The parable of the Companions of the City (Ashāb al-Qarya) was narrated in the verses 13-29th in Sūrah Yāsīn, yet the location and persons mentioned are left vague. Throughout history, in various works of tafsir, as well as hadith, history and geography sources, there are many explanations and interpretations of the parable regarding such vague points. Starting with the early periods of tafsir studies, there are two distinct approaches to the narration of information regarding the parable: one narrating events following a storyline and one without a storyline. This study focuses on the value of sources and the contextual development on the basis of the distinction between story and discourse.
In the early periods of tafsir studies, it was observed that in the contextual development of the explanations for the parable of the Companions of the City (Ashāb al-Qarya) there was an emphasis on the religious values and conveying information the without paying attention to the storyline. Specific to this parable, it was determined that the information conveyed is not reliable, and especially those pieces of information based on Isrāʾīliyyāt lack in isnād (support) and have false beliefs. In tafsir tradition, the first case of narration with a storyline was conveyed in the tafsir of Muqātil b. Sulaymān (d. 150/767). This narration without supporting source does not have a complete storyline, only explaining the relevant verse. If we take into consideration the narration of al-Nuwayrī (d. 733/1333) creating an encyclopedic work, the first narrative which has a storyline and covers the parable completely was produced by Ḥamza al-Kisāʾī (d. 189/805) in the literature on the history of the prophets. Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandī (d. 373/983) produced a prominent work of tafsir based on the fact that it was the first voluminous work, although it was not cited in the later tafsir works. Compared to two previous works (al-Kisāʾī and al-Samarqandī), Abu Ishāq al-Thaʿlabī’s (d. 427/1035) narrative is brief and makes partial references to sources, though it does not have concrete support, yet generally it was commonly cited in works of tafsir, though generally his name was not clearly mentioned. That his narratives are preferred can be attributed to the fact that he explained the course of events by using other verses of Qur’ān within its own contexts without detailing them excessively. Since there were flaws in the isnād (support) along with many elements without historicity and objective information in the mentioned four narratives; about the story, starting from the seventh century of Hijra, especially in the 20th century and after, many criticisms were levelled at the claims that Antioch could be the city from which the messengers came and the prophets could be disciples of Jesus. Contrary to popular belief, in tafsir tradition it is possible to mention some good cases of narratives based on Isrāʾīliyyāt in order to understand the intricacies of meaning in the Qur’ān.
As a result of this study, it was observed that the riwāyahs regarding the parable of the Companions of the City assume that persons and events evaluated only on the basis of Isrāʾīliyyāt lead researchers to make misleading generalization, since Isrāʾīliyyāt consists of two different resources: Jewish and Christian, especially Jewish ones. There are at least two versions of the parable possibly attributable to Jewish and Christian sources, and such riwāyahs are incorporated into each other and combined into a single parable. Interpreting riwāyahs in this way leads to anachronism and errors in logic. The elements of exposition and other explanations and interpretations in the parable of the Companions of the City, as in other Qur’ān parables, will lead to a better understanding of Qur’ān without reducing the purpose of parables narrated in the Qurʾān to historicity, and such parables will be regarded as an excellent example and will be encountered by those spreading the messages of Allah in every century. This point shows that narratives concerning Ashāb al-Qarya is identified as a qiṣṣa in relevant literature, as a parable in Qur’ān and as historical representation narration by Qur’ānic interpreters.
Tafsīr Vagueness of Meaning (Mubhamāt al-Qurʾān) Representative Narration Yāsīn Aṣḥāb al-Qarya Isrāʾīliyyāt Antioch Story Discourse.
Yâsîn sûresi 13-29. âyetlerde anlatılan Ashâbü’l-karye kıssasında; yer, zaman ve şahıslar müphem bırakılmıştır. Tarih boyunca başta tefsir olmak üzere hadis, tarih ve coğrafya gibi farklı alanlarda yazılmış eserlerde bu kıssada geçen müphemlere dair birçok açıklama bulunmaktadır. Araştırmanın konusunu bu açıklamaların kaynak değeri ve metinsel içeriğinin gelişimi oluşturmaktadır. Yapılan çalışmada eserlerde aktarılan açıklamalar; rivâyetlerin kaynakları, ravîler, müellifler ve eserler üzerinden anlamlandırılmıştır. Böylelikle tefsire dair eserlerde olay örgüsü; Kur’ân’ın Kur’ân’la tefsiri ve bütünselliği içerisinde ayrıntılandırılan fakat zamanla tarihî gerçeklik ve nesnel bilgiyle desteklenmeyen birçok unsurun dahil olduğu Ashâbü’l-karye kıssasına dair aktarımların bilgi değeri ve öykü-söylem ayrımı üzerinden anlatının metinsel gelişimi gösterilmiş olacaktır. Araştırma sonucunda; Ashâbü’l-karye kıssası hakkındaki rivâyetlerin aynı şahıslara ve olaylara ait İsrâilî bilgiler şeklinde tanımlanmasının yanlış anlaşılmaları beraberinde getirdiği, kıssa hakkında -muhtemelen Yahudi ve Hristiyan kaynaklarına dayanan- en az iki farklı anlatının bulunduğu, süreç içerisinde bu anlatıların tefsirlerde birleştirildiği görülmüştür. Anlatıların bu şekilde telif edilmesi kıssa ögelerine dair mantıksal çelişkilere ve anakroniğe sebep olmuştur. Her ne kadar genel teamül farklı olsa da tefsir geleneğinde Kur’ân’ın anlam inceliklerini anlama adına İsrâiliyat’a dayanan bu kıssa anlatılarının etkin rol üstlendiği bazı olumlu örneklerden bahsetmek de mümkündür. Ashâbü’l-karye kıssasındaki anlatım ögelerini ve tefsirlerde yer alan bu konudaki açıklamaları diğer Kur’ân kıssalarında olduğu üzere kıssanın hakikati göz ardı edilmemekle birlikte tarihsel gerçekliğe indirgemeksizin, Allah’ın mesajını iletenlerin hemen her asırda karşılaşacakları evrensel bir örnek olarak algılamak Kur’ân’ın daha iyi anlaşılmasına katkı sağlayacaktır. Bu hususu literatürde kıssa olarak tanımlanan Ashâbü’l-karye anlatılarının; Kur’ân’da mesel kelimesiyle, usulcüler tarafından da buna paralel olarak tarihî-temsîlî kıssa şeklinde isimlendirilmesi desteklemektedir.
Tefsir Mübhemâtü’l-Kur’ân Temsîlî Anlatım Yâsîn Sûresi Ashâbü’l-karye İsrâiliyat Antakya Öykü Söylem.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Religious Studies |
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | June 23, 2021 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 |