A POSTMODERNIST APPROACH TO THE METHODOLOGY OF ISLAMIC LAW: THE CASE OF JASSER AUDA

Abstract

Postmodernism is a process affecting the political, social, economic, cultural and philosophical areas. In this study, we do not examine the effect of this process on Islamic thought or common law or all over the Islamic law. In this study, we try to examine specifically the effect of postmodernism on the methodology of Islamic law on the case of Jasser Auda. Auda aims to contribute to the methodology of Islamic Law by implementing system theory and deconstruction methods based on "theory of goals" (makâsıdu'ş-şerîa). We expose our opinion critically about the rationality of Auda's suggestions from the Islamic law perspective. If the hypothesis that modernist approaches to the Islamic law ends in the postmodern era is realized, this situation will be an important gain for Islamic law, in the context of the axiom that postmodern law can take place only by disposing of modern law. The rational approaches to the Islamic law oriented towards modernism are to date still. In this study, we aim to raise an awareness that the rationalist approaches are outdated in the postmodern era. And depending on this aim, we believe that this article will contribute to the Islamic law. It will be seen that whenever there is a call for the renewal of the Islamic law or a proposal to overcome the inadequacy of Islamic law, the focus of the proposals on inquiry will be the "theory of maqasıd". This claim was a popular paradigm in the pre-modern era, as well as being popular in the era of modernization. The postmodern process, an opponent of modernism, has placed the same theory in the center. Both in pre-modern and modern times, claims and efforts to contribute eclectically to this theory of maqasıd have not gone beyond wish. Supporters of this idea generally refer to an Andalusian scholar, Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (720-790 A.H./1320-1388 A.D.). Yet, al-Shatibi has created a "maslahah" oriented highly consistent paradigm. Methodologically, it deals with issues in a universal structure and then produces particular solutions to settle under these universals.Postmodernism is a process that affects many political, social, economic, cultural and philosophical fields. It is quite difficult to define an "Islamic postmodernism" similar to the term "Islamic modernism" in general. It is more appropriate to recognize the relationship of Muslim intellectuals with postmodernism as an "exposure" or "subjection" relationship. What mostly attracted the Muslim intellectuals who have been influenced by postmodernism has been the criticism of postmodernism on the ideals such as philosophical modernism, the Enlightenment's project of modernity, rationalism, positive science, technical supervision on earth, and progress. In fact, the sympathy of postmodernism has been recognized by Muslim intellectuals as a kind of recognition, legitimation and credit. However, it should not be forgotten that postmodernism challenges not only modernism but an allencompassing narratives like Islam which is a grand narrative itself. All postmodern approaches to Islamic law resort to deconstruction in order to decentralize dualist logocentrism. In this manner, what the post-structualists mean by the logocentrism is the Qur'an itself. On the other hand, historicism indicates the period of the Prophet by the term logocentrism whereas anti-rationalists target the modern reason and logic. Scholars of Critical Legal Studies Movement uses the term logocentrism in the meaning of traditional discrimination against women and non-Muslim minorities in the Islamic world, used by the traditional schools of thought especially in the Muslim majority societies. Finally, Post-Colonialists uses the term logocentrism as Western domination via Orientalism. Postmodernism effects political, social, economic, cultural, philosophical and religious considerations through the values and systems that it reveals. In order to transform this effect into a positive contribution on the theory that the postmodernism in values and systems can affect the Islamic thought of the law, Avde proposes that it can be done through the theory of maqasıd (makâsıdü'ş-şeria) and system theory. Islamic postmodernism includes post-structuralism, historicism, Critical Legal Studies, post-colonialism, neo-rationalism, antirationalism, and secularism. All Muslims believe in Allah, the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an as the divine message. Nonetheless, the post-structuralist approaches that result in the breaking of the concepts of Allah and divine message into "deconstruction" leave no credibility behind them for such legal advice and leave only "the epistemic space". The post-structuralist movement aims to "liberate people from the authority of the text" and implements the theory of semiotics into the text of the Qur'an in order to "separate divinity from the evidence". By means of applying the concept of historicity to the Qur'an, some deconstructors have reached at a conclusion that the text of Qur'an is a "cultural product" which has been produced by that culture. Therefore, they argue that the Qur'an is a "historical document" that can only be useful for learning a certain society that existed in the time of the Prophet. In this framework, the historicist postmodern movement sees the Qur'an and Hadith as "cultural products" and claims that these two texts cannot be a source of neither law nor morality. Instead, it proposes the declaration of modern rights as the source of law and morality. The Islamic version of Critical Legal Studies aims to deconstruct the Islamic law under the influence of powerful Arabian tribes that stem from the "male elitism" and "power". Various scholars in the field of Islamic research have used the method of Critical Legal Studies to analyze and deconstruct all kinds of "power" from powerful Arab tribes to "men" and these scholars had an influence in the Islamic law system. Even though postmodern approach positions itself as a movement against modernism, they share the idea

Özet

Postmodernizm; siyasal, toplumsal, ekonomik, kültürel ve felsefi birçok alanı etkileyen bir süreçtir. Bu sürecin İslam düşüncesi üzerindeki genel etkisi ile genel hukuk sistemleri üzerindeki etkisi üzerinde durmayacağız. Hatta postmodern sürecin İslam hukukunun tümü üzerindeki etkisi üzerinde de durmayacağız. Biz bu çalışmamızda spesifik olarak postmodernizmin İslam hukuk metodolojisi üzerindeki etkisini Casir Avde örneği üzerinden incelemeye çalışacağız. Avde, sistem teorisi ve yapısöküm yöntemlerini uygulayarak İslam hukuk metodolojisine katkı sunmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu konuda sistem teorisi ve yapısöküm yöntemine başvururken temel olarak "amaçlar teorisi" (makâsıdü'şşerîa')'ne dayanmaktadır. Bu önerilerinin rasyonalitesini İslam hukuku perspektifinden eleştirel bir yöntemle inceleyerek kendi düşüncemizi ortaya koymaya çalışacağız. "Postmodern hukuk anlayışının ancak modern hukuk anlayışını yıkarak kendisine yer açabileceği" tezinden hareketle İslam hukukuna yönelik modernist yaklaşımların postmodern süreçte sonlanacağı varsayımı gerçekleşirse, bu durum İslam hukuku için önemli bir kazanım olacaktır. Zira İslam hukukuna yönelik modernist odaklı "akılcı" yaklaşımlar hâlâ güncelliğini korumaktadır. Bu tür yaklaşımların, postmodern süreçle miadını doldurduğu konusunda bir farkındalık oluşturmayı amaçlayan bu makalenin İslam hukukuna bir katkı sağlayacağını düşünmekteyiz.İslam hukukuna ilişkin ne zaman bir yenilenmeden bahsedilse ya da İslam hukukunun yetersizliğini aşmada bir teklifi olanların iddiaları incelense önerilerinin odak noktasını "makâsıd teorisi"nin oluşturduğu görülecektir. Bu iddia modern öncesi dönemde popüler bir paradigma olduğu gibi modernleşme döneminde de popüler olma konumunu sürdürdü. Modernizm karşıtı olmakla nitelendirilen postmodern süreç de aynı teoriyi merkeze yerleştirdi. Gerek modern öncesi gerek modern dönemde eklektik olarak bu makâsıd teorisine katkı sağlama iddia ve çabaları bir temenniden öte gidememiştir. Bu iddia sahipleri genellikle Endülüs âlimlerinden Şâtıbî (720-790 h./1320-1388 m.)'ye atıf yaparlar. Oysa Şâtıbî "maslahat" odaklı ve son derece tutarlı bir paradigma oluşturmuştur. Metodolojik olarak konuları tümel bir yapıda ele almış ve ardından da bu tümellerin altına yerleşecek tikel çözümler üretmiştir.