The Approach of Thematic Unity of the Verses of the Quran in Al-Asās fī al-Tafsīr

Thematic unity and cohesion in the Quran is a new approach in contemporary "interpretation writing" which distinguishes it from the early tradition of writing interpretation of the Quran. In this approach, the interpreter is not merely preoccupied with the lexical interpretation of the Quran; rather, he tries to demonstrate that there is content and structural integrity and cohesion among the chapters and verses of the Quran. Although traces of such attempts are witnessed in some works by earlier interpreters, the differences in implications and motivations have led to fundamental distinction between the early and modern interpretations. Among the distinguished figures in this modern approach is the Syrian interpreter, Sa‘īd Ḥawwā, who has presented a totally novel and comprehensive theory in this respect in his interpretation. Through examining Al-Asās fī al-Tafsīr, the present article tries to identify the theoretical and practical aspects of Sa‘īd Ḥawwā's theory on the thematic and structural unity of the Quran. The theory of unity has two levels: A: on the level of the chapters (contextual and structural bonds between the chapters of the Quran); and B: on the level of the verses (the literal and semantic bonds between the verses of every chapter). The criterion for Ḥawwā's theory is the underlying of Sūrat al-Baqara for understanding the contextual cohesion of other chapters of the Quran. It is indicated in this writing how Ḥawī has utilized the literal and semantic evidences for identifying and determining the semantic and structural relations between the chapters and the verses. In conclusion, the reader would perceive that Ḥawī's theory of interpretation, despite its novelty, is too arbitrary and intuitive, and that the entire evidences and proofs he has used to prove his claim are simply reliable as in serving a novel theory.