Ta’wīl in the Early Period of Tafsīr: Mujāhid b. Jabr’s Rational Qur’an Exegesis

Abstract

Mujāhid b. Jabr (d. 103/721) is one of the prominent scholars of tābi‘īn generation. There is consensus among scholars that he was a reciter (qāri’), a jurist (faqīh), and a trustworthy (thiqa) scholar. A disciple of Ibn ‘Abbās (d. 68/687-688), he was particularly known among tābi‘īn for his contributions to the science of Qur’an exegesis (tafsīr), and therefore has been referred to by such appellations as al-Imām and the leader of reciters and exegetes (shaykh al-qurrā’ wa-l-mufassirīn). Eminent scholars, such as al-Shāfi‘ī (d. 204/820), Aģmad b. Ģanbal (d. 241/855), al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870), and al-Šabarī (d. 310/923) valued his narratives and regarded him as an incontestable authority in tafsīr. Mujāhid comes to the fore for his emphasis on personal opinion (ra’y) in tafsīr, as well as research and verification methods, such as visiting the places where some of the stories in the Quran took place, traveling for the pursuit of knowledge, and asking for information from the People of the Book (Ahl al-kitāb). The fact that he himself conveyed his opinions about the virtue of the ra’y is one of the most important indicators of his aforementioned features. The tradition that those who deepen their knowledge will know the interpretation of the ambiguous verses (mutashābihāt), whose only narrator from Ibn ‘Abbās is Mujāhid, may be seen as an expression of his conception of tafsīr. Noteworthy in this context is that he interprets some verses through metaphor and allegory. This interpretation of his and others like it gave rise in the classical period to the opinion that he had “some views in tafsīr that should be approached with caution,” leading some contemporary scholars such as Goldziher (d. 1921) to regard him as an “early harbinger of the tendency to rational exegesis.” One of the most controversial examples of his rational exegesis concerns the conversion into monkeys of the Israelites who had violated the Saturday ban. While the majority of the exegetes understood from the verses that the people in question had been literally transformed into monkeys, Mujāhid claimed that this was not but an allegory and that there was no conversion to monkeys in the real sense, but, in the sense that they were transformed into monkey-like people in terms of their character traits. Most exegetes, especially al-Šabarī, rejected Mujāhid’s view on the grounds that it was tantamount to not accepting the other punishments given to the Israelites, and the metaphorical interpretation in this way was contrary to the literal meaning of the verse as well as to consensus. Mujāhid’s view has been mostly accepted in the modern approach to tafsīr, where rational tendencies become more prevalent. Regarding the table miracle of Jesus, Mujāhid said, “This is an allegory; nothing was sent down to them.” This statement has been read to mean that the apostles abandoned their wishes when Allah informed them that He would bring down the table, but would inflict great torment on them if they did not believe. However, most exegetes, following the view of al-Ģasan al-Baŝrī (d. 110/728)—who thinks that “if this table had been brought down, that day should have been a holiday among Christians”—did not accept his view, holding instead that the table was offered and associating this miracle with some festivals celebrated by Christians. An opinion has been attributed to Mujāhid that he interpreted the expression “Your Lord will raise you to a praised position” in verse 79 of sūrat al-Isrā’ as “He puts him on His Throne with Himself.” The majority of exegetes understood the same verse as “the authority of intercession.” While al-Šabarī and some literalists (Ahl al-ģadīth) accepted this view of Mujāhid and tried to explain its possibility, ģadith scholars, such as Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (d. 463/1071) and al-Dhahabī (d. 748/1348), as well as commentators, such as al-Wāģidī (d. 468/1076) and al-Rāzī, strongly opposed it. In fact, the attribution of this view to Mujāhid seems problematic in terms of both transmission chain and theory. Regarding transmission, Lays b. Abī Sulaym (d. 143/760-61) is considered a weak narrator. In terms of theory, Mujāhid adopted, just like the majority of the scholars, the view that the verse refers to the authority of intercession, depending on stronger narrative chains. It is impossible for one who prefers rational interpretations in many occasions and agrees with other scholars that the verse signifies intercession to adopt, at the same time, a view that evokes anthropomorphism (tashbīh and tajsīm). It is related that Mujāhid interpreted the passage “They look at their lords on that day” in verse 23 of sūrat al-Qiyāma as signifying that “They expect his reward” and that he justified this interpretation of the verse with “Because no one can see him.” His view was rejected based on the traditions from the Prophet as well as rational evidence. Mu‘tazilites, on the other hand, resorted to Mujāhid’s reading to argue against Ahl al-sunnah, who often made use of the verse in order to prove the possibility of seeing God (ru’yat Allah). This is the most famous case of Mujāhid’s rational interpretation, for which he achieved fame as a rational mufassir. Mujāhid interprets the sentence “The scale is real that day; as for those who have heavy scales…” in the 8th verse of the al-A‘rāf in a figurative manner, claiming that the verse is a parable. According to Mujāhid’s reading, this and similar verses indicate that good and bad deeds will be met in a fair and equitable manner, rather than suggesting the existence of a literal scale. While Ahl al-sunnah scholars accept the existence of a literal scale, some of the Mu‘tazilites chose to interpret the scale as representing justice, in a manner similar to the interpretation of Mujāhid. Mujāhid did not yet have a fully conceptualized understanding of metaphor. He usually implied metaphorical meanings through his expression “this is a parable,” which he used at times and gave examples of rational interpretation in such cases. In this respect, Mujāhid seems to open the door, in an early period of Islam, to a method called interpretation (ta’wīl), a metaphor-based or rational exegesis. Although scholars have often approached his views with caution, through some of these views he inspired later theological sects and contemporary Qur’an commentators. These views, therefore, justify the thesis that he was an early representative of rational exegesis.