Jump to content

Ignác Goldziher

Add links
Without priority, Quality: c
Without navbox
From wikishia
Ignác Goldziher (English: Ignác Goldziher)
Jewish Islamic scholar
Goldziher in his old age
Goldziher in his old age
Well-known AsIslamic studies • Shi'a studies
Religious AffiliationJewish
Birth1850
Place of BirthHungary
Places of ResidenceBudapest
Death1921
Known forJewish Islamic scholar
WorksLessons on Islam • Interpretive Trends of the Qur'an among Muslims • Islamic Studies


Ignác Goldziher (1850–1921) was a Hungarian Islamic scholar, Shi'a researcher, and orientalist who is said to be the most famous Jewish Islamic scholar. He has been considered an undisputed master of Islamic studies with a widespread influence on subsequent researchers and studies in this field.

Goldziher has been regarded as a famous and unpopular figure in the Islamic World. Prejudice and enmity towards Islam, playing a prominent role in promoting doubts about Islam, the Prophet (s), and Islamic and Shi'a beliefs have been mentioned among the reasons for his unpopularity. The publication of his Islamic and Shi'a research ideas in the Islamic world was accompanied by negative and critical reactions, to the extent that works have been written criticizing his views in various fields. The belief in the non-eternity of the Islamic message and its lack of authenticity have been considered among his Islamic views. In the field of Shi'a studies, the belief that Shi'as believe in the distortion of the Qur'an has been considered among his views that have been criticized by Muslim researchers.

Goldziher has written works in various fields such as jurisprudence, law, theology, mysticism, and Islamic theology; including books titled Lessons on Islam, Interpretive Trends of the Qur'an among Muslims, and Islamic Studies. Some of these works, along with critiques, have been translated into Arabic and Persian.

Status and Characteristics

Ignác Goldziher (Hungarian: Ignác Goldziher) is a Hungarian Jewish Islamic scholar, Shi'a researcher, and orientalist[1] who has been called the most famous Jewish orientalist and Islamic scholar.[2] According to Louis Massignon, in the view of all Western orientalists, Goldziher was the undisputed master of Islamic studies and had a widespread influence on subsequent researchers and studies in this field.[3]

The main fields of Goldziher's Islamic studies activities were Islamic theology, Islamic sects (including the Shi'a), and Qur'anic studies.[4] In his various works, he presented his Shi'a research views on topics such as the emergence of Shi'ism,[5] Shi'a beliefs,[6] its sects[7], and the Shi'a view of the Qur'an[8]. Also, in some of his works, Goldziher tried to correct some incorrect beliefs about Shi'ism among Westerners.[9]

Despite the criticisms leveled against Goldziher, he has been considered a pioneering, critical researcher, cautious in concluding, masterful in his field and research sources, and possessing the power of reasoning in research.[10] Politically, Goldziher has been listed as one of those interested in peace between Jews and Muslims, especially in Palestine.[11] According to Massignon, towards the end of Goldziher's life, the excess of the Zionists in their enmity with Muslims and the impossibility of peace between Jews and Muslims was so disappointing to him that he said he was waiting for death with great eagerness.[12]

Goldziher's personal seal impression with the Qur'anic phrase "فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ" (Qur'an 12:18).

Biography

Ignác Goldziher (1850–1921) was born into a Jewish family in Hungary.[13] He pursued his university education at the universities of Budapest, Berlin, and Leipzig in the fields of Islamic theology and Semitic languages[14] and graduated with a doctoral degree from the University of Leipzig in 1870.[15] After returning to Hungary, Goldziher became an associate professor at the University of Budapest.[16] Shortly thereafter, he was sent to the Islamic East for research.[17] During this trip, he resided in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.[18] In Egypt, Goldziher attended classes at al-Azhar University.[19]

It is said that upon Goldziher's return to Hungary in 1873, his attention was increasingly drawn to Arabic and Islamic studies; an attention that led to his growth and fame in academic circles.[20] Goldziher became a permanent member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1892 and a professor of Semitic languages at the University of Budapest in 1894.[21] From then on until the end of his life, he dedicated himself to authoring works and training students in the field of Islamic studies.[22]

Famous but Unpopular

Goldziher has been considered a famous[23] but overall unpopular figure in the Islamic World[24]; prejudice and enmity towards Islam,[25] playing a prominent role in promoting doubts about Islam, the Prophet (s), the Qur'an, and Hadith[26] have been stated as reasons for this unpopularity. In the field of Shi'a studies, emphasizing Shi'ism as a sect[27] and discussing the influence of its teachings from other religions and denominations[28] have been his main paradigms. Some believe that the Western and Jewish environment of Goldziher's life, his lack of access to authentic Shi'a sources and teachers, and his historical method in analyzing religions are among the factors that caused his views on Shi'ism to not align with the beliefs of Shi'as.[29]

The publication of Goldziher's Islamic and Shi'a research views in the Islamic world was accompanied by negative and critical reactions, to the extent that works were written criticizing his views in various fields;[30] including the fact that the Arabic translators of the book Lessons on Islam accompanied their translations with substantive critiques of the book.[31] In the view of Muhammad al-Ghazali (1917-1996), an Egyptian Sunni scholar, the critical notes of the translators of this book seemed insufficient, and in a book of his own, he set out to refute Goldziher's views.[32] al-Ghazali's book was translated into Persian in 1984 by Sadr Balaghi under the title Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst (The Trial of Goldziher the Zionist).[33] Sadr Balaghi, in his preface to this translation, accused Goldziher of forgery and distortion against Islam with colonial motives.[34] Also, Ali-Naqi Munzawi (d. 2010), a translator and bibliographer, upon the recommendation of his father, Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, translated the book Lessons on Islam into Persian to respond to Goldziher and published it with critiques.[35]

A book criticizing Goldziher's views, whose author is Sunni and its translator is Shi'a.

Islamic and Shi'a Research Views

Goldziher's Islamic and Shi'a research views have been formulated into general headings and criticized by Islamic researchers:

  • The universal and eternal mission of Islam: Goldziher believed that Islam does not have an eternal mission, because the Prophet (s) was unaware of the fate of the Islamic message and the expansion of Islam; for this reason, the beliefs and rulings he established for this religion were not suitable for the historical and geographical situation of this religion after its spread.[36] In response to this view, it has been said that both in the Qur'an (for example: Qur'an 24:50 and Qur'an 61:9) and in the biography of the Prophet (s) (for example, a narration from the Prophet (s) about the conquest of Iran in the future), there are signs of the universal and eternal nature of the Islamic message.[37]
  • The authenticity of the Islamic call: According to Goldziher, the Islamic message relies more on a mixture of religious and human ideas preceding it than on Islamic and Qur'anic ideas.[38] These ideas were mixed and presented with political thoughts and theories in ancient Iran and Indian and Neoplatonic philosophical views.[39] In response, it has been said that this view is reliable when Islamic teachings are weaker than the ideas and religions from which they were derived; whereas Islamic teachings in the diverse fields of beliefs, rulings, and rights are much more varied and advanced than the claimed religions and ideas.[40]
  • The moral exemplarity of the Prophet (s): According to Goldziher, Islam is incapable of providing a moral model for Muslims to follow, and the Prophet (s) himself did not see such traits in himself; later, this characteristic was attributed to the Prophet (s) in theological and mystical interpretations.[41] In response to this view, it has been said that contrary to Goldziher's opinion regarding verses such as Qur'an 33:21, these verses precisely indicate the exemplarity of the Prophet (s), and this understanding of Goldziher stems from his lack of mastery of the Arabic language and other verses that introduce the Prophet (s) as a model.[42]
  • The Qur'an: In Goldziher's view, the apparent unity of opinion among Muslims regarding the text of the Qur'an turns into irreconcilable dispersion upon closer inspection, because Muslims do not have a unified view on the text of the Qur'an and believe in different readings.[43] In response, it has been said that the multiplicity of Qur'anic readings are all documented in the multiplicity of the Prophet's (s) readings and have been systematized and approved by Islamic scholars, and is itself one of the aspects of the miraculous nature of the Qur'an.[44]
  • The Shi'a and Qur'anic exegesis: According to Goldziher's view, among Islamic denominations, the Shi'a were the first group to undertake a sectarian exegesis of the Qur'an;[45] they secure their political and sectarian goals through this means.[46] In response, it has been said that all Islamic denominations engaged in Qur'anic exegesis to prove their religious and political beliefs, and this act was a natural matter for the Shi'a as well; in addition, the Shi'a did this in some cases in a position of self-defense.[47]
Persian translation of the book Interpretive Trends of the Qur'an among Muslims
  • The Shi'a and the distortion of the Qur'an: According to Goldziher's statement, the Shi'a believe in the distortion of the Qur'an.[48] In response, it has been said that the consensus of Shi'a scholars is on the non-distortion of the Qur'an, and the existence of some forged narrations regarding the distortion of the Qur'an in some Shi'a sources cannot be a factor in proving this view among the Shi'a.[49]
  • Mahdavism: According to Goldziher, the belief in Mahdawism in Islam is derived from Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian beliefs in this regard.[50] In response, it has been said that in these divine religions, there are many beliefs that have similarities with Islamic beliefs, which stem from their single divine origin.[51]

Works

Goldziher in his youth

Goldziher's works have been published in various fields such as Jewish theology, Arabic philology, jurisprudence, law, theology, mysticism, and Islamic theology.[52] He was one of the authors of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, and the articles Ahmad b. Hanbal, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (Asadabadi), Fiqh, and Istishab are among his articles in this encyclopedia.[53] The most important works of Goldziher, in terms of influence and controversy, have been reported as follows:[54]

  • Lessons on Islam (1910): Some have considered this book to be Goldziher's most complete, famous, and influential work.[55] According to Massignon, this book is a general outline of Islamic studies presented in six lessons.[56] The content of this book has been reported by Massignon as follows: the nature of the Prophet's (s) personality, the concept of monotheism in the Qur'an, Islamic jurisprudence, the stages of the formation of the principles of Islamic beliefs, the emergence and evolution of Islamic mysticism, Islamic sects such as the Khawarij, Shi'a, and Isma'iliyya, and the newly emerged trends of Wahhabism, Babism, Baha'ism, and Qadiyanism.[57] It is reported that this book attracted attention in Islamic countries after its publication, so much so that it was translated into Arabic under the title Al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām.[58]
  • Interpretive Trends of the Qur'an among Muslims (1920): Massignon has listed this book as Goldziher's most excellent work in terms of importance and scientific orientation.[59] According to his report, in this book, Goldziher discussed Islamic legal and juridical issues as they appear in the Qur'an and expressed the various methods of interpretation and the different difficulties that Qur'anic exegetes have faced,[60] and also addressed the intellectual differences and different religious goals of the exegetes and their impact on their interpretive content.[61] Finally, he mentioned several modern interpretive schools that seek to reconcile Qur'anic teachings with the findings of modern Western sciences.[62] Massignon, regarding the reason for writing this book, said that Goldziher, unlike some orientalists who considered the disputes of Islamic exegetes to be futile, considered them as an exercise of thought and an effort to prove the principles upon which the fundamental structure of Islam and even the artistic and economic life of Muslims rests.[63] A complete Arabic translation of this book, with the writing of critical annotations, was published in Egypt in 1954.[64]
  • Islamic Studies (1889–1890): Massignon has listed this book as a work having a profound impact on other Islamic studies research.[65] The first volume of this book is an explanation of the customs of the Arabs in the Age of Ignorance under the concept of manliness (muruwwa), which was later introduced in Islam as a moral and religious norm as well.[66] In the second volume, the emergence of the science of hadith, the forgery of hadiths, the distinguishing of correct from incorrect hadiths, and the method of compilation and research in it have been studied.[67]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, p. 99; Goldziher/Goldziher, p. 1920; Raḥīmī, Āmūzih-hā-yi tashayyuʿ dar manẓūma-yi fikrī-yi Goldziher, p. 242.
  2. ↑ Bārānī and Tūrgūt, Barrasī wa taḥlīl-i shakhṣiyyat-hā-yi barjasta wa marākiz-i ʿilmī-yi shīʿa-pazhūhān-i yahūdī, p. 24.
  3. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 13.
  4. ↑ Goldziher/Goldziher, p. 1920.
  5. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, pp. 195-201.
  6. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, pp. 201-206.
  7. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, pp. 206-207; Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, pp. 236-249.
  8. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, pp. 241-289.
  9. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, pp. 227-231.
  10. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 15.
  11. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  12. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  13. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, pp. 328-329.
  14. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, Translator's preface, p. 22.
  15. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, p. 329.
  16. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, p. 329.
  17. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, pp. 328–330.
  18. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 13.
  19. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, p. 100.
  20. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, p. 100.
  21. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 13.
  22. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, pp. 328–330.
  23. ↑ Islāmī, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān; barrasī-yi yak tarjuma, p. 273.
  24. ↑ Goldziher/Goldziher, p. 1921; Islāmī, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān; barrasī-yi yak tarjuma, p. 273.
  25. ↑ Pīshwāʾī, Naqd-i tārīkhī-yi dīdgāh-i Goldziher darbāra-yi āgāhī-yi Payāmbar az jāwidāngī wa jahān-shumūlī-yi Islām, p. 63.
  26. ↑ Pūrṭabāṭabāʾī, Qurʾān-pazhūhī-yi Goldziher, p. 193.
  27. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, p. 247.
  28. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, p. 218.
  29. ↑ Raḥīmī, Āmūzih-hā-yi tashayyuʿ dar manẓūma-yi fikrī-yi Goldziher, p. 242.
  30. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, pp. 100–101; Goldziher/Goldziher, p. 1921.
  31. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, p. 6.
  32. ↑ Ghazālī, Difāʿ ʿan al-ʿaqīda wa l-sharīʿa, pp. 10-12.
  33. ↑ Al-Ghazālī, Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, translator's introduction, p. 7.
  34. ↑ Ghazālī, Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, translator's introduction, p. 6.
  35. ↑ Goldziher, Darshāyī darbāra-yi Islām, translator's introduction, pp. 25-27.
  36. ↑ Goldziher, Darshā'ī darbāra-yi Islām, pp. 73-75.
  37. ↑ Ghazālī, Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, pp. 79-83.
  38. ↑ Goldziher, Darshāyī darbāra-yi Islām, pp. 5-6.
  39. ↑ Goldziher, Darshāyī darbāra-yi Islām, pp. 5-6.
  40. ↑ Ghazālī, Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, pp. 85-88.
  41. ↑ Goldziher, Darshāyī darbāra-yi Islām, p. 32.
  42. ↑ Fattāḥīzāda and Asadī, Arzyābī-yi dīdgāh-i Goldziher dar khuṣūṣ-i ʿiṣmat-i Payāmbar-i Akram (ṣ), pp. 87-91.
  43. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, pp. 29-30.
  44. ↑ Zamānī, Mustashriqān wa Qurʾān, 291-293.
  45. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, p. 247.
  46. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, pp. 241-242.
  47. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, Ayyāzī's annotations, p. 241.
  48. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, pp. 249-251.
  49. ↑ Goldziher, Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān, Ayyāzī's annotations, p. 249.
  50. ↑ Goldziher, al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām, p. 218.
  51. ↑ Ghazālī, Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, p. 88.
  52. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, pp. 14–15; ʿAqīqī, al-Mustashriqūn, vol. 3, pp. 41–42.
  53. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  54. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14; Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, p. 100.
  55. ↑ Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, p. 334.
  56. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  57. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  58. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, pp. 100–101.
  59. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  60. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  61. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  62. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  63. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  64. ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān, p. 100.
  65. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  66. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14.
  67. ↑ Massignon, Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher, p. 14; Badawī, Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān, p. 333.

References

  • ʿAqīqī, Najīb. Al-Mustashriqūn. Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 2006.
  • Badawī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Farhang-i kāmil-i khāwarshināsān. Translated by Shukr Allāh Khākrand. Qom: Islamic Propagation Office Publications Center, 1375 Sh.
  • Goldziher, Ignác. Al-ʿAqīda wa l-sharīʿa fī l-Islām. Muḥammad Yūsuf Mūsā et al., Cairo: Dār al-Kutub al-Ḥadītha, 1378 AH.
  • Goldziher, Ignác. Darshāyī darbāra-yi Islām. Translated by ʿAlī-Naqī Munzawī, Tehran: Kamāngīr Publications, 1357 Sh.
  • Goldziher, Ignác. Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān. Translated by Sayyid Nāṣir Ṭabāṭabāʾī. Introduction by Sayyid Muḥammad ʿAlī Ayyāzī. Tehran: Quqnūs Publications, 1383 Sh.
  • Ghazālī, Muḥammad al-. Difāʿ ʿan al-ʿaqīda wa l-sharīʿa. Egypt: Shirkat Nahḍat Miṣr, 2005.
  • Ghazālī, Muḥammad al-. Muḥākima-yi Goldziher-i ṣahyūnīst, muʿallim-i nawīsindigān-i bīst wa sih sāl. Translated by Sayyid Ṣadr al-Dīn Balāghī. Tehran: Ḥusayniyya-yi Irshād Publications, 1363 Sh.
  • Goldziher/Goldziher, in Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān wa Qurʾān-pazhūhī (vol. 2), edited by Bahāʾ al-Dīn Khurramshāhī. Tehran: Nāhīd Publications and Dūstān Publications, 1381 Sh.
  • Ḥusaynī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muṣṭafā. Naqd-i āthār-i khāwarshināsān. Tehran: Chāpakhsh Publications, 1375 Sh.
  • Zamānī, Muḥammad Ḥasan. Mustashriqān wa Qurʾān. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 1388 Sh.
  • Bārānī, Muḥammad Riḍā and Ātām Tūrgūt. "Barrasī wa taḥlīl-i shakhṣiyyat-hā-yi barjasta wa marākiz-i ʿilmī-yi shīʿa-pazhūhān-i yahūdī", in Muṭālaʿāt-i Tārīkhī-yi Jahān-i Islām magazine, no. 12, Autumn and Winter 1397 Sh.
  • Fattāḥīzāda, Fatḥiyya and Hājar Asadī. "Arzyābī-yi dīdgāh-i Goldziher dar khuṣūṣ-i ʿiṣmat-i Payāmbar-i Akram (ṣ)", in Qurʾān-pazhūhī-yi Khāwarshināsān magazine, no. 23, Autumn and Winter 1396 Sh.
  • Islāmī, Sayyid Ḥasan. "Girāyish-hā-yi tafsīrī dar miyān-i musalmānān; barrasī-yi yak tarjuma", in Āyina-yi Pazhūhish magazine, no. 87, Mordad and Shahrivar 1383 Sh.
  • Massignon, Louis. Bih yād-i Ignác Goldziher. Translated by Ḥasan Raḍawī, Kāwa magazine (Munich edition), no. 69, Autumn 1357 Sh.
  • Pūrṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Majīd. "Qurʾān-pazhūhī-yi Goldziher", in Qurʾān-pazhūhī-yi Khāwarshināsān magazine, no. 2, Spring and Summer 1386 Sh.
  • Pīshwāyī, Mahdī. Naqd-i tārīkhī-yi dīdgāh-i Goldziher darbāra-yi āgāhī-yi Payāmbar az jāwidāngī wa jahān-shumūlī-yi Islām, in Tārīkh-i Islām dar Āyina-yi Pazhūhish magazine, no. 11, Autumn 1385 Sh.
  • Raḥīmī, ʿAbd al-Rafīʿ. Āmūzih-hā-yi tashayyuʿ dar manẓūma-yi fikrī-yi Goldziher, in Pazhūhish-hā-yi ʿIlm wa Dīn magazine, 10th year, no. 1, Spring and Summer 1398 Sh.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikishia.net/w/index.php?title=Ignác_Goldziher&oldid=210186"