Before Orthodoxy; The Story of Abraham's Sacrifice (Dzabīh) in Early Muslim Commentaries

Authors

  • Azhari Andi Universitas Islam International Indonesia
  • Hamdi Putra Ahmad University of Oxford, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15575/ijik.v14i1.29413

Keywords:

Abraham’s Sacrifice, Dzabīh, Isaac, Ismael, Tafsīr and Muslim Commentaries

Abstract

The story of Abraham's sacrifice holds significant place in Islam, and what Muslims believe about Ishmael as the intended sacrifice is not the only belief in the Muslim tradition. This paper examines the historical transformation of Abraham’s sacrifice narratives in Muslim commentaries (tafsīrs), with a focus on revealing how, when, why, and at whose hands this transformation occurred. Employing the theory of tafsir as a genealogical tradition of Walid A. Saleh and adopting a socio-historical approach, this paper investigates the evolution of the interpretation of the story of dzabīh from Isaac to Ismael and the factors contributing to this evolution. The analysis reveals that in the first four centuries of Islam, Muslim interpretations and attitudes regarding the story of dzabīh were the complete opposite of what is common today. Muslim commentators, such as al-Suddī, Ibn Juraij, Muqatil ibn Sulaiman, al-Thabarī, and al-Samarqandī, firmly believed that Isaac is dzabīh. However, Ibn Athiyyah and al-Baghawī, the commentators of the sixth century hijri, showed different responses towards this story, neutral and favoring Ismael as dzabīh. Additionally, in the eighth century Hijri, Ishmael as dzabīh gained orthodoxy and popularity, as demonstrated by Ibn Taimiyyah and Ibn Kathir. They condemned the pro-Isaac as heretical interpretation and rejected it. Even though they disagree with the pro-Isaac commentators, they still quoted the narrations and opinions of previous commentators by providing counter-arguments, and this is what is called tafsir as a genealogical tradition. Furthermore, power dynamics and the socio-political setting of the eighth century may have had an impact on this change in the story of dzabīh. This evolution highlights the dynamic nature of Islamic interpretation, where interpretation is not necessarily static but evolves over time, shaped by historical contingencies and socio-political dynamics. This historical re-evaluation illuminates the complexity of Islamic intellectual history and the fluidity of religious interpretation in the Muslim tradition.

Author Biographies

Azhari Andi, Universitas Islam International Indonesia

Azhari Andi is a PhD candidate in Islamic Studies at the Indonesian International Islamic University (IIIU) Depok, West Java, Indonesia. He obtained his MA and BA in Quranic Studies from Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta. His research focuses on classical, medieval and modern tafsīrs and hadith studies.  He has been teaching at Mahmud Yunus State Islamic University (UIN) Batusangkar, West Sumatra, in the Department of Qur’anic Studies since 2021. He wrote several articles on Qur’anic and hadith studies, tafsīr and Islamic education.   

Hamdi Putra Ahmad, University of Oxford, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

Hamdi Putra Ahmad is an MPhil Candidate in Islamic Studies and History at the University of Oxford, United Kindom. He completed his BA in Qur'anic and Exegesis Sciences at State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. His focus of research is the Intratextual and Intertextual Analysis of Father-Son Relationships in the Qur'an. He is currently active as the coordinator of Media division for the Special Branch of Nahdlatul Ulama in the United Kingdom (PCINU UK). He wrote several articles on the Qur'an and its tafseer.

 

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Published

2024-02-04

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