Against Cleisthenes: Solon and Plato’s Shared Vision of Governance in Athens
Proving that Solon was the progenitor of the aristocratic beliefs of Plato.… Read More Against Cleisthenes: Solon and Plato’s Shared Vision of Governance in Athens
Author: Zeidan Abdel-Rahman
“Eight will uphold the Throne of thy Lord that day, above them” Q|69:17 – Sūrat al-Hāqqah
Shaykh al-Islām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī addresses the misinterpretations of some people concerning this verse that could lead to anthropomorphism. He draws the attention to the fact that such descriptions must be understood in a manner so as not to infringe upon the transcendence of Allāh Subḥānahu wa Taʻāla. Where literal interpretation may contradict the majesty of the divine nature, Imām al-Rāzī insists upon Ta’wīl (interpretative theology).… Read More “Eight will uphold the Throne of thy Lord that day, above them” Q|69:17 – Sūrat al-Hāqqah
“That which I have created with both My hands” Q|38:75 – Sūrah Ṣād
Shaykh al-Islām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī in his great exegesis of the Qur’ān Mafāṭīḥ al-Ghayb refutes the anthropomorphists in their use of this verse (Q|38:75) to wrongly insist that Allāh (Exalted be He) has hands, which he used as tools to create Adam. Here the Imām advocates for the use of Ta’wīl (allegorical interpretation) in cases where there is compelling evidence to justify doing so. I will translate his exegesis for this verse below.… Read More “That which I have created with both My hands” Q|38:75 – Sūrah Ṣād
“…We verily shall build a place of worship over them.” Q|18:21 – Sūrat al-Kahf
The so-called “Salafīyah”, following the doctrine of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Najdī, have actively engaged in the desecration of the houses and graves of the Awliyā’ (saints) and Ṣaḥābah claiming to combat idolatry in doing so. This verse of the Qur’ān counters this erroneous conviction. Shaykh al-Islām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, in the second part of his exegesis on this verse, elaborates on the intended meaning, and identifies those responsible for erecting a mosque over the graves of the Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (the people of the cave) as Muslims (or the believers during that era). I will translate the second part of his tafsīr below.… Read More “…We verily shall build a place of worship over them.” Q|18:21 – Sūrat al-Kahf
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