A Female Mufassir in the 21st Century
Fawqiyya Ibrāhīm’s Perspective on the Qur’anic Sciences
The science of tafsīr has developed and enriched throughout history
through efforts aimed at understanding and interpreting the Qur’an.
Although women hold an important place in the Qur’an and female
Companions actively participated in scholarly activities during the
time of the Prophet Muhammad, women exegetes have remained
relatively underrepresented in the history of tafsīr. This situation
necessitates a closer examination of women’s scholarly contributions
and their role in the field of Qur’anic exegesis. Particularly,
tafsīr works written in the modern period provide an important basis
for revealing women exegetes’ approaches to Qur’anic Sciences.
This study examines the manner in which Qur’anic Sciences are addressed
in Taysīr al-Tafsīr, written by Fawqiyya Ibrāhīm al-Shirbīnī,
one of the female exegetes of the 21st century, and evaluates the
author’s approach within this framework. In this context, major
Qur’anic Sciences such as asbāb al-nuzūl (occasions of revelation),
naskh (abrogation), Makkī-Madanī, iʿrāb (Qur’anic syntax), wujūh
and naẓāʾir (semantic aspects of Qur’anic words) are examined, and
the author’s use of these disciplines is evaluated within the framework
of riwāyah (transmission-based) and dirāyah (reason-based)
approaches. The study employs a qualitative research method.
The work was examined thoroughly, relevant sections concerning
Qur’anic Sciences were identified, and these sections were systematically
classified. The findings were evaluated in light of the relevant
literature, and the author’s approach was explained through examples
selected from the text. Consequently, this study reveals Fawqiyya
Ibrāhīm al-Shirbīnī’s approach to Qur’anic Sciences and contributes
to the evaluation of women exegetes’ scholarly contributions in
the field of tafsīr, as well as to a more comprehensive understanding
of the discipline of Qur’anic exegesis.
Keywords: History of Tafsīr; Qur’anic Sciences; Women Exegetes;
Fawqiyya Ibrāhīm al-Shirbīnī; Taysīr al-Tafsīr