Ahl al-Ra'y
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The Ahl al-Ra'y [a] refers to an Islamic creedal group advocating for the use of reason for theological decisions and scriptural interpretation.[1] They were one of two main groups debating the source of Islamic creed in the second century of Islam, the other being Ahl al-Hadith (the people of hadith).[2]
Its proponents, which included many early jurists of the Hanafi school, used the term ra'y to refer to "sound" or "considered" reasoning, such as qiyas (analogical deduction).[1] Their opponents from the Ahl al-Hadith creedal group held that the Quran and authentic hadith were the only admissible sources of Islamic law, and objected to any use of ra'y in jurisprudence, whether in the form of qiyas, istislah (consideration of public interest), or hiyal (legal subterfuges).[3] According to Daniel W. Brown, Ahl al-Ra'y thought a hadith should "sometimes be subject to other overriding principles" such as the "continuous practice" of the Ummah (Muslim community) and "general principles of equity" which better represented "the spirit" of the Prophet of Islam.[4]
Over time, Hanafi jurists gradually came to accept the primacy of the Quran and hadith advocated by the Ahl al-Hadith creedal group, restricting the use of other forms of legal reasoning to interpretation of these scriptures.[3] In turn, Hanbali jurists, who had led the Ahl al-Hadith creedal group, gradually came to accept the use of qiyas.[3]
Terminology
[edit]Ra'y is an Arabic word that literally means reason, opinion, idea, and other similar words. According to Lisan al-Arab, ra'y was used to refer to an excellent opinion in Pre-Islamic Arabia. Later definitions used it to refer to an opinion derived from deep contemplation and sound judgement. Those who prioritized the usage of ra'y in Islamic law became known as Ahl al-Ra'y[5] or Așḥāb al-Ra'y[b], sometimes referred to in English as rationalists.[6][7][8] Other names include Ahl al-Qiyās[c], Ahl an-Naẓar[d], and Ahl al-Kalām[e][6]. Sometimes Ahl al-Kalām is considered its own separate category, containing the Mu'tazila.[9]
Ahl al-Ra'y did not necessarily reject all hadith. Rather, many accepted the usage of hadith but nonetheless, gave preference and greater importance to ra'y.[10][11]
History
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Ra'y originally was viewed in a very positive sense to refer to sound and considered opinion based on reasoning. The emergence of hadith did not initially affect these established forms of legal reasoning, and ra'y continued to dominate the Islamic world until the mid-8th century CE. About two-thirds of Zuhrī's transmitted doctrine contained ra'y and only one third contained reports from earlier authorities. For Qatada ibn Di'ama, 62% of his transmitted doctrine contained ra'y and of what was remaining, 84% was the ra'y of previous authorities. However, with the rise of traditionalism, the term got an increasingly negative association with arbitrary or fallible human thought.[12] Traditionalists would at times claim ra'y was imposing human subjectivity onto God, while rationalists would at times claim much of the hadith materials, especially akhbār al-āḥād (single-transmitter reports), to have too uncertain accuracy. Traditionalists would often be accused of being primitive while rationalists were accused of being impious.[13]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Arabic: أهل الرأي, romanized: ahl al-raʿy, lit. 'people of reason'
- ^ Arabic: أصحاب الرأي, romanized: așḥāb al-raʿy, lit. 'adherents of reason'
- ^ Arabic: أهل القياس, romanized: ahl al-qiyās, lit. 'people of analogy'
- ^ Arabic: أهل النَظَر, romanized: ahl an-naẓar, lit. 'people of insight'
- ^ Arabic: أهل ٱلْكَلَام, romanized: ahl al-kalām, lit. 'people of discourse'
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). "Ahl al- raʾy". Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Brill Online. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_22177. ISSN 1873-9830.
- ^ Brown, Daniel W. (1996). Rethinking tradition in modern Islamic thought. Cambridge University Press. p. 13. ISBN 0521570778. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ a b c Lapidus, Ira M. (2014). A History of Islamic Societies. Cambridge University Press (Kindle edition). pp. 130–131. ISBN 978-0-521-51430-9.
- ^ Brown, Daniel W. (1996). Rethinking tradition in modern Islamic thought. Cambridge University Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0521570778. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Shafiq, Muhammad (1984). "THE MEANING OF RA'Y AND NATURE OF ITS USAGE IN ISLAMIC LAW (An Examination of Select cases of the Legal Reasoning in the Period of 'Umar, the Second Caliph)". Islamic Studies. 23 (1): 21–32. ISSN 0578-8072.
- ^ a b Makdisi, George (February 1979). "The Significance of the Sunni Schools of Law in Islamic Religious History". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 10 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1017/S0020743800053277. ISSN 0020-7438.
- ^ Ruano, Delfina Serrano (2000). "Review of A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to the Sunni Usul Al-Fiqh". Journal of Law and Religion. 15 (1/2): 379–383. doi:10.2307/1051528. ISSN 0748-0814.
- ^ Shamsy, Ahmed El (2007). "The First Shāfiʿī: The Traditionalist Legal Thought of Abū Yaʿqūb al-buwayṭī (d. 231/846)". Islamic Law and Society. 14 (3): 301–341. ISSN 0928-9380.
- ^ Hasan, Ahmad (1967). "Early Modes of Ijtihād: Ra'y, Qiyās and Istiḥsān". Islamic Studies. 6 (1): 47–79. ISSN 0578-8072.
- ^ Hallaq, Wael B. (2004). The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law. Themes in Islamic Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-521-80332-8.
- ^ Hasan, Ahmad (1967). "Early Modes of Ijtihād: Ra'y, Qiyās and Istiḥsān". Islamic Studies. 6 (1): 55–56. ISSN 0578-8072.
- ^ Hallaq, Wael B. (2004). The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law. Themes in Islamic Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80332-8.
- ^ Shamsy, Ahmed El (2007). "The First Shāfiʿī: The Traditionalist Legal Thought of Abū Yaʿqūb al-buwayṭī (d. 231/846)". Islamic Law and Society. 14 (3): 305. ISSN 0928-9380.
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