An Epistemological Critique

Abstract

The main premise of Qursawi’s reformism is that any action or belief must be based on the most certain sources of religious knowledge—Qur’an and sound hadith—to the exclusion of anything not conforming to them. He took aim at taqlid, the widespread reliance upon which obscured any position’s basis and obliged adherence to ulama’s interpretations rather than scripture. The “scaffolding” of postclassical scholarship limited scholars’ autonomy to engage directly with scripture in order to preclude divergent and incorrect positions, but Qursawi saw it as allowing error to spread unchecked, and he criticized ulama for failing as religious interpreters and guides for the community. Since they could not be relied upon necessarily, he argued therefore that any position must be verified through tahqiq to ensure scriptural and logical correctness.