The relation between god, man and nature in the Qur’an

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Date
2009
Authors
Ahmad Sahidah
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Abstract
The theme of the triadic relation between God, man and nature is actually an old issue. However, variances in its understanding have led to innumerable disputes, confusions and legitimacies for violence. The question of the relation between man and nature is often neglected due to the failure to understand that sustainability of the earth is a responsibility of man as khalifatullah, the vicegerent of Allah on earth. This study seeks to analyze the relation between God, man and nature in in the Qur’ān according to Toshihiko Izutsu, a renowned Japanese scholar of Islamic Studies who asserts that a semantic analysis can be used to study the Qur’ān. For Izutsu, the difference of his approach lies mainly in the analytic method he uses to apply to the Qur’ānic data in order to enable the Qur’ān to interpret its own concepts and speak for itself. In order to obtain a sound understanding of Izutsu’s exposition contained in his works, the researcher utilizes the hermeneutical approach. This is a valuable method to observe his work on the above theme and its relation to his writings as a whole as well as analyze conceptually the terms he uses. The application of the hermeneutical approach presupposes that the explication of Izutsu’s work not only in relation to the written text but also the author’s background, history and socio-cultural conditions. In other words, the text connected to a world outside the text which assists in understanding a particular thought. That is, there is something outside the text. The findings of this study show that the semantic analysis used by Izutsu is able to comprehend the Qur’ānic message since it is based on the assumption that such a reading model which relates one verse to another verse to arrive at the scriptural message is also a known practice in the tradition of Qur’ānic exegesis. Likewise, the use of ancient Arabic poetry to understand the basic meanings of terms was adopted by Ibn Abbās, a companion and uncle of Prophet Muhammad. According to Izutsu, the relation between God, man and nature in the Qur’ān assumes four relations, viz., ontological, communicative, master-slave and ethical. Finally, it can be concluded that the semantic approach used by Izutsu is capable of obtaining a reading of the contents of the Qur’ān which does not contradict with the general principles of Islam. Furthermore, this model of analysis is not new since the science of Qur’ānic interpretation developed by Muslim scholars have also made use of methods similar to that used by Izutsu, such as that of Arabic poetry, thematic understanding of the message of the Qur’ān based on the verses which deal with same issue.
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PhD
Keywords
Humanities , Qur’an , Hermeneutical study , Toshihiko Izutsu’s semantic analysis
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