Handling Theology in Footnotes: Salafi Editors on<i> Hadith</i> Commentaries from the Middle Period

Macit Karagözoǧlu M. M.

WELT DES ISLAMS, cilt.64, sa.1, ss.60-83, 2024 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 64 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1163/15700607-20230016
  • Dergi Adı: WELT DES ISLAMS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, ATLA Religion Database, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.60-83
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Salafi Islam, Salafism, Islamic theology, hadith commentary, divine attributes, anthropomorphism, Ibn Baz, editorial practices
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Abstract A prominent genre of contemporary Salafi literature consists of critical editions of texts from the Middle Period with editorial introductions and footnotes. These editions allow Salafi editors to reinforce their views on various subjects, sometimes by criticizing the text's author. This article analyzes Salafi editors' critical engagement with medieval adith commentators by focusing on the problem of divine attributes in the adith commentary literature. It argues that Salafis seek to rebut their opponents - particularly Ashari adith scholars - utilizing different discursive strategies. These include rejecting mutashabih, majaz, and tawil as hermeneutical categories, re-defining the concepts of bi-la kayf and tafwi, and emphasizing the inconsistencies in the Ashari doctrine of divine attributes. Their footnotes also function to reinforce group identity and tradition, presenting Salafi Islam as the core of ahl al-sunna, and appealing to the Muslim public with a concrete image of God.