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What is Fikr-i Farahi?
Question asked by Waseem.
Posted on: Friday, November 26, 2004 - Hits: 2700

Question:
I would be grateful if you could provide me with a concise explanation of the term Fikr-i Farahi.

Answer:
Fikr-i Farahi is Urdu for the Farahi school of thought founded by Imam Hamid Uddin Farahi (India d. 1930). Imam Farahi stressed on the importance of directly analyzing the basic sources of the religion. He emphasized the need of continuity of the Islamic tradition of pondering over the sources instead of blindly following the work done. Once he started working on studying the sources, he revived the principles of interpreting the basic texts. His basic contribution is his work on the coherence (nazm)of the Qur'an, and principles of interpretation of the Qur'an based on this concept. Though Imam Razi, Baqai and Suyuti (ra) were among the scholars who upheld the theory of Qur'anic Nazm in the past, the concept of nazm that they presented was different from the one Farahi presented. For instance, to Razi, the Qur'anic coherence is found in linear connection among verses of the Qur'an. Every subsequent verse is related with the previous one. Imam Farahi was the first person who claimed that the whole of the Qur'an was systematically arranged, and not just verses. He does not find it appropriate to interpret the Qur'an while disregarding its over-all arrangement, and the nazm of the Surahs and their main theme.

Farahi also prefers to interpret the Qur'an according to the usage of the language it was revealed in. Nazm and the language of the Qur'an are the basic sources that are to be employed while dealing with the text. This change in the principles of interpreting the Qur'an carries extraordinary importance and affects the deductions and arguments from the Qur'an.

His work has been carried forward by some of his students among whom, the name of Imam Islahi is prominent. It was Imam Islahi who wrote a complete commentary of the Qur'an based on the natural principles stressed by Imam Farahi. Many scholars are now attached to this tradition and this circle is called Fikr-i Farahi.

Regards,
Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Research Assistant, Studying Islam

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