Exegesis of the glorious Qur'an by the Sufi scholar Aḥmad al-'Alawī (d. 1353 ah–1934 ce)‎ : an investigation of his methodology

Abstract EN

The present research sheds light on exegesis (tafsīr) of the Glorious Qur'an by the Algerian Sufi Scholar Aḥmad al-'Alawī (1869 – 1934 CE), with special focus on his methodology of exegesis.

Sheikh al-'Alawī is the grandson of a Turkish man who travelled to Algeria and settled down in Mostaganem, where he assumed the position of qādī or judge.

He wrote many works such as Al-Minaḥ al-Qudusiyya, Al-Nūr al-Dāwī, al-Mawād al-Ghaythiyya, Miftāḥ al-Shuhūd, al-Qawl al-Ma'rūf, al-Abḥāth al-'Alawiyya, al-Unmuzaj al-Farīd, and al-Bahr al-Masjūr fī Tafsīr al-Qur'an bi-Maḥḍ al-Nūr.

In fact, the exegesis of the Qur'an by al-'Alawī was not completed, i.

e.

sheikh al-'Alawī only interpreted the chapter (sura) of Al-Fātiḥah and the first 107 verses (ayāt) of the chapter of Al-Baqarah (the Cow).

Yet, this exegesis has a distinctive feature over all other Sufi books of exegesis, that is, it interprets the Qur'anic verses according to four levels of exegesis: tafsīr (explanation), istinbāt (derivation), Ishārah (exegesis by allusions or indications) and Lisān al-Rūḥ (tongue of the spirit).

Therefore, the present research draws a comparison between al-Alawī's exegesis and other Sufi books of exegesis in order to highlight the distinctive features of the former.