قرآن مجید میں ضمائر کے بعض استعمالات:’تدبرِ قرآن‘ اور روایتی تفسیری ذخیرے کی روشنی میں تجزیاتی و تقابلی مطالعہ

in the Light of Tadabbur-i-Qur’an and Traditional Exegetic Literature

Abstract

Tadabbur-i-Qur’an of Mawlana Amin Ahsan Islahi contains highly valuable discussions on stylistic and linguistic analysis of the Qur’anic verses. However, generally, in his analysis, Islahi does not make references to the classical scholars, and only in a few places he cites the earlier exegetes and shows that they had expressed the same view before him. As these instances are very few, a general reader either considers these discussions as Islahi’s unique contributions or dismisses them as his isolated opinions, unworthy of serious consideration. A thorough analysis of such discussions is, therefore, needed which would not only enhance the scholarly value and credibility of Islahi’s work, but also help establish its rightful place within the broader Islamic intellectual tradition.

The present paper examines Islahi’s views on certain usages of pronouns (dama’ir) in light of the traditional tafsir corpus. The general principles concerning the use of pronouns are that their referent typically appears earlier in the discourse, that they refer to the nearest antecedent nouns, that disjointed use of pronouns is considered a flaw in speech and that pronouns refer precisely to the specific nouns to which they are grammatically linked. However, in eloquent speech, these principles are sometimes deviated from because of different rhetorical and stylistic demands. Islahi has quite effectively explained such instances in his exegesis of the Qur’an.

The paper shows that Islahi’s opinions on these instances are neither novel nor can they be considered his exclusive innovation. More often than not, his views are inspired either by al-Zamakhshari’s al-Kashshaf or by his critique found in al-Razi’s Mafatih al-Ghayb. The influence of Ibn al-Qayyim on Islahi is also quite evident. However, the credit goes to Isalhi for choosing those opinions from these sources which are consistent with his broader theoretical framework. Moreover, he applies these principles consistently throughout his work and does not fall into internal contradiction.