Exegesis or Interpretation: A Comparative Study of Mohammad Hoseyn Tabatabai's "Interpretation" Theory and Abdolkarim Sorush's "Apostolic Dreams" Theory

A comparative look at Tabatabai's theory of "interpretation" and Sorush's theory of "apostolic dreams" shows that both of them do not consider the sacred text to be confined to its historical structure, and think about the truth and essence of the sacred text behind its appearance. The theory of interpretation, which is the arc of ascent, the opposite of the arc of descent, and means discovering the connection between the existing Quran and its objective truth (i.e. the Hidden Book or the Mother of the Book), is superior to the theory of apostolic dreams for various reasons: 1. Theory of interpretation is consistent with the Semitic, Hebrew and Islamic traditions 2. It covers all evidence at the same time 3. It is in full accordance with the appearance of the Quran 4. It accepts the holiness and humanity of the Quran 5. It can respond to the concerns mentioned in the sixth article of the Apostolic Dreams, which made Sorush consider the Quran to be man-made and dreamlike 6. Adopting a mystical approach and employing the theory of interpretation of "the Mother of the Book" has caused Tabatabai, unlike Sorush, to go beyond the knowledge of propositions and reach existential and intuitive knowledge. But Sorush, by accepting the expansion of prophetic experience and apostolic dreams, has eliminated the problem instead of solving it.