A comparative Study of the Method of Interpretation in Islam and Christianity

Comparative studies of the interpretation of the Holy Quran and the Bible is one of the most important and at the same time neglected issues in the field of the comparative theology. Lack of transparency in many issues that are related to the methods of interpreting of the Quran and the wide range of authorship of commentary books on Islamic heritage on the one hand, and the dominance of hermeneutics and philosophy over biblical interpretation after the Renaissance in the West on the other hand are among the reasons that strengthens the motivation to strive in this kind of comparative study between Islam and Christianity. In examining some indicators, the possibility of this comparison will become clearer. Some of the most important indicators are, interpretive authority, impossibility of generalization at the historical level, trope as a principle and the relationship between the originality and interpretation of the text. The connection between biblical interpretation and philosophical discussions (from Aristotle to Descartes) and the difference between the category of interpretation in Islam and Christianity, due to the relatively absolute and official authority of the Church in interpreting texts, to some extent, has led the result of this comparative study to baselessness. However, the nature of interpretation in the Islamic tradition is more of a form of a civilization media in which religious teachings are reflected.