Expression of Wa al-Sāriq wa al-Sāriqah in al-Hidāyah wa al-‘Irfān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān by Muḥammad Abū Zayd al-Damanhūrī
Lafaz “Wa al-Sāriq wa al-Sāriqah” dalam al-Hidāyah wa al-‘Irfān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān karya Muḥammad Abū Zayd al-Damanhūrī
Keywords:
Thieves, Adulterer, Deviant Interpretation, al-DamanhūrīAbstract
Muḥammad Abū Zayd al-Damanhūrī, a controversial Egyptian Quranic exegete, presents interpretations in al-Hidāyah wa al-‘Irfān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān that significantly diverge from traditional scholarship, leading to a publication ban by al-Azhar University. One of his contentious views involves the expression Wa al-Sāriq wa al-Sāriqah (WSS) in surah al-Mā’idah [5] verse 38, which he interprets as referring only to habitual thieves (al-ta‘awwud). According to him, an occasional or one-time act of theft does not merit the ḥadd punishment of amputation. He argues that this severe penalty, resulting in permanent disability, should only be applied after all preventive measures have failed and when theft has become an ingrained habit. This study employed a qualitative method to examine al-Damanhūrī’s interpretations in al-Hidāyah wa al-‘Irfān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān. The findings indicated that his interpretation of the Arabic morphological form ism al-fā‘il is inconsistent with the consensus of Muslim scholars and indicative of al-tafsīr al-ilḥādī (deviant exegesis), due to its implicit rejection of the ḥudūd law. Such a view risks misleading the public into believing that initial offenses carry no legal consequences, thereby undermining the deterrent function of Islamic law.
Contribution: This study critically re-examined the claim that the Arabic morphological form ism al-fā‘il necessarily implies repetition or continuity, an assumption central to al-Damanhūrī’s interpretation. It highlights the necessity of adhering to established hermeneutical principles developed by authoritative scholars to safeguard the integrity of Quranic interpretation and uphold the ethical and legal foundations of Islam against distorted or ideologically driven readings.
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