Ibn Ashūr and his work "al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr"

In this study, we will try to examine the work called et-Tahrîr ve't-Tenvîr, which was encyclopedically written by the famous Tunisian scholar Muhammed Tahir, one of the most shrewd jurists and commentators, both in terms of technique and content. This tafsir is among the largest volumes of tafsir written in the last centuries and is approximately thirty-odd volumes. This tafsir, which blends classical Islamic sciences and modern sciences, has a feature that melts and synthesizes the difference of thought and understanding between the old and the new that has formed over the centuries. For example, while it deals with religious sciences such as Tafsir, Hadith, Fıqh, Kalam and Rhetoric that sustain the sharia, on the other hand, it deals with positive sciences such as Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Zoology, Medicine, Politics, History, Architecture etc. When he discusses a subject related to these sciences, he looks at that subject in the light of the laws of that science and examines it in depth. In this way, we will try to introduce an interdisciplinary exegesis that enters the field of every science and makes use of them as methods, terms and content in this study. On the other hand, in this study, we will shed light on Ibn Ashur's life, thoughts and the region and period in which he lived. The century he lived in, witnessed the occupation of Tunisia by the French, the struggle for independence, the dilemma of the Tunisian people between the eastern and the western culture, the cultural and social stalemate, the backwardness in scientific and industrial terms, the political and military defeats and finally the transition to the democratic Tunisia. In short, his period was turbulent and full of historical turning points for Tunisia. Therefore, the transition from the classical and traditional society and state structure to the modern and contemporary structure has led Ibn Ashur to exhibit a somewhat complex attitude. Sometimes as a reformer, he fought against the conservative students and people of Tunisia, and sometimes as a conservative trying to protect his Tunisian religious identity against radical reformers like Habib Bourguiba. In this study, we will convey to the reader his life, education and events that he got through, and his view and thoughts on these events, especially the conditions in Tunisia.