Study on Research Methodologies of Islamic Aqidah

in Hassan Hanafi’s ‚Min al-’Aqi>dah ila al-Thawroh‛ (From Dogma

to Revolution)

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for Subject:

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES OF ISLAMIC AQIDAH

(Manāhij al-Bah{thi fi al-’Aqi>dah al-Islāmi>yah)

Supervisor:

DR. KHALID MUSLIH, MA

by:

MOH. KHUZA’I Student ID: 33.2.1.067

DEPARTMENT OF AQIDAH

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM

DARUSSALAM INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES

GONTOR PONOROGO

1435/2014

1

Study on Research Methodologies of Islamic Aqidah in Hassan Hanafi’s ‚Min al-‘Aqi>dah ila al-Thawroh‛ (From Dogma to Revolution)*

Moh. Khuza’i

A. Preface

Dr. Hassan Hanafi is a familiar name in the Indonesian academic society,

especially for those who study contemporary Islamic thought. His thoughts is often

equated with other Islamic thinkers, such as Fazlur Rahman, Mohammed Arkoun, Ali

Syari’ati, M. Shahrur, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Salman Rusdie, Asghar Ali Engineer, etc.1

But, Hanafi is different with another figure, he placed tradition and renewal upon his

thoughts, he interprets it as the reconstruction efforts over the classical Islamic sciences

to be adjusted to the realities of contemporary.2 His interpretation of Islam has also been

described as socialist and he has elaborated on the concept called by al-Yassar al-Islami >

(Islamic Left).3

Hanafi is the author of thirty books in the French, English, and Arabic languages.

He is also the author of a project entitled ‚al-Turath wa tajdid: Mawqifuna min al-turath

al-qadi>m.‛ which is based on three sections consisting of the reconstruction of Islamic

classical sciences: theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, mysticism and scriptural

sciences.4 Until now he is engaged in the long-term project of moving the center of

gravity of Islamic (and Islamist) thought toward the mutual recognition, with the West,

of the constructive role of Islam in defining and shaping human interaction. The book

Min al-’Aqi>dah ila al-Thawroh was also part of this project.5

This paper elaborates part of Hassan Hanafi’s thought especially within his book

Min al-’Aqi>dah ila al-Thawroh. This may consist of brief biography of Hassan Hanafi,

* Paper presented in 8

th January 2014 as partial fulfil lment of the requirements for subject Manāhij al-

Bahthi fi al-‘Aqi >dah al-Islāmi >yah under supervising Dr. Khalid Mushlih, MA.

1 See preface by Amin Abdullah in Ilham B. Saenong, Hermeneutika Pembebasan: Metodologi Tafsir Alquran

Menurut Hassan Hanafi (Jakarta: Teraju, 2002) pp. xix-xxiv.

2 See Hassan Hanafi, al-Turā th wa al-Tajdi >d (Beirut: al-Muassasah al-Jāmi ’ah li al-Dirāsāt wa al-Nasyr Wa al-

Tauzi’, 1991), p. 13-14

3 Attributed to the book he wrote, al-Yassar al-Islāmi >. See http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/ حنفي_حسن

4 See Hassan Hanafi, New Directions in Islamic Thought (Brief no. 4, Qatar: CIRS Georgetown University,

2010), p. iv.

5 See “Hassan Hanafi” in Hassan I. Mneimneh, 100 Influential Voices from the Arab World

http://www.centerforglobalengagement.org/voices/hassan-hanafi.php, accessed in 07 January 2014, 16:42.

2

summarize and review of the book’s content, and also analytical view to reveal which

research methodology in Islamic aqidah he used in the book. Since the author has

published many book and have influence in and influence some Indonesian muslim

thinkers especially who graduated from Islamic state university such as UIN and IAIN,

thus way this review is important.

B. Biography of Hassan Hanafi

His complete name is Hassan Hanafi Hassanien. He was born on 13 February 1935

in Cairo, close to the Citadel of Saladin (Qalaʿat Salāḥ al-D īn). Hanafi was born into an

artistic family in Cairo. As a youth he studied the violin, which he continues to play to

this day.6 In the other side of his childhood, he was confronted with the realities of life

under colonization and domination of the influence of foreign nations. The fact that

arouses his patriotic and nationalistic attitudes, no wonder though his young age (at

thirteenth), he has applied for a volunteer war against Israel in 1948. But, the Muslim

Brotherhood (al-ʾIkḫwān al-Muslimūn) rejected it because Hassan Hanafi that age is too

young.7

Hassan Hanafi graduated from his elementary school in 1948, and then continued

his studies in Islamic Junior High School ‚Khalol Agha‛ Cairo and completed it in four

years. While in this periode, Hassan Hanafi had begun actively followed discussion

group of al-ʾIkḫwān al-Muslimūn. In 1952, Hassan Hanafi together with the students

involved in movement against Britain in the Suez Canal, as well as the Egyptian

Revolution in 1952.8

Beginning in his student days and continuing throughout his career, Hanafi

showed an interest in exploring both Islamic philosophic traditions and Western

philosophy and in developing relationships between these cultural heritages that have

sometimes clashed. Gifted with an inquiring mind, he found himself wondering about

the contradictions between what he learned from his instructors and what he read in

books by such distinguished Islamic thinkers as Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, the

latter of whom influenced him deeply. Simultaneously he was attracted by writings of

6 See “Hassan Hanafi” in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Hanafi , viewed in 07 January 2014 22:10

7 See preface by Azyumardi Azra in Hasan Hanafi, Dari Akidah ke Revolusi Sikap Kita Terhadap Tradisi Lama

(Jakarta: Paramadina, 2003), p. xii

8 See “Hanafi, Hasan” in Azhar, Islamicus , http://islamicus.org/hanafi -hasan/, viewed in 07 January 2014

22:58

3

the French sociologist Guyau, the philosopher Bergson, and the German idealists Kant,

Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel.9

After earning his B.A. in philosophy from Cairo University in 1956, Hanafi

continue his study at the University of Paris (the Sorbonne) for ten years until he reach

Ph.D. degree also in Philosophy. Here he continued to explore the relations between

Western and Arabic philosophy. He was greatly influenced by Jean Guitton, the

foremost philosopher in Paris at that time. In 1959 and 1960 he read the complete works

of Edmund Husserl in the German language. He came to admire the great philosophers

of protest, Spinoza and Kierkegaard. From Paris he went to Rome for the 1964 sessions

of Vatican Council II.10

After completing his Ph.D. in 1966 Hanafi joined the faculty of Cairo University.

In the following years he translated several European works into Arabic. Meanwhile, he

was developing his own philosophy in a series of books. Hanafi’s reputation brought him

many invitations for visiting professorships at the University of Toulouse (1969), the

University of Louvain (1970), Temple University (1971-1975), the University of

Khartoum (1976, 1977), the University of Kuwait (1979), the University of Fes,

Morrocco (1982-1984), and the University of Tokyo (1984-1985). From 1985 to 1987 he

was scientific consultant in the United Nations University in Tokyo. In 1988 he returned

to his home base in Cairo University.11

When Egypt lost against Israel in 1967, Hasan Hanafi, which was originally a

theoretical-academic researcher turned into a social researcher, a shift from individual

consciousness dominant in the first thesis to social awareness in order respond that

defeat, as a thinker, researcher and scholar. The result was the publication the first

volume of books Qadhaya al-Mu'asyirah. After he wrote the book, then go left Egypt to

America in the year 1971-1975. At that moment he was, began collecting his material

Min al-Aqidah ila al-Tsaurah and wrote al-Tsaurah wa al-Tajdid in 1976.12

9 See Richard K. Khuri “A Critique of Hassan Hanafi Concerning his Reflections on the Scarcity of Freedom in

the Arab-Muslim World” in Şerif Mardin (ed.), Cultural transitions in the Middle East (Leiden: E.J. Brill , 1994), pp. 86-115 as cited by Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Hanafi

10 See “Hassan Hanafi Facts” in Your Dictionary, http://biography.yourdictionary.com/hassan-hanafi, viewed

in 07 January 2014, 22:54.

11 ibid

12 See Hasan Hanafi, al-Turath wa al-Tajdid, Mauqifuna min al-Turath al-Qadim: Min al-Aqidah ila al-Thaura,

al-Mujallad I: al-Muqaddimat al-Nazariyah (Cairo: Maktabāt Madbuli, 1988), p. 46

4

Hassan Hanafi is currently a professor of philosophy at Cairo University. Since

1976, he has been the secretary general of the Egyptian Philosophical Society, and in

1983, he became the vice-president of the Arab Philosophical Society. His books include

H{iwār al-Ajyāl (Cairo: Dār Qibaʿ, 1998); Min al-’Aqi>dah ila al-Thawroh (5 vols., Cairo:

Maktabāt Madbuli, 1988); Religious Dialogue and Revolution: Essays on Judaism,

Christianity and Islam (Cairo: Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop, 1977); and al-Turath wa

tajdid (Cairo: Arab Center for Research and Publication, 1976-1977).13

C. Content of The Book

Min al-Aqidah ila al-Thaurah was included in the series of al-Turath wa al-Tajdid,

Mauqifuna min al-Turath al-Qadim. It consisted of five volumes, i.e. al-Mujallad I: al-

Muqaddimat al-Nazariyah (The First Volume: Prolegomena/Introduction to The

Thought), al-Mujallad II: al-Tawhid (The Second Volume: Tawhid/The Islamic

Monotheism), al-Mujallad III: al-'Adl (The Third Volume: The Balance), al-Mujallad IV: al-

Nubuwah, al-Ma’ad (The Fourth Volume: The Prophethood-The Hereafter), and al-

Mujallad V: al-Iman wa al-’Amal, al-Imamah14 (The Fifth Volume: The Faith and

Deeds-Imamat/Islamic Leadership). The series of this book firstly published in 1988 by

Maktabat Madbuli in Cairo with average page number of each series is about 600 pages.

Hassan Hanafi took ten years until the book was published. He collected his

research material for this book since leaving Egypt in 1971. This book contains a

detailed description of subjects of the renewal that he decides which contained too in

both of his earlier published work. Therefore, without a doubt if this book is said to be

the most monumental works of Hanafi.

As a part of his intellectual project, al-Turath wa al-Tajdid, among Islamic themes

which also carried and reconstructed by Hassan Hanafi through this book is the realm of

theology. In addressing the legacy of the classical repertoire, he was not as puritan and

conservative who tried to pull back the original Islamic culture literally to the present

era. On the contrary, he tried to explore classic inheritance of Islam and tried to

reconstruct the basics of its epistemology to be relevant in contemporary life. So, the

13

See “Hassan Hanafi” in 100 Influential Voices from the Arab World …

14 His concept of Imamat is in its general terminology as Islamic leadership and it was different from Shiite’s

concept.

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spirit of Hassan Hanafi is a renewal (Reformation) of the classical repertoire, instead of

repetition (reafirmation).

To deconstruct the epistemology of Islamic theology, Hanafi departed from the

most basic things. One of the most elementary theological issues is its prolegomena

(muqaddima) which ever mention the name of Allah and the Prophet. Conventional

prolegomena reflects how the earlier scholars just trying to establish belief in God,

without relying on the existence of humanity. As a form of deconstruction he tried, in

his prolegomena, it was not in the name of God but in the name of the people. Thus in

the name of the people and human life and not in the name of his Lord this book was

created.15 From the statement in muqadimahnya it shows how Hassan Hanafi so

radically deconstructed and reconstructed the spirit of faith and commitment of aqidah.

The first volume of book Min al-Aqi>dah ila al-Thaurah entitled by Muqaddima>t al-

Naza>riyah. The prolegomena which have been explained above is in its preface. It was

consisted of four chapters. The first chapter is talking about ta’ri >f al-‘ilm (the meaning

of science), in this chapter Hanafi try to redefine the meaning of technical term of ushu>l

al-di>n and another science related to it, such as Kala>m, Ushu>l al-Di>n, Tawh}id, al-Fiqh,

and ‘ilm al-‘Aqoid with constraint and difference between what earlier means and what

he did. For example, According to him, science of Kala>m should be formulated based on

the real facts of human life as well as the problems that surrounded him not abstract

concepts and speculative about God. The next chapter of this book is containing further

explanation of this topic until the fourth chapter which reviewed about naza>riyat al-

wuju>d (the views of the existence of god).16

The second volume is al-Insa>n al-Ka>mil (the perfect person); al-Tawh}i>d. It is

containing two chapters. The first chapter is al-wa’y al-kha>lis} (pure reason) and the

second is al-wa’y al-muta’ayyan (permanent reason). In this volume, Hanafi divide

shifat-Llah (the divine characteristics of Allah) to two parts, namely pure reason and

permanent reason. The first chapter is explanation of divine characteristics which

categorized as pure reason is al-Wuju>d, al-Qidam, al-Baqa>’, al-Mukha>lafah li-l-

h}awa>dith, al-Qiya>mu bi-l-Nafsi, and al-Wah}da>niyah. And another characteristics which

15

See “Muqaddimah: Min al -du’a li-l-salathin ila al-difa’ ‘ani al-Syu’ub” in Hassan Hanafi, al-Turath wa al-

Tajdid, Mauqifuna min al-Turath al-Qadim: Min al-Aqidah ila al-Thaura, al-Mujallad I: al-Muqaddimat al-

Nazariyah (Cairo: Maktabāt Madbuli, 1988), pp. 8-15.

16 Ibid., see “fihris,” pp. 596-590. For Hanafi’s definition of science of Kalam see page 57 -59.

6

categorized as permanent reason explained in second chapter, they are al-‘ilm, al-

Qudrah, al-H{ayah, al-Sam’u wa al-Bas}ar, al-Kala>m, and al-Ira>dah. Furthermore, in

second chapter he also argued what vital reason to change orientation of Kala>m into

humanity (anthropocentrism). And the last, as closing statement of this volume, Hanafi

explain the concept he called it as tawh{i>d ‘amali >.17

The next volume is third volume, al-Insa>n al-Muta’ayyan; al-‘Adl. (The Definitive

Person; The Balance). It was also consisted of two chapters, the first is about the deed

(al-Af’a>l) and the second is the goodness and evil. In this volume Hanafi explain about

the important position of al-‘adl as the core of deed, such as view of essence and

characteristic of God as the core of tawh}i>d. Furthermore he also wrote about the

progress from tawh}i>d to al-‘adl. And in the end of this volume explained about where is

exactly position of human according to him.18

The fourth volume; al-Nubuwah, al-Ma’ad (The Prophethood-The Hereafter) it was

consisted of two chapters. The first chapter is Tat}awur al-Wah}y; al-Nubu>wah

(Revolution of The Revelation; The Prophethood) and the second chapter is al-

Mustaqbal al-Insa>ni>yah; al-Ma’a>d (The Future of Humanity; The Hereafter). In the

chapter of prophethood explained its essence, the miracle (mu’jizah), the evolution of it

such as possibility to remove the precepts of the other prophet who came earlier, and

also is prophethood embody as a person or in its prophecy. The next chapter was

consisted of Hanafi’s thought on hereafter, including the death, life after death,

hereafter, doomsday, and also heaven and hell.19

And the last volume, the fifth is al-Iman wa al-’Ama>l, al-Ima>mah (The Faith and

Deeds, Imamat/Islamic Leadership). This volume also consisted of two chapters, namely

thought (ideology) and the faith in first chapter and the next is about Islamic law and

the revolution. In first chapter Hanafi argued about possibility to become ka>fir (infidel)

only by thought as part of his view about tetralogy al-naz}ar, al-tas}diq, al-iqra>r, and al-

‘amal (thought, faith, affirmation, and action). The next chapter of imamat consist of

17

See “fihris” in Hanafi… al-Mujallad II: al-Insan al-Kamil; al-Tawhid, pp. 613-616, for the emergence of

Anthropocentrism see “Min al -Kalam ila al-Syakhs” pp. 559-565, and for the closing statement see p. 609.

18 See “fihris” in Hanafi… al-Mujallad III: al-Insan al-Muta’ayan; al-‘adl , pp. 540-543. See also “mi al -tawhid

ila al-‘adl,” p. 7 and closing statement, pp. 532-40.

19 See “fihris” in Hanafi… al-Mujallad IV: al-Nubuwah, al-Ma’ad, pp. 609-613.

7

historical view of Islamic imamat, why and how, condition to be and become, and also

about the revolution.20

Hassan Hanafi with this book want to affirm that God is like a force of energy that

are inherent in humman, not a reality that so far away. Substance of God according to

him is our own identity that we must defend to the death. Defending God is defending

human beings, to defend the rights of human beings, defending freedom as human

beings, to defend the values of lives as human beings and so on. Therefore, talking about

God should be familiar with the problems of human existence with all its social life.

Thus, to validate and test the validity of speculative theology is not a passing thought

about who God is, but through empirical movement. So the the validity of a theology is

not in its theoretical formulation, but on the functional aspects in freeing people from

various confines. It is all because the divine world cannot be separated from the world of

humanity.

D. Methodology of The Book

Viewed from the author’s way of writing, can be concluded that this book is

written by using three methods. The first is manhaj al-i’tiza>li > (liberal method),21 because

in this book logical thought used to judge theological dogma and argued against earlier

argument and method. It could be found in the prolegomena of first volume.22 This book

also uses manhaj al-‘ilm al-tajri>bi> al-mu’ash{ir (contemporary experimental method),23

especially in modern social science, it can found that this book also used historical and

empirical method to judge the relevance of theology until present era. for example, in

fifth volume in chapter six under title hal huna>ka tafd }il baina khulafa>’ al-arba’ah, the

author use historical analytic to explain his argument.24 Part of this book also used

20

See “fihris” in Hanafi… al-Mujallad V: Iman wa amal, al-imamah, pp. 672-680.

21 See Dr. Abdurrahman bin Zaid al -Zanadi, Manahij al-Bahth fi al-Aqidah al-Islamiyah fi al-asri al-hadir (Riyadh:

Dar Asybiliya, 1998), pp. 119 & 122.

22 Ibid., “Muqaddimah: …” in Hanafi, …, al-Mujallad I…, pp. 8-15.

23 Ibid., Dr. Abdurrahman…, p. 119.

24 Ibid., Hanafi… al-Mujallad V…, p. 346.

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manhaj al-d}aru>rah al-‘amali>yah (the essential of act method).25 For example, this can be

seen in the concept called by tawh}i>d ‘amali>.26

E. Conclusion

Min al-Aqi>dah ila al-Thaurah is one of the books that Hassan Hanafi as the author

wishes to emphasize the spirit of his times. The spirit of renewal (tajdid) promoted by

Hassan Hanafi is not modernity as some as assumed by some people. What he wants is

the shifting of tradition to the tradition. The tradition is criticized not for the sake of

modernity, but for the sake of tradition itself. But, his argument on Islam as part of a

tradition is point of his thought that we cannot accept.

Anthropocentrism theology as initiated by Hassan Hanafi in his purpose to reveal

the lost dimensions in religious doctrine as he said. According to him, anthropocentrism

was able to give greater attention to the problems of humanity, such as liberation from

oppression, bias on the weakling, and critical community empowerment. Maybe his

disappointment to Egypt government is cause of this statement, because Egypt with

muslim people as majority actually have many problem that cannot be solved yet.

Whereas, in this case he must distinct between muslim and Islamic dogma.

It can be said that this project is too ambitious. Although he have kind reason and

purpose, but he did it by the wrong way. All humanity problem especially in muslim

world can be solved by truly understanding Islam, not by deconstructing or leaving it.

25

Ibid., Dr. Abdurrahman…, p. 205.

26 Ibid., Hanafi… al-Mujallad II…, p. 609

9

Bibliography

Hanafi, Hassan, al-Turāth wa al-Tajdi>d (Beirut: al-Muassasah al-Jāmi’ah li al-Dirāsāt wa al-Nasyr Wa al-Tauzi’, 1991)

____________, al-Turath wa al-Tajdid, Mauqifuna min al-Turath al-Qadim: Min al-Aqidah ila al-Thaura, Translated to Bahasa Indonesia by Asep Usman Ismail, Suadi Putro and Abdul Rouf entitled Dari Akidah ke Revolusi Sikap Kita Terhadap Tradisi Lama

(Jakarta: Paramadina, 2003)

____________, al-Turath wa al-Tajdid, Mauqifuna min al-Turath al-Qadim: Min al-Aqidah ila al-Thaura (Cairo: Maktabāt Madbuli, first edition, 1988)

____________, New Directions in Islamic Thought (Brief no. 4, Qatar: CIRS Georgetown

University, 2010).

Saenong, Ilham B., Hermeneutika Pembebasan: Metodologi Tafsir Alquran Menurut Hassan Hanafi (Jakarta: Teraju, 2002)

al-Zanadi, Dr. Abdurrahman bin Zaid, Manahij al-Bahth fi al-Aqidah al-Islamiyah fi al-asri al-hadir (Riyadh: Dar Asybiliya, 1418)

Internet Archives

Azhar, ‚Hanafi, Hasan‛ Islamicus, http://islamicus.org/hanafi-hasan/, viewed in 07 January

2014 22:58

Mneimneh, Hassan I., ‚Hassan Hanafi‛ 100 Influential Voices from the Arab World, http://www.centerforglobalengagement.org/voices/hassan-hanafi.php, accessed in 07

January 2014, 16:42.

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/http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki ‛حسن حنفي‚ ,_________ حنفي_حسن

Your Dictionary, ‚Hassan Hanafi Facts‛ http://biography.yourdictionary.com/hassan -hanafi, viewed in 07 January 2014, 22:54.