The Legitimacy Grounds of Istishhad with Poetry in Tafsir: A Study of the Narration Attributed to the Prophet Muhammad

Abstract

In the classical period, poetry was widely used to explain strange words in verses, and Abdullah b. Abbas was often cited in this context. The narration of Omar that he learned the meaning of a word in a verse by a person from the Huzayl tribe using poetry istishhad is also reported. Apart from this, there are no references to any other companion or the Prophet himself using poetry in interpretation. However, when classical works are examined, there are narrations that, apart from Ibn Abbas, Hz. Aisha also resorted to this method in interpretation and lexicography. These findings raise the legitimate question of what the legitimacy of istishhad through poetry is. When the narrations transmitted from the Prophet are examined, we come across a narration in Tirmidhi's al-Sunan regarding his istishhad with poetry in tafsir. As a result of the examinations, it has been understood that the fact that this narration is strange hadith does not mean strange hadith in the sense of weak hadith in the methodology of hadith. Even though the narration transmitted from the Prophet is only one, it offers an important opportunity for an evaluation regarding istishhad with poetry in tafsir. Because this concrete example made it possible to trace the practices of istishhad with poetry in tafsir by the companions after the Prophet and the tradition that followed them. In accordance with the subject and purpose of the article, the literature review and content analysis technique based on phenomenology and grounded theory patterns of the qualitative research method was preferred. In this context, the study focused on the phenomenon of legitimacy in istishhad with poetry. In addition, the companions' use of poetry along with the verses was included, and then the narration about the use of the poem that the Prophet used istishhad in tafsir was mentioned. Subsequently, by scanning the tafsir, garib al-Qur'an and hadith collections of the early and classical periods, it was determined in which areas the poetry that the Prophet used for istishhad in tafsir was employed. The obtained data was collected using the inductive method and then schematized. Then, it was compared whether the istishhad method with poetry of both the companions and the scholars of the later periods was parallel to the practice of the Prophet. In this way, traces of whether legitimacy was received from the Prophet were followed both in the companions and in the later periods. As a result of the studies, it has been seen that the method of istishhad with poetry in tafsir of Abdullah b. Abbas and & Ouml;mer is the same as the application of the Prophet. In addition, it has been noticed that istishhad with poetry in tafsir was also carried to morphological inferences through Aisha during the period of the Companions. In addition, when the uses of the poem that the Prophet showed for tafsir after the Companions are examined, it is seen that istishhad with poetry. Moreover, when the use of the poem cited by the Prophet Muhammad for purposes of tafsir is examined in post-Companion periods, it becomes evident that the method of istishhad through poetry continued to be employed, particularly in the fields of tafsir and lexicography. Ultimately, this study demonstrates-albeit in a particular instance- that the origins of poetic istishhad in tafsir can be traced back to the Prophet himself. The existence of a hadith in which the Prophet engages in istishhad with poetry, along with the observable continuity of this practice in subsequent periods in a manner consistent with his example, shows that the application of poetic istishhad in tafsir developed in accordance with transmitted (naqli) foundations.