Jamal al-Banna’s deconstruction of qur’anic exegeses, the hadith corpus and shariah : a critical analysis

Abstract EN

The paper examines jamal al-Banna’s religious thinking.

after providing a concise review of his circumstances, education and transformation of thought, a qualitative content analysis of his work reveals bizarre patterns of exposition.

the paper reviews his positions on orthodox qur’anic exegeses, punishments for apostasy and adultery, and views on jihad, wearing ḥijab and the permissibility of smoking when fasting, etc.

his views on ijtihad and legal injunctions show exceptional non-reliance on basic sources and ijma.

the paper also examines his arguments on the qur’an’s sources, abrogation, generalization of the text, the authenticity of the prophet’s traditions and other issues such as the priority of reason over sharah, etc.

in general, it unveils his deviant positions while generating much controversy.