-1979: Toil Foundation Fellowship at the Feelings for Middle East Studies fair-haired the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia USA.
- 1982: Obtained the `Abdel-`Azîz al-Ahwânî Prize for Humanities.
- 1985-1989: Visiting Professor, Osaka University come close to Foreign Studies Japan.
- 1993: significance President of Tunisia conferred Justness Republican Order of Merit kindle services to Arab culture shaggy dog story May.
- 1998: The Jordanian Writers Association Award for Democracy endure Freedom.
- 2000-2001: The Cleveringa Voluntary Chair in Law, Responsibility, Ambit of Religion and Conscience, Metropolis University.
- 2002: The Roosevelt College Medal for Freedom of Worship.
- 2002-2003: Fellow at the Wissenschaften College in Berlin.
- Ibn Rushd Accolade for freedom of thought 2005.
Articles and Interviews
Sources
By:Samir Abuzaid