Critical Typology of Basic Approaches to Asbāb al-Nuzūl

How Qur’anic scholars use the Asbāb al-Nuzūl (cause of descend) influences on understanding of Qur’anic verses. Referring to the Qur’anic exegetical works and Qur’anic sciences, a wide variety of exposure to the Asbāb al-Nuzūl is seen, whose understanding and explaining require attention to theoretical foundations. Based on a descriptive-analytical method, the present paper aims to give a typology and critiques of the basic approaches to Asbāb al-Nuzūl at hand. The basic approaches to exposing Asbāb al-Nuzūl narratives may be divided into two Qur’anic and historic-literary approaches, based on their relative tendency to the text of the Qur’an or the social cultural context. Meanwhile, some scholars advocated a third approach, supporting the past works, in adherence to the traditions and the traditional frameworks formed in the field of the Asbāb al-Nuzūl, in which this paper is referred to as the traditional approach. Repeating the views of the past without the least evaluation and innovation and the risk of believing in the distortion of the Qur’an are respectively the most important critiques of both traditional and historic-literary approaches. The Qur’anic-based approach to two mentioned approaches has led to the most divergence between theory and practice in dealing with Asbāb al-Nuzūl traditions. Proponents of this approach, in order to understand some verses, had no choice but to refer to Asbāb al-Nuzūl narratives. One of the disadvantages of the disconnect between theory and practice is the failure to adhere to the documentary and textual requirements of reporting Asbāb al-Nuzūl narratives.