The Legitimacy Grounds of Istishhād with Poetry in Tafsīr: A Study of the Narration Attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad Cover Image

Tefsirde Şiirle İstişhadın Meşruiyet Zemini: Hz. Peygamber’e İsnad Edilen Rivayet Özelinde
The Legitimacy Grounds of Istishhād with Poetry in Tafsīr: A Study of the Narration Attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad

Author(s): Fatma Yalnız
Subject(s): History of Islam, Contemporary Islamic Thought, Sociology of Religion, Qur’anic studies, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İlahyat Fakültesi
Keywords: Tafsīr; Istishād with Poetry; Prophet Muhammad; Companions; Legitimacy;

Summary/Abstract: In the classical period, poetry was widely used to explain strange words in verses, and Abdullah b. Abbas was often cited in this context. The narration of Omar that he learned the meaning of a word in a verse by a person from the Huzayl tribe using poetry istishhād is also reported. Apart from this, there are no references to any other companion or the Prophet himself using poetry in interpretation. However, when classical works are examined, there are narrations that, apart from Ibn Abbas, Hz. Aisha also resorted to this method in interpretation and lexicography. These findings raise the legitimate question of what the legitimacy of istishhad through poetry is. When the narrations transmitted from the Prophet are examined, we come across a narration in Tirmidhī's al-Sunan regarding his istishhād with poetry in tafsīr. As a result of the examinations, it has been understood that the fact that this narration is strange hadith does not mean strange hadith in the sense of weak hadith in the methodology of hadith. Even though the narration transmitted from the Prophet is only one, it offers an important opportunity for an evaluation regarding istishhād with poetry in tafsīr. Because this concrete example made it possible to trace the practices of istishhād with poetry in tafsīr by the companions after the Prophet and the tradition that followed them. In accordance with the subject and purpose of the article, the literature review and content analysis technique based on phenomenology and grounded theory patterns of the qualitative research method was preferred. In this context, the study focused on the phenomenon of legitimacy in istishhād with poetry. In addition, the companions' use of poetry along with the verses was included, and then the narration about the use of the poem that the Prophet used istishhād in tafsīr was mentioned. Subsequently, by scanning the tafsīr, garīb al-Qur’ān and hadith collections of the early and classical periods, it was determined in which areas the poetry that the Prophet used for istishhād in tafsīr was employed. The obtained data was collected using the inductive method and then schematized. Then, it was compared whether the istishhād method with poetry of both the companions and the scholars of the later periods was parallel to the practice of the Prophet. In this way, traces of whether legitimacy was received from the Prophet were followed both in the companions and in the later periods. As a result of the studies, it has been seen that the method of istishhād with poetry in tafsīr of Abdullah b. Abbas and Ömer is the same as the application of the Prophet. In addition, it has been noticed that istishhād with poetry in tafsīr was also carried to morphological inferences through Aisha during the period of the Companions. In addition, when the uses of the poem that the Prophet showed for tafsīr after the Companions are examined, it is seen that istishhad with poetry. Moreover, when the use of the poem cited by the Prophet Muḥammad for purposes of tafsīr is examined in post-Companion periods, it becomes evident that the method of istishhād through poetry continued to be employed, particularly in the fields of tafsīr and lexicography. Ultimately, this study demonstrates—albeit in a particular instance— that the origins of poetic istishhād in tafsīr can be traced back to the Prophet himself. The existence of a ḥadīth in which the Prophet engages in istishhād with poetry, along with the observable continuity of this practice in subsequent periods in a manner consistent with his example, shows that the application of poetic istishhād in tafsīr developed in accordance with transmitted (naqlī) foundations.

  • Issue Year: 29/2025
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 299-320
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Turkish
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