Literalism, Metaphor, and Transformation: Maskh in the Ikhtilāf Al-Ḥadith Tradition

Abstract

The topic of evolution is a divisive issue and interlocutors have disagreed about hermeneutical approaches. Metaphorical appropriation of scriptural passages can be a determining factor in whether a Muslim inclines toward a compatible view between Islam and the theory of evolution (ToE). This article studies these conflicting hermeneutical principles through the incident of the maskh, an event in the Qur’ān where certain Jews (and potentially Christians) were metamorphosed into monkeys and swine. Due to many scriptural passages from the Qur’an and the hadith corpus that deal with this topic with some obvious difficulties (ishkāks), this analysis is placed within the historical context of the ikhtilāf al-ḥadīth genre. Ikhtilāf al-ḥadīth is a genre that primarily deals with contradictory and problematic ḥadīth reports. It can be argued that the ikhtilāf genre is more in need of academic focus in regard to hermeneutics, given its closer relationship to the bulk of the ḥadīth corpus (as opposed to a narrow selection of legal or theological ḥadīth). This study analysed how two prominent early authors of the ikhtilāf genre, al-Ṭaḥāwī and Ibn Qutayba, dealt hermeneutically with the metamorphosis (maskh) incident. Hermeneutical rules around metaphorical/literal readings were extracted from this genre through the maskh case study and juxtaposed with contemporary assumptions. The article’s findings question common assumptions about who were literalists and who frequently chose metaphorical readings regarding ḥadīth. It also showcases early examples where a combined approach to being open to metaphorical readings can co-exist with taking the entire ḥadīth corpus seriously around an issue.