AN ANALYSIS OF TOSHIHIKO IZUTSU’S QURANIC APPROACH
MOHAMMED JURAIS (Research scholar under cordoba chair for contemporary studies)
[email protected] [email protected] 9995302350
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Introduction Philosophy is a Meta - conceptual thing which have and had discussed in rapid area, religion and region. All religion has a philosophical aspect in all existential things. 'The word philosophy means "love of wisdom". Indeed, it is a love of wisdom that guide philosophers to explore the fundamental questions about who are we and why we here (philosophy 101; from Plato and Socrates to ethics and metaphysics, an essential primer on the history of thought). Through philosophy, people are able to explore to concept like the meaning of life, knowledge, morality, reality, the existence of god, consciousness, politics, religion, economics, art, linguistics - philosophy has no bounds. i think here stated words meaningfully described the philosophy. As we recognized from the above passage, we knew that philosophy has no bounds and limits. Even though there many types of philosophy viz Islamic philosophy, Greek philosophy, western philosophy etc. among them Islamic philosophy only more aspects are scattered into other like mystic philosophy, social philosophy. Philosophers and Sufis added and counted Ibn Arabi in this first stage i;e mystic philosophy. the mystical philosophy discusses in past and present alike. Jalaludheen Rumi also has salient level in this mystical hierarchy. The philosophy also discussed in east and west, usually called oriental philosophy for eastern philosophy. In this gesture, more Muslim scholars and non- Muslim scholars have researched in this specific area alike. At this time i have to discuss about Toshiko Izutsu, who my topic closely related.
Toshihiko Izutsu May 4, 1914 was the great non- Muslim Islamic philosophical scholar's birth. After his all studies he specially focused on semantic study, so that he becomes professor in various linguistic universities. His life-long discussed through Islamic philosophy and other. Especially, in metaphysical world. In brief, here drags out his intellectual biography. Toshihiko Izutsu, one of the eminent figures of Japanese Muslim scholars. He also known as Izutsu Toshihiko and a professor Emeritus at Keio University in Japan and a well-known author of many books those are deeply embedded in Isl āmic theology and other religions. For a long time, he was the professor at the institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, and was taught at the Iranian institute of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was expert in more than 30 languages. Life and Academic Career Toshihiko Izutsu was a talented professor at Keio University in Japan and he was an outstanding authority in the metaphysical and philosophical wisdom schools of Isl āmic Sufism, Hindu Advaita Vedanta, Mahayana Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism), and Philosophical Taoism. He was mastered in the field of foreign languages and he is fluent in more than 30 languages; including Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Russian and Greek. His traveling research was mainly focused in such places as the
Middle East (especially Iran) India, Europe, North America, and Asia were undertaken with a view to developing a meta-philosophical approach to comparative religion based upon an accurate linguistic study of traditional metaphysical texts. Izutsu often stated his beliefs that harmony could be encouraged between peoples by demonstrating that many beliefs with which a community identified itself. One of important matters The world of the Izutsu is more intellectually discussed in his work "God and man in Quran semantics of the Quranic weltanschauung" . He begins with the historically and empirically given; he doesn't have direct access to any religious experience except his own. However, Joachin Wach and others have insisted, there is a possibility of understanding the nature and content of religious experience by an empathetic, probing and systematic examination of its expressions. When he completed his work "God and man in Quran ; semantics of the Quranic weltanschauung" some non-secular intellectuals and rigid intellectuals have crictically approached to it. my main purpose int ujis reseach of Izutsu's ethical approach on Quran is not to critizcize him as some Islamists had done. For example Montgommery watts review on god and man Quran and the concept of belief in Islamic theology. In his other book "Sufism and Taoism" he dragged the structural comparison between the world of sufism represented by mystic philosophical scholar Ibn Arabi and the world view of taoism represented by Lao-Tzu. izutsu aslo stressed that Islam wasn't the religion of desert and it was based on a truely urban understanding of the world. methodology used in Quran studies The book god and man in Quran firstly published in 1964, and he used the semantic methodology to interpret the Quranic key words. At the outset,
Dr. Izutsu gives us his idea of the science of linguistics or semantics through which he wishes to understand the Qur'an, "Semantics as I understand it is an analytic study of the key terms of a language with a view to arriving eventually at a conceptual grasp of the weltanschauung or world-view of the people who use that language ...". Izutsu’s approach to Quran is like a philosophical perspective that blends with anthropology and leads to linguistic methodological tools. A semantically study of the Qur'an would, therefore, be an analytical study of the key-terms of the Qur'an. Dr. Izutsu makes it abundantly clear that by a study of the key-terms is not merely meant just a mechanical analysis of these terms or concepts in isolation or as static units but even more importantly includes their living, contextual import, as they are used in the Qur'an. Izutsu, Orientalism, and Qur’anic Studies Some Arab researchers have identified four factors in this temptation to give consideration to orientalist studies. One, they considered it to st em from curiosity to know the opinions of non-Muslim thinkers regarding Islam, its scripture and prophet. Two, they thought that it aimed to answer arguments stemming from those who were prejudiced against Islam, against the prophecy of its prophet and his connection with the Qur’an, in addition to refuting and disclosing their allegations, and showing the truth behind their so-called religious, scientific or historical surveys which hide colonialist and crusading tendencies. Third, they considered it in order to draw attention to linguistic, scientific or historical mistakes, some of which
were made out of ignorance, misunderstanding, narrow-mindedness, or far-fetched assumptions. Four, they wished to make use of their research, especially those studies which show freedom from the ideological pressures of the colonialist church, and are characterized by a scientific approach free from emotion and preconceived judgments. Arab perspective of Izutsu's studies Many Arab researches had studied about the theoretical method which Izutsu used to approach Quranic studies. Some are done it in a good and other criticized Izutsu's thus studies, but it is not to looking his semantic methodology rather he is a non- Muslim. The year 2007 witnessed the release of two translations of Izutsu’s book God and Man in the Koran, one published by al-Muna ẓẓama al-ʿArabiyya li’l-Tarjama in Beirut, and the other by D ār al-Multaqā in Aleppo. This was followed in 2009 by the release of the Arabic translation of Izutsu’s book Ethico-religious Concepts in the Qur ʾān. 2010 witnessed the release of the Arabic translation of The Concept of Belief in Islamic Theology. These two latter works were also published by D ār al-Multaqā. this late translation was the great sorrowful thing to Arab academicians. the main cause such late is that of neglecting of Asian studies. Toshihiko Izutsu had introduced his Quranic view more in his work God and Man in Quran which has translated to Arabic (Allah val Insan fil Quran- 2005) too. He also believed after avoid the pre- concept that Allah is the focus word in the holly Quran. So, he semantically analyzed this word at Allah. Firstly he says in the fourth chapter of god and man in koran that the
first problem of prophet (s) was to face jahili who were believed 'the God', word god was usually used in pre- Islamic era. Beside of this in greek also it is used 'he theos' which means the god. So, when the Quran describes about Allah by using the word 'the God' ( ilah), they were recognised that it is ours ( jahili) god. So prophet muhammed (pbuh) specially focused in this controversial thing to change that concept and to teach that the Quran is teaching Allah, the creator,. Jew and Christians are used similarly the word 'Allah' for their God. And Islam mentioned Allah in another meaning. So, If prophet (pbuh) described about Allah to pagan Arab, they recognized as thier lord. In this term, if we ask who is the creator of the world to pagan arabs they would say 'Allah'. But semantically the inner meaning is utterly different. Izutsu called this kind of people as 'temporary monotheism'. I think such kind of temporary monotheism was the great bias of pre- Islamic Arabs to Islam. Because i think in this term prophet have only to change their misunderstanding. Toshihiko Izutsu was believed that Allah is the important and being existence in all time. From the responses of a number of researchers of the Qur’an over the last years, it has become apparent that Izutsu’s studies are of great importance because, through their theoretical and applied principles, they form the basis of a new and scientific approach to studying the Qur’an. This essay will shed light on the details. In Quranic philosophical weltanschauung or world view there is only one being essential existence in here that is Allah. Broadly he said in his work and which had presented at the fifth east- west philosophers' conference in Hawaii (June- July 1969) "the basic structure of metaphysical thinking in Islam" that From the viewpoint of the highest
Mystic- philosopher, even the people of this type, when they experience the vision of the Absolute, are actually doing nothing but perceiving the Absolute as it is reflected in the phenomenal things. But dazzled by the excess of light issuing forth from the Absolute, they are not aware of the phenomenal things in which it is reflected. Just as, in the case of the people of the first class, the Absolute served as the mirror reflecting upon its polished surface all the phenomenal things, so in the present case the phenomenal things serve as mirrors reflecting the Absolute. In either case, man usually takes notice of the images in the mirror, and the mirror itself remains unnoticed. Izutsu stated at the beginning of God and Man in the Koran, when speaking about the main reason that prompted him to embark on the study: ‘I was guided by the hope that.. I might still be able to contribute something new to a better understanding of the Koranic message to its own age and to us’. In his book, He determined that the Islam is truth but psychologically the nature of the human is turning away from the truth. For this semantically analysis of Allah he also used and dragged here some relevant Arabic poems of pagan- Arabs too. After he studied and learned Arabic language he didn't forget to translate the holly Quran to Japanese. And it was the first translation in Japan from Asia and World. View of Sāmir Rashwān ī in Izutsu Syrian researcher S āmir Rashwān ī , a lecturer in the Faculty of Shar ī ʿa at the University of Aleppo, in the context of an essay published on the internet entitled ‘“All āh wa’l-insān f ī ’l-Qur ʾān:” tajriba majh ūla f ī ʿilm
al-dalāla’ (‘God and Man in the Qur’an’: An Unfamiliar Experiment in Semantics’). When Rashw ān ī introduces Izutsu’s book God and Man in the Koran, he summarizes the main idea of the book by saying: The Qur’an’s message, its worldview, and philosophy about existence are found in its vocabulary – key-words, or more precisely in the connotations found in the vocabulary used by the Qur’an to explain its message. A semantic study of these key-words will unveil the change in the connotations the Qur’anic usage has introduced in pre-Islamic Arabic, giving these key-words a new worldview and a different philosophy. After reading the Quran he divides the relations between man and man into 7 points as Quran separately stated. These concepts may be conveniently classified into seven sub-fields: (1) marital relations comprising concepts that relate to marriage, divorce, adultery and fornication; (2) parents-children relations, comprising the duties of parents towards children, and the duties of children towards their parents, and regulations concerning adoption; (3) laws of inheritance; (4) criminal laws concerning particularly murder, theft, and retaliation; (5) commercial relations comprising concepts of contract, debt, usury, bribery, and justice in commercial dealings; (6) laws concerning charity, i.e., alms, legal and voluntary; (7) laws concerning slaves. From the responses of a number of Arab researches of the Quran over the last three years, it has become apparent that Izutsu's studies are of great importance and preference, because through their theoretical and applied principles they form the basis of a new and scientific approach to studying the Quran.
By using specific poems and versus from Quran and history Izutsu determined that Dunya is lower and comparably here is great. Izutsu semantically analyzed about the meaning of Dunya, He analyzed the word 'Dunya' , which constantly used in Quran, from its beginning form. Dunya formed from ' Dunuvv' which refers to low or lower. So, he added that the Quranic Welatanschauung is no giving any preference to dunya ie this phenomenal world. And it described as a sufistic concept of Quran. Returning to Izutsu, His English works include God and Man in the Koran, Ethico -religious Concepts in the Qur ʾān, The Concept of Belief in Islamic Theology, Su fism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts and The Concept and Reality of Existence. In Japanese, he wrote History of Islamic Thought, Mystical Philosophy, Islamic Culture, Consciousness and Essence, Cosmos and Anti-Cosmos and others. He also translated the Qur’an into Japanese. In another point, as an existential approach to Quran he said that Allah is full time being as i early mentioned and he is the only being worthy to be called being in the full sense of the world. As the result of humble reading of the holly Quran Izutsu demonstrated that the Insan and God are completely dichotomy. Here a question arise that then how people could communicate to Allah. Because the people could only communicate and and speak to people i;e man to man. And Allah couldn't speak to those who are lower position in sufistic stage (sorry for attributes 'couldn't to Allah, whereas Allah is in 'could'). In this discourse, how the Quran revealed from Allah to prophet by saying prophet is man like us. Here, we say prophet is like a common man
but had special stage, as prophet hood. In this gesture, Toshihiko Izutsu divided the nature of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) into two part, nature and super nature. A man cannot speak to the Angel of Allah in his natural form. However, in the case of the Qur'anic Revelation, the first hindrance regarding a common sign-system was removed by the fact that the Arabic language was chosen by God Himself as the common sign-system between God and man. But the second, ontological, hindrance was not of such a nature that it could be removed so easily. Hence, the extraordinariness of this phenomenon. For here genuine linguistic communication does occur between two levels of being that are worlds apart and between which lies an infinite distance of essential separation. And yet God speaks to man, and man hears the words and understands them. And that is Revelation. How should we account for this extraordinary phenomenon? Here, Toshihiko izutsu put forward about the nature and super nature. That at time of revelation prophet (pbuh) will be super natural form, it would help him to hear the words of wahy, which Allah sends down through his Angel. Izutsu's Quranic approach studies aren’t lasting. But here i can’t drag that all because of word long. At last this article discusses about the four-fold relation between god and man. These four- fold relations were discussed exactly from his age to current. It is a principle point of Izutsu which he found from Quran. In the part he described about jahili as there is no dramatic form because no spiritual tension running through the whole world. A jahili can't approach and find Allah, the absolute. that relations are;- (i) God is the creator of man; (ii) He communicates His Will to man through Revelation; (iii) there subsists a Lord-servant relationship between
God and man and (iv) the concept of God as the God of goodness and mercy (for those who are thankful to Him) and the God of wrath (for those who reject Him). The believers in this fourfold relationship between Allah and man constitute a Community (Ummah Muslimah) by themselves and believe in the Last Day, Paradise and Hell. Dr. Izutsu's description of the historical evolution of these concepts in pre-Islamic Arabia up to the appearance of Islam is quite rich and valuable. According to the Quran Izutsu demonstrated about the form of communication to Allah. In communication relation to Allah there have two forms verbal and non- verbal, and it also have two types, above to below and below to above. The above t below system is in form of revelation and down, the Ayats. Simultaneously, below to above communication is in the form of supplication, other worship and reciting Quran. Conclusion As we understand in this short essay izutsu’s semantic approach of Quran gave a serious consideration. And it helped more western and Arab research scholars to study Quranic Weltanschauung or world view. More scholars appreciated izutsu’s methodology but some others, like Ahmed Abdu Rahman, a University professor and a well- known Muslim da_i from Egypt. His studies are wide spread among Arabs and other and it also had translated to various languages because of its salient methodology and form.
References;
God and man quran; a semantic study of quran - toshihiko izutsu
Izutsu’s study of the quran from an arab perspective – Eisa al akaub- university of Aleppo
Semantics of the quran; a consideration of izutsu’s study- Harry b partin
How toshihko made ne understand islam- Monira al qadiri
The basic structure of metaphysical thinking in islam- Toshiko izutsu – Hawai presentation
Pg thesis essense and existence special reference to toshihiko izutsu- Darul huda islamic Univesity india
Al- yabani- izutsu wa’l- ru ya- al quraniyya lil- aalam (the japanese izutsu and the wuranic world view)- Masjid- Dahir
Istikdam ilm- al- dalala fi fahm al- quran; qira;a fi tajribat albahit al- yabani toshihiko izutsu (using semantics in understanding the quran; a readinf in the exoerience of the japanese researcher toshihiko izutsu)- abd- al rahman hilali
Allah wa’l – insan- fil- quran; tajriba majhula fi- ilm al- dalala (god and man in the quran; an unfamiliar experiment in semantics)- samir rashwani
Al- tahlil al- anthrubuluji al- lisani lil- quran (anthropological linguistic analysis of the quran) – abd al rajman al hajj
