The Principles of the Quran-Based Ijtihad according to Allameh Tabatabai's View

Based on common interpretive methods and trends, the method of comprehensive ijtihad interpretation assumes a special analysis and definition, and based on its goals and objectives , it has special theoretical and practical principles. Through focusing on the Qur'anic method - according to the relatively successful work done by Allameh Tabatabai in Al-Mizan - the method of ijtihad interpretation of the Qur'an can be defined. The most prominent principles of this interpretation can be followed in three categories: A) Theoretical principles (theoretical foundations) including: 1. The special realm of interpretation compared to other Qur'anic-religious sciences; 2. The centrality of the Qur'an among the other epistemological sources of religion; 3. The internal consistency and harmony of the Quranic verses; 4. The authority of the Qur'an compared to other areas of human knowledge; B) Practical principles (general rules) including: 1. Establishing the authority and validity of the Qur'anic method in the light of the narrations and practical life of the infallible; 2. Searching for the versus with the same verbal and semantic content; 3. Finding the key and general principles governing the concepts and teachings of the Qur'an; 4. Attention to the contextual evidence of the Qur'an; 5. Investigating the coherence of the corresponding verses (firm and similar, general and specific, absolute and limited, concise and explicit, and abrogated and copied); 6. Paying attention to the principles of semantic development in the concepts of the Qur'an; and c) the ultimate principles in the general sense of interpretation in the service of religious guidance.