Qur'anic literalism
Encyclopedia
Qur'anic literalism is the belief that the verses of the Qur'an
should be taken at their apparent meaning, rather than employing any sort of interpretation. This includes, for example, the belief that Allah
has appendages such as hands as stated in the Qur'an, even though Allah is said to be a non-human spirit in other parts, creating a contradiction; this is generally explained by the concept of bi-la kaifa
, the claim that the literal meanings should be accepted without asking how or why.
, especially proponents of Salafism
.
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
should be taken at their apparent meaning, rather than employing any sort of interpretation. This includes, for example, the belief that Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
has appendages such as hands as stated in the Qur'an, even though Allah is said to be a non-human spirit in other parts, creating a contradiction; this is generally explained by the concept of bi-la kaifa
BI-la kaifa
Bi-la kayfa is an Arabic phase roughly translated as "without asking how." It addresses the theological problem in Islam of how to deal with verses in the Qur'an that refer to God as having human characteristics, i.e. the Hand of God or the Face of God...
, the claim that the literal meanings should be accepted without asking how or why.
Controversy
Literalism has been a source of disagreement within the Muslim community for centuries, with the debate over it continuing today. In the past many prominent Islamic scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab were proponents of it, in addition to modern day scholars such as Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz. It has been a primary area of contention between Shi'as and many SunnisSunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, especially proponents of Salafism
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
.
See also
- Qur'an readingQur'an readingQur'an reading is the reading aloud, reciting, or chanting of portions of the Qur'an. The reciter is called a muqri' , tālī, murattil, mujawwid, or most commonly a qari...
- ZahiriZahiriẒāhirī , is a school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence and Aqida. The school is named after one of its early prominent jurists, Dawud ibn Khalaf al-Zahiri Ẓāhirī , is a school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence and Aqida. The school is named after one of its early prominent jurists, Dawud ibn...
- Islamic fundamentalismIslamic fundamentalismIslamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...