“Traditional Hermeneutics” an Analysis of Syatibi’s Thought in al-Muwa>faqa>t fi >Us}u>l al-Syari>’ah

Adang Saputra

Jakarta, 2014

Mainstreams of Clasical Hermeneutics

al-’Ibrah bi Khus}u>s} al-Sabab al-’Ibrah bi ‘Umu>m al-Lafz}

Literal-textual

pattern of

understanding

Causality

pattern of

understanding

al-’Ibrah bi ‘Umu>m al-Lafz}

The message laid on textual sound of the Syari’ah Text

(Qur’an or Hadith)

Textual-

Autonomous Logic

al-’Ibrah bi Khus}u>s} al-Sabab

The message laid on paralleled specific cause of

Qur’anic revelation

Causality Logic

al-Syatibi has alternative-innovative pattern

(fresh paradigm) of hermeneutics

al-’Ibrah bi Maqa>s}id al-Syari>’ah

Reponding to two main extreme trends of

understanding the syari’ah

Extreme

Exoteric

Extreme

Esoteric

Extrem

Exoteric

Istinba>t al-

ma’na based on

literal-textual

Qur’an or

Hadith

extremly Extremist

Scriptual

Extreme

Esoteric

Ectracting/pulling

out meaning

excessively beyond

normality Like extreme Shiite,

Sufi, and the like.

the Construction of Syatibi’s Hermeneutics

‘Arabi> has been Understood as Fundamental

Matter of Syari’ah 1

وإنه ,العرب بلسان نزل القرآن إن :قلنا فإن ...عربية المباركة الشريعة هذه إن و الخاصة ألفاظها في العرب معهود لسان على أنزل أنه فبمعنى ...عربي

هذا على وأساليبه معانيه في فالقرآن كذلك كان فإذا ...معانيها أساليب ...الترتيب

من فهمه تطلب إلى سبيل وال ,يفهم العرب لسان جهة فمن تفهمه أراد فمن (306-305 ,2 :الشاطبي) .الجهة هذا غير

the Construction of Syatibi’s Hermeneutics

Syari’ah

as ‘Arabi>

It came down in Arab

Genetically it used the Arabic

language

It has became part of reality

and history of Arab

Syari’ah

as ‘Arabi>

Qur’anic text is

not textual

independent, but

blended inherently

in historical and

sociological

circumstance of

Arab

Qur’anic text has

complexity of

context

relationship

Text is just

a wasi>lah

األلفاظ أصلحت وإنما ,بالمعاني عنايتها كانت إنما العرب أن..." هو إنما فاللفظ ,العربية أهل عند معلوم األصل وهذا ,أجلها من

(321 ,2 :الشاطبي) ”...المراد المعنى تحصيل إلى وسيلة

as Syatibi said:

If his commentary analyzed by using al-Jurjani and al-

Qartajani concepts, al-Syatibi assumed the text as a

“sign” which refer to meaning; whereas the meaning

had been foreknown, and then the phonetic clue

formulated as a sign/code which refer to it. Thus, the

meaning which is expressed by the text is speculative

conception of external realm being.

the Construction of Syatibi’s Hermeneutics

Emphasizing the Circular-Relational

Reading (among Text-Author-Audience and

Paralleled Indicators) 2

عن فضال ,القرآن نظم إعجاز به يعرف الذي والبيان المعاني علم أن” حال :األحوال مقتضيات معرفة على مداره إنما ,الكالم مقاصد معرفة

أو ,المخاطب أو ,المخاطب أو ,الخطاب نفس جهة من ,الخطاب وبحسب ,حالين بحسب فهمه يختلف الواحد الكالم إذ .الجميع

الكتاب فهم في المهمات من فهي ,...ذلك غير وبحسب ,مخاطبين (242-241 ,3 :الشاطبي) “...بد بال

According to his commentary, the establishment of

syari’ah (Qur’anic revelation), in Syatibi’s view, is like a

communication process which has composite elements:

Communicator (al-

mukha>t}ib) Communicant (al-

mukha>t}ab)

Communication

code (al-khit}a>b)

The

message

Thus, the maqa>s}id lays on circular relation among Communicator

(al-mukha>t}ib), Communicant (al-mukha>t}ab), and

Communication Code (al-khit}a>b)

Arab context

Theological aspect

Audience

God

Text Maqa>s}id

However, the syari’ah has complexity of related variables

Syari’ah

The Text as its

manifestation

God as the Author

Muhammad like

Messenger

Arab context as a frame of circumstance

Arab peoples as the

Audience

the Construction of Syatibi’s Hermeneutics

Realizing the Subjective Circumstance

of Reader 3

the understanding always contains subjectivity,

because when the reader understanding ‘something’

, he/she can not deny his/her subjective

circumstance such like mazhab, nafs, ‘ilm, etc. (it is not Syatibi’s redaction, but it is my an understating of his

commentary in Syatibi; IV, 414-448 )

Reader

Frame Circumstance

(culture, mazhab,

political parties, etc.)

Pre-

understanding

Frame of circumstance

(location, time,

tradition/culture,

mazhab, etc.)

Reader

(mufassir)

Frame of theology,

historicity, culture, social,

economy, language,

policy, etc.

Text

Author Audience

Interpretation/unde

rstanding

(new text)

Dialectical Relation

the new text will be responded by next readers with the same system, and so on.

Inter-subjective, tentative, and can

be reconstructed/deconstructed

The illustration of Syatibi’s understanding system

Thus, Syatibi’s hermeneutics is not only talking

about object (Syari’ah: Quran and Hadith

aspect) and exegesis mechanism, but also

talking about significance of reader

circumstance which is principal matter of

understanding system.

Finally, I think that Syatibi’s hermeneutics re-

oriented the tradition of hermeneutics in his era,

“from exegetical tradition toward philosophy of

understanding”