Equal before Allah, unequal before the Prophet? Ongoing discourse on matn criticism and Its influence on Muslim feminist thought

Abstract

The question of whether Muslim scholars evaluated mutūn has garnered considerable interest that evolved into vigorous debates within Islamic studies. Muslim academics countered pioneering orientalists’ narrative by asserting that matn criticism has always been integral to text verification. Others maintained that it was mainly the domain of the uṣūliyyūn. Based on the varying stances, this article presents four viewpoints with regards to muḥaddithūn’s engagement in matn criticism. In the realm of Muslim feminist thought, such debates are often considered peripheral. They underscore a substantial lacuna in matn criticism, thus advocating for innovative approaches such as the tawhidic paradigm and the Qur’ānic-weltanschauung analysis. To provide a more nuanced analysis, the first part of this article proposes a new schema that distinguishes between isnād-based and text-based matncriticism. Utilising a qualitative research methodology, this paper contends that not all principles of naqd were employed by the muḥaddithūn, as some have been applied by other scholars, particularly the uṣūliyyūn. The second part explores the impact of classical methodologies on contemporary Muslim feminist thought. Findings of this paper prove that the principles introduced by Muslim Feminists are relatively subjective, rather than being conclusively objective, therefore rendering it insufficient to unequivocally reject established narrations. Instead, it suffices only to be used as tools for new readings. This article represents the inaugural scholarly effort to delineate contrasting perspectives on matn criticism, which offers a unique contribution, especially for non-Arabic readers.Perbincangan sama ada para sarjana Muslim menilai mutūn telah berkembang menjadi perdebatan yang sengit dalam kajian Islam. Cendekiawan Muslim menyangkal naratif orientalis dengan menegaskan bahawa kritikan matn merupakan elemen penting dalam pengabsahan teks. Namun, terdapat juga pandangan bahawa kritikan matn berada dalam kerangka kerja uṣūliyyūn. Berdasarkan ini, kajian ini membentangkan empat perspektif berhubung penglibatan muḥaddithūn dalam kritikan matn. Dalam pemikiran Feminis Muslim, arus pemikiran mereka menekankan adanya kekurangan dalam kritikan matn dan mencadangkan pendekatan inovatif seperti paradigma tawhiddan analisis weltanschauung Qur’ān. Kajian ini mencadangkan skema baru yang membezakan antara kritikan matn berasaskan isnād dan teks. Dengan menggunakan metodologi penyelidikan kualitatif, kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa data yang sedia ada tidak mencukupi untuk membuktikan bahawa setiap prinsip naqd telah digunakan oleh muḥaddithūn. Bahagian kedua meneroka impak metodologi kritikan matn klasik terhadap Feminis Muslim kontemporari. Hasil kajian membuktikan bahawa prinsip-prinsip Feminis Muslim lebih bersifat subjektif daripada objektif, menjadikannya lemah untuk menolak riwayat-riwayat yang telah diabsahkan kesahihannya. Sebaliknya, prinsip ini hanya sesuai untuk menyumbang kepada wacana pembacaan yang baru.