Wanazuoni wa Mu‘tazilah walifasiri Qur’aan kwa namna ya kuunga mkono na kutetea mawazo yao ya kipekee na yasiyo ya kawaida, mawazo ambayo hayakuwahi kutolewa hapo awali na wanazuoni wa mwanzo miongoni mwa Maswahaba, Taabi‘uun, au wanafunzi wao. Tafsiri zao nyingi za awali, kama zile za wanazuoni wa Ahl as-Sunnah, zilipotea kwa kupita wakati, na tunazijua tu kupitia marejeo yaliyotolewa kwazo na watu wa zama zao. Mbinu yao ya kufasiri inachukuliwa kuwa tafsiri bil-ra’y ya aina mbaya kabisa. Tafsiri za namna hii zinajulikana kwa kutojali kabisa maoni ya wafasiri wa mwanzo, pamoja na kukataa kabisa maana za kileksikografia za kawaida za zamani.

The Mu‘tazilee scholars interpreted the Qur’aan in such a way as to support and defend their unique and unorthodox ideas which had never before been expressed by the early scholars among the sahaabah, the taabi‘oon, or their students. Many of their early tafseers, like those of orthodox scholars, were lost in time and we only know about them from references made to them by their contemporaries. Their method of tafseer is considered tafseer bid-diraayah of the worst kind. Such tafseers are noted for their total disregard for the opinions of the early mufassirs, as well as their complete dismissal of classical lexical meanings.

Zifuatazo ni hakiki fupi za tafsiri zilizoelekea upande wa Mu‘tazilah ambazo zimesalia hadi leo:

The following are brief reviews of Mu‘tazilee-oriented tafseers which have survived until today:

‘Abdul-Jabbaar ibn Ahmad al-Hamdaanee (d. 1024 CE/ 415 AH), mwanazuoni mashuhuri wa Mu‘tazilah wa wakati wake, aliteuliwa kuwa kadhi wa mji wa Rayy, ambako alifundisha hadi alipofariki. Aliandika vitabu vya usuli al-fiqh na elimu nyingine za Kiislamu, pamoja na kazi ya kihistoria iliyosifiwa sana iitwayo Dalaa’il an-Nuboowah (Dalili za Utume). Tafsiri yake si maelezo kamili ya Qur’aan, kwani ni aya zenye utata na zenye maana mbili tu ndizo zimefafanuliwa ili kupinga msimamo wa wanazuoni wa Sunni. Tafsiri inaanza na Suura al-Faatihah (1) na kuishia na Suura an-Naas (114); hata hivyo, sura na aya nyingi zimebaki bila maelezo. Kitabu kimepangwa kuzunguka masuala fulani ambapo tatizo linawasilishwa na suluhisho lake kupendekezwa.143

‘Abdul-Jabbaar ibn Ahmad al-Hamdaanee (d. 1024 CE/ 415 AH), a major Mu‘tazilee scholar of his time, was appointed judge of the city of Rayy, where he lectured until he died. He authored books in usool al-fiqh and other Islaamic sciences, as well as a highly acclaimed historical work called Dalaa’il anNuboowah (Proofs of the Prophethood). His tafseer is not a complete explanation of the Qur’aan, as only the controversial and equivocal verses are interpreted in order to refute the position of Sunnee scholars. The tafseer begins with Soorah alFaatihah (1) and ends with Soorah an-Naas (114); however, many chapters and verses remain unexplained. The book is organized around certain issues whereby a problem is presented and its solution proposed.143

‘Alee ibn at-Taahir, Aboo Ahmad al-Husayn (966-1048 CE/355-439 AH) anatokana na Imaam wa Shee‘ah Moosaa al-Kaathim, mwana wa Ja‘far as-Saadiq. Alikuwa mwanachuoni mkuu wa Shee‘ah huko ‘Iraaq na mfuasi thabiti wa madhehebu ya Mu‘tazilah. Kitabu cha maneno yanayohusishwa na ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib, Nahj al-Balaaghah, kiliandikwa na yeye mwenyewe au na nduguye, Shareef Ridaa. Tafsiri ya Shareef Murtadaa ina mihadhara aliyoidikteta katika masomo themanini, yanayohusu tafsiri, hadithi na fasihi. Kwa sababu hiyo, tafsiri hii ilipewa jina la utani “Amaalee ash-Shareef al-Murtadaa” (Mihadhara ya Shareef Murtadaa). Sehemu ya tafsiri katika kitabu hiki haifafanui Qur’aan yote, bali inafasiri aya teule kwa namna ya kuweka misingi ya msingi ya Mu‘tazilah. Mwandishi pia kwa ustadi huchukua baadhi ya aya ambazo waziwazi zinapingana na baadhi ya misingi ya Mu‘tazilah na kuzibatilisha kwa maelezo ya kiisimu yasiyo ya kawaida. Kwa kweli, tafsiri yote ina mwelekeo mkubwa wa kiisimu na wa uchambuzi.144

‘Alee ibn at-Taahir, Aboo Ahmad al-Husayn (966-1048 CE/355-439 AH) traces his ancestry back to the Shee‘ah Imaam Moosaa al-Kaathim, the son of Ja‘far as-Saadiq. He was the main scholar of the Shee‘ah in ‘Iraaq and an adamant follower of the Mu‘tazilee school of thought. The book of sayings attributed to ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib, Nahj al-Balaaghah, was written either by him or by his brother, Shareef Ridaa. Shareef Murtadaa’s tafseer contains lectures which he dictated in eighty lessons, covering studies in tafseer, hadeeth,and literature. Hence, this tafseer was nicknamed “Amaalee ash-Shareef al-Murtadaa” (The Dictations of Shareef Murtadaa). The tafseer section of the book does not explain all of the Qur’aan, but instead interprets selected passages in such a way as to establish the fundamental principles of the Mu‘tazilees. The author also skillfully takes certain verses which obviously contradict some of the Mu‘tazilee fundamentals and neutralizes them with unorthodox linguistic explanations. In fact, the whole tafseer has a heavily linguistic, analytical slant.144

Mahmood bin ‘Umar az-Zamakhsharee al-Khwaarazmee (1075-1144 CE/467-538 AH) alikuwa mwanachuoni wa madhehebu ya Hanafi aliyesoma Baghdad na Khurasaan, na aliandika vitabu kadhaa kuhusu fasihi na sarufi ya Kiarabu, usul al-fiqh, ufafanuzi wa hadith, n.k. Licha ya mwelekeo wa wazi wa az-Zamakhsharee kwenye fikra za Mu‘tazilah, tafsiri yake inachukuliwa kuwa kazi bora ya kifasihi. Maelezo yake ya vipengele mbalimbali vya miujiza ya Qur’aan yalikuwa ya kina zaidi na mapana zaidi kuwahi kuandikwa, na mijadala yake kuhusu uzuri wa mashairi, mdundo na ufasaha wa Qur’aan ilikuwa kamili zaidi. Az-Zamakhsharee hutumia umahiri wake wa lugha ya Kiarabu kutafsiri Qur’aan kwa mujibu wa fikra za Mu‘tazilah. Aya zinazopingana na misingi yake hufanywa kuwa za kiishara na kutafsiriwa upya. Anaposhughulikia masuala ya kisheria, hufanya hivyo kwa ufupi na bila upendeleo, na mara chache sana hutumia Israa’eeleeyaat.145

Mahmood ibn ‘Umar az-Zamakhsharee al-Khwaarazmee (1075-1144 CE/467-538 AH) was a Hanafee scholar who studied in Baghdaad and Khurasaan and wrote a number of books on Arabic literature and grammar, usool al-fiqh, hadeeth commentary, etc. Despite az-Zamakhsharee’s blatant Mu‘tazilee leanings, his tafseer is considered a literary masterpiece. His explanations of the various miraculous aspects of the Qur’aan were the most detailed and extensive written, and his discussions of the beauty of Qur’aanic rhyme, rhythm, and eloquence the most comprehensive. Az-Zamakhsharee uses his mastery of the Arabic language to interpret the Qur’aan according to Mu‘tazilee thought. Verses which conflict with his fundamentals are made allegorical and reinterpreted. His handling of legal issues is brief and unbiased, and he rarely uses Israa’eeleeyaat.145