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Interpretation is the science of knowing the intents and
purposes of divine verses to the extent of human capacity. Absolute
comprehension of them is impossible, even for the Holy Prophet (PBUH & HP).
The ultimate goal of the science of interpretation is to reach the level of
intellects in grasping the principles revealed to the Holy Prophet [1].
According to some commentators, interpretation consists of
three stages: “Interpretation is the clarification of the meanings of
Quranic verses, and the uncovering of their purposes and indications [2].”
- First
stage: Clarifying the content of vocabulary and expressions (the
meanings of the verses). This stage is understandable with the help of
lexicon books, especially primary dictionaries and books dedicated to the
vocabulary of the Holy Quran.
- Second
stage: Unveiling the serious intent (murad jiddi) of the vocabulary
and expressions of the Holy Quran (their indications). Therefore, the
first stage deals with the usage-based intent (murad isti’mali), while the
second stage deals with the serious intent.
- Third
stage: Discovering the purposes of the verses (maqasid al-ayat). This
means uncovering the goal and purpose that God intended behind these
serious intents.
Consequently, to complete the cycle of interpretation, a
commentator must go through these three stages, and without them, no one can
claim to have interpreted the verses of the Holy Quran. Perhaps the most
important part of interpretation is precisely these purposes of the noble
verses: discovering the ultimate purpose of the divine verses and what purpose
was intended behind these intents. Purposes can be considered for the verses of
the Quran, but discovering the purposes of the divine verses is not that simple
and can perhaps only be attributed to the verses as probabilities.
However, the method of interpretation refers to the
path and approach that each commentator employs for their interpretation, which
often depends on the tools they use in interpretation. The intended meaning of
“method” is the utilization of a specific tool or source in
interpreting the Holy Quran that clarifies the meanings and intents of the
verses and yields specific results. In other words, “the manner of
discovering and extracting the meanings and intents of the verses of the Holy
Quran is called the method of Quranic interpretation [3].”
There are numerous methods of interpretation, such as the
method of interpreting the Quran with the Quran, the narrative (riwa’i) method,
the scientific method, the allusive (ishari) method, the rational and ijtihadi
method, the method of interpretation based on personal opinion (tafsir bi
al-ra’y), and other methods. Of course, interpretation based on personal
opinion has been forbidden: “Whoever speaks about the Quran based on
his own opinion and is correct has still erred [4].”
- [1]
Sayyid Mustafa Khomeini, Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim, vol. 1,
Introduction to Tafsir.
- [2]
Allamah Tabatabai, Al-Mizan, Introduction to Al-Mizan.
- [3]
Dr. Rezaei Isfahani, Dars-nameh-ye Rawish-ha wa Gerayesh-ha-ye
Tafsiri-ye Quran [Textbook of Quranic Interpretive Methods and
Tendencies], p. 22.
- [4]
Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 20, p. 111.
