Karagözoğlu (2023) Handling Theology in Footnotes: Salafī Editors on Ḥadīth Commentaries from the Middle Period

Abstract A prominent genre of contemporary Salafī literature consists of critical editions of texts from the Middle Period with editorial introductions and footnotes. These editions allow Salafī editors to reinforce their views on various subjects, sometimes by criticizing the text’s author. This article analyzes Salafī editors’ critical engagement with medieval  ḥadīth  commentators by focusing on the problem of divine attributes in the  ḥadīth commentary literature. It argues that Salafīs seek to rebut their opponents—particularly Ashʿarī  ḥadīth  scholars—utilizing different discursive strategies. These include rejecting  mutashābih, majāz , and  taʾwīl  as hermeneutical categories, re-defining the concepts of  bi-lā kayf  and  tafwīḍ , and emphasizing the inconsistencies in the Ashʿarī doctrine of divine attributes. Their footnotes also function to reinforce group identity and tradition, presenting Salafī Islam as the core of  ahl al-sunna , and appealing to the Muslim public with a concrete image of God.

Title:  Handling Theology in Footnotes: Salafī Editors on Ḥadīth Commentaries from the Middle Period Article Type:  Research Article DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1163/15700607-20230016 Language:  English Pages:  60–83 Keywords:  Salafī Islam ;  Salafism ;  Islamic theology ; ḥadīth  commentary ;  divine attributes ; anthropomorphism ;  Ibn Bāz, editorial practices In:  Die Welt des Islams In:  Volume 64: Issue 1 Publisher:  Brill E-ISSN:  1570-0607 Print ISSN:  0043-253