AN ANALYSIS OF

TOSHIHIKO IZUTSU’S
QURANIC APPROACH

MOHAMMED JURAIS

(Research scholar under cordoba chair for contemporary studies)

juraispoothanari@gmail.com

9995302350

Ainul huda al-ihsan cordoba chair

Introduction

Philosophy is a Meta - conceptual thing which have and had

discussed in rapid area, religion and region. All religion has a philosophical
aspect in all existential things. 'The word philosophy means "love of
wisdom". Indeed, it is a love of wisdom that guide philosophers to explore
the fundamental questions about who are we and why we here (philosophy
101; from Plato and Socrates to ethics and metaphysics, an essential primer
on the history of thought).

Through philosophy, people are able to explore to concept like the

meaning of life, knowledge, morality, reality, the existence of god,
consciousness, politics, religion, economics, art, linguistics - philosophy has
no bounds. i think here stated words meaningfully described the philosophy.

As we recognized from the above passage, we knew that philosophy

has no bounds and limits. Even though there many types of philosophy viz
Islamic philosophy, Greek philosophy, western philosophy etc. among them
Islamic philosophy only more aspects are scattered into other like mystic
philosophy, social philosophy.

Philosophers and Sufis added and counted Ibn Arabi in this first stage
i;e mystic philosophy. the mystical philosophy discusses in past and present
alike. Jalaludheen Rumi also has salient level in this mystical hierarchy. The
philosophy also discussed in east and west, usually called oriental
philosophy for eastern philosophy.

In this gesture, more Muslim scholars and non- Muslim scholars have
researched in this specific area alike. At this time i have to discuss about
Toshiko Izutsu, who my topic closely related.
Toshihiko Izutsu

May 4, 1914 was the great non- Muslim Islamic philosophical

scholar's birth. After his all studies he specially focused on semantic study,
so that he becomes professor in various linguistic universities. His life-long
discussed through Islamic philosophy and other. Especially, in metaphysical
world. In brief, here drags out his intellectual biography.

Toshihiko Izutsu, one of the eminent figures of Japanese Muslim

scholars. He also known as Izutsu Toshihiko and a professor Emeritus at
Keio University in Japan and a well-known author of many books those are
deeply embedded in Islāmic theology and other religions. For a long time, he
was the professor at the institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio
University in Tokyo, and was taught at the Iranian institute of Philosophy in
Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was expert in more
than 30 languages.

Life and Academic Career

Toshihiko Izutsu was a talented professor at Keio University in Japan

and he was an outstanding authority in the metaphysical and philosophical
wisdom schools of Islāmic Sufism, Hindu Advaita Vedanta, Mahayana
Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism), and Philosophical Taoism. He was
mastered in the field of foreign languages and he is fluent in more than 30
languages; including Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Russian and Greek.

His traveling research was mainly focused in such places as the

Middle East (especially Iran) India, Europe, North America, and Asia were
undertaken with a view to developing a meta-philosophical approach to
comparative religion based upon an accurate linguistic study of traditional
metaphysical texts. Izutsu often stated his beliefs that harmony could be
encouraged between peoples by demonstrating that many beliefs with which
a community identified itself. One of important matters
The world of the Izutsu is more intellectually discussed in his work
"God and man in Quran semantics of the Quranic weltanschauung" . He
begins with the historically and empirically given; he doesn't have direct
access to any religious experience except his own. However, Joachin Wach
and others have insisted, there is a possibility of understanding the nature
and content of religious experience by an empathetic, probing and
systematic examination of its expressions. When he completed his work
"God and man in Quran ; semantics of the Quranic weltanschauung" some
non-secular intellectuals and rigid intellectuals have crictically approached
to it. my main purpose int ujis reseach of Izutsu's ethical approach on Quran
is not to critizcize him as some Islamists had done. For example
Montgommery watts review on god and man Quran and the concept of
belief in Islamic theology.

In his other book "Sufism and Taoism" he dragged the structural

comparison between the world of sufism represented by mystic
philosophical scholar Ibn Arabi and the world view of taoism represented by
Lao-Tzu. izutsu aslo stressed that Islam wasn't the religion of desert and it
was based on a truely urban understanding of the world.

methodology used in Quran studies

The book god and man in Quran firstly published in 1964, and he used
the semantic methodology to interpret the Quranic key words. At the outset,
Dr. Izutsu gives us his idea of the science of linguistics or semantics through
which he wishes to understand the Qur'an, "Semantics as I understand it is
an analytic study of the key terms of a language with a view to arriving
eventually at a conceptual grasp of the weltanschauung or world-view of the
people who use that language ...".

Izutsu’s approach to Quran is like a philosophical perspective that

blends with anthropology and leads to linguistic methodological tools.

A semantically study of the Qur'an would, therefore, be an analytical

study of the key-terms of the Qur'an. Dr. Izutsu makes it abundantly clear
that by a study of the key-terms is not merely meant just a mechanical
analysis of these terms or concepts in isolation or as static units but even
more importantly includes their living, contextual import, as they are used in
the Qur'an.

Izutsu, Orientalism, and Qur’anic Studies

Some Arab researchers have identified four factors in this temptation

to give consideration to orientalist studies. One, they considered it to stem
from curiosity to know the opinions of non-Muslim thinkers regarding
Islam, its scripture and prophet. Two, they thought that it aimed to answer
arguments stemming from those who were prejudiced against Islam, against
the prophecy of its prophet and his connection with the Qur’an, in addition
to refuting and disclosing their allegations, and showing the truth behind
their so-called religious, scientific or historical surveys which hide
colonialist and crusading tendencies. Third, they considered it in order to
draw attention to linguistic, scientific or historical mistakes, some of which
were made out of ignorance, misunderstanding, narrow-mindedness, or
far-fetched assumptions. Four, they wished to make use of their research,
especially those studies which show freedom from the ideological pressures
of the colonialist church, and are characterized by a scientific approach free
from emotion and preconceived judgments.

Arab perspective of Izutsu's studies

Many Arab researches had studied about the theoretical method which
Izutsu used to approach Quranic studies. Some are done it in a good and
other criticized Izutsu's thus studies, but it is not to looking his semantic
methodology rather he is a non- Muslim.

The year 2007 witnessed the release of two translations of Izutsu’s

book God and Man in the Koran, one published by al-Munaẓẓama
al-ʿArabiyya li’l-Tarjama in Beirut, and the other by Dār al-Multaqā in
Aleppo. This was followed in 2009 by the release of the Arabic translation
of Izutsu’s book Ethico-religious Concepts in the Qurʾān. 2010 witnessed
the release of the Arabic translation of The Concept of Belief in Islamic
Theology. These two latter works were also published by Dār al-Multaqā.
this late translation was the great sorrowful thing to Arab academicians. the
main cause such late is that of neglecting of Asian studies.

Toshihiko Izutsu had introduced his Quranic view more in his work
God and Man in Quran which has translated to Arabic (Allah val Insan fil
Quran- 2005) too. He also believed after avoid the pre- concept that Allah is
the focus word in the holly Quran. So, he semantically analyzed this word at
Allah. Firstly he says in the fourth chapter of god and man in koran that the
first problem of prophet (s) was to face jahili who were believed 'the God',
word god was usually used in pre- Islamic era. Beside of this in greek also it
is used 'he theos' which means the god. So, when the Quran describes about
Allah by using the word 'the God' (ilah), they were recognised that it is ours
(jahili) god. So prophet muhammed (pbuh) specially focused in this
controversial thing to change that concept and to teach that the Quran is
teaching Allah, the creator,. Jew and Christians are used similarly the word
'Allah' for their God. And Islam mentioned Allah in another meaning. So, If
prophet (pbuh) described about Allah to pagan Arab, they recognized as
thier lord. In this term, if we ask who is the creator of the world to pagan
arabs they would say 'Allah'. But semantically the inner meaning is utterly
different. Izutsu called this kind of people as 'temporary monotheism'. I
think such kind of temporary monotheism was the great bias of pre- Islamic
Arabs to Islam. Because i think in this term prophet have only to change
their misunderstanding. Toshihiko Izutsu was believed that Allah is the
important and being existence in all time.

From the responses of a number of researchers of the Qur’an over the

last years, it has become apparent that Izutsu’s studies are of great
importance because, through their theoretical and applied principles, they
form the basis of a new and scientific approach to studying the Qur’an. This
essay will shed light on the details.

In Quranic philosophical weltanschauung or world view there is only

one being essential existence in here that is Allah. Broadly he said in his
work and which had presented at the fifth east- west philosophers'
conference in Hawaii (June- July 1969) "the basic structure of metaphysical
thinking in Islam" that From the viewpoint of the highest
Mystic- philosopher, even the people of this type, when they experience the
vision of the Absolute, are actually doing nothing but perceiving the
Absolute as it is reflected in the phenomenal things. But dazzled by the
excess of light issuing forth from the Absolute, they are not aware of the
phenomenal things in which it is reflected. Just as, in the case of the people
of the first class, the Absolute served as the mirror reflecting upon its
polished surface all the phenomenal things, so in the present case the
phenomenal things serve as mirrors reflecting the Absolute. In either case,
man usually takes notice of the images in the mirror, and the mirror itself
remains unnoticed.

Izutsu stated at the beginning of God and Man in the Koran, when
speaking about the main reason that prompted him to embark on the study: ‘I
was guided by the hope that.. I might still be able to contribute something
new to a better understanding of the Koranic message to its own age and to
us’.

In his book, He determined that the Islam is truth but psychologically

the nature of the human is turning away from the truth. For this semantically
analysis of Allah he also used and dragged here some relevant Arabic poems
of pagan- Arabs too. After he studied and learned Arabic language he didn't
forget to translate the holly Quran to Japanese. And it was the first
translation in Japan from Asia and World.

View of Sāmir Rashwānī in Izutsu

Syrian researcher Sāmir Rashwānī, a lecturer in the Faculty of Sharīʿa

at the University of Aleppo, in the context of an essay published on the
internet entitled ‘“Allāh wa’l-insān fī’l-Qurʾān:” tajriba majhūla fī ʿilm
al-dalāla’ (‘God and Man in the Qur’an’: An Unfamiliar Experiment in
Semantics’). When Rashwānī introduces Izutsu’s book God and Man in the
Koran, he summarizes the main idea of the book by saying: The Qur’an’s
message, its worldview, and philosophy about existence are found in its
vocabulary – key-words, or more precisely in the connotations found in the
vocabulary used by the Qur’an to explain its message. A semantic study of
these key-words will unveil the change in the connotations the Qur’anic
usage has introduced in pre-Islamic Arabic, giving these key-words a new
worldview and a different philosophy.

After reading the Quran he divides the relations between man and
man into 7 points as Quran separately stated. These concepts may be
conveniently classified into seven sub-fields: (1) marital relations
comprising concepts that relate to marriage, divorce, adultery and
fornication; (2) parents-children relations, comprising the duties of parents
towards children, and the duties of children towards their parents, and
regulations concerning adoption; (3) laws of inheritance; (4) criminal laws
concerning particularly murder, theft, and retaliation; (5) commercial
relations comprising concepts of contract, debt, usury, bribery, and justice in
commercial dealings; (6) laws concerning charity, i.e., alms, legal and
voluntary; (7) laws concerning slaves.

From the responses of a number of Arab researches of the Quran over

the last three years, it has become apparent that Izutsu's studies are of great
importance and preference, because through their theoretical and applied
principles they form the basis of a new and scientific approach to studying
the Quran.
 By using specific poems and versus from Quran and history Izutsu
determined that Dunya is lower and comparably here is great. Izutsu
semantically analyzed about the meaning of Dunya, He analyzed the word
'Dunya', which constantly used in Quran, from its beginning form. Dunya
formed from 'Dunuvv' which refers to low or lower. So, he added that the
Quranic Welatanschauung is no giving any preference to dunya ie this
phenomenal world. And it described as a sufistic concept of Quran.

Returning to Izutsu, His English works include God and Man in the
Koran, Ethico -religious Concepts in the Qurʾān, The Concept of Belief in
Islamic Theology, Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key
Philosophical Concepts and The Concept and Reality of Existence. In
Japanese, he wrote History of Islamic Thought, Mystical Philosophy,
Islamic Culture, Consciousness and Essence, Cosmos and Anti-Cosmos and
others. He also translated the Qur’an into Japanese.

In another point, as an existential approach to Quran he said that Allah

is full time being as i early mentioned and he is the only being worthy to be
called being in the full sense of the world. As the result of humble reading of
the holly Quran Izutsu demonstrated that the Insan and God are completely
dichotomy. Here a question arise that then how people could communicate
to Allah. Because the people could only communicate and and speak to
people i;e man to man. And Allah couldn't speak to those who are lower
position in sufistic stage (sorry for attributes 'couldn't to Allah, whereas
Allah is in 'could').

In this discourse, how the Quran revealed from Allah to prophet by

saying prophet is man like us. Here, we say prophet is like a common man
but had special stage, as prophet hood. In this gesture, Toshihiko Izutsu
divided the nature of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) into two part, nature
and super nature. A man cannot speak to the Angel of Allah in his natural
form.

However, in the case of the Qur'anic Revelation, the first hindrance

regarding a common sign-system was removed by the fact that the Arabic
language was chosen by God Himself as the common sign-system between
God and man. But the second, ontological, hindrance was not of such a
nature that it could be removed so easily. Hence, the extraordinariness of
this phenomenon. For here genuine linguistic communication does occur
between two levels of being that are worlds apart and between which lies an
infinite distance of essential separation. And yet God speaks to man, and
man hears the words and understands them. And that is Revelation. How
should we account for this extraordinary phenomenon? Here, Toshihiko
izutsu put forward about the nature and super nature. That at time of
revelation prophet (pbuh) will be super natural form, it would help him to
hear the words of wahy, which Allah sends down through his Angel.

Izutsu's Quranic approach studies aren’t lasting. But here i can’t drag
that all because of word long. At last this article discusses about the
four-fold relation between god and man. These four- fold relations were
discussed exactly from his age to current. It is a principle point of Izutsu
which he found from Quran. In the part he described about jahili as there is
no dramatic form because no spiritual tension running through the whole
world. A jahili can't approach and find Allah, the absolute. that relations
are;- (i) God is the creator of man; (ii) He communicates His Will to man
through Revelation; (iii) there subsists a Lord-servant relationship between
God and man and (iv) the concept of God as the God of goodness and mercy
(for those who are thankful to Him) and the God of wrath (for those who
reject Him). The believers in this fourfold relationship between Allah and
man constitute a Community (Ummah Muslimah) by themselves and believe
in the Last Day, Paradise and Hell. Dr. Izutsu's description of the historical
evolution of these concepts in pre-Islamic Arabia up to the appearance of
Islam is quite rich and valuable.

According to the Quran Izutsu demonstrated about the form of

communication to Allah. In communication relation to Allah there have two
forms verbal and non- verbal, and it also have two types, above to below and
below to above. The above t below system is in form of revelation and
down, the Ayats. Simultaneously, below to above communication is in the
form of supplication, other worship and reciting Quran.

Conclusion

As we understand in this short essay izutsu’s semantic approach of

Quran gave a serious consideration. And it helped more western and Arab
research scholars to study Quranic Weltanschauung or world view. More
scholars appreciated izutsu’s methodology but some others, like Ahmed
Abdu Rahman, a University professor and a well- known Muslim da_i from
Egypt. His studies are wide spread among Arabs and other and it also had
translated to various languages because of its salient methodology and form.
References;-

God and man quran; a semantic study of quran - toshihiko

izutsu

Izutsu’s study of the quran from an arab perspective – Eisa al

akaub- university of Aleppo

Semantics of the quran; a consideration of izutsu’s study- Harry

b partin

How toshihko made ne understand islam- Monira al qadiri

The basic structure of metaphysical thinking in islam- Toshiko

izutsu – Hawai presentation

Pg thesis essense and existence special reference to toshihiko

izutsu- Darul huda islamic Univesity india

Al- yabani- izutsu wa’l- ru ya- al quraniyya lil- aalam (the

japanese izutsu and the wuranic world view)- Masjid- Dahir

Istikdam ilm- al- dalala fi fahm al- quran; qira;a fi tajribat al-
bahit al- yabani toshihiko izutsu (using semantics in
understanding the quran; a readinf in the exoerience of the
japanese researcher toshihiko izutsu)- abd- al rahman hilali

Allah wa’l – insan- fil- quran; tajriba majhula fi- ilm al- dalala
(god and man in the quran; an unfamiliar experiment in
semantics)- samir rashwani

Al- tahlil al- anthrubuluji al- lisani lil- quran (anthropological

linguistic analysis of the quran) – abd al rajman al hajj