Indexes of the Theories of Jurisprudential Exegesis of Imāmiyya Interpreters

Principles, sources, methods, and realms are considered as the main constituents of an exegetical theory; its exploration has specific methods and resources, and the best approach for exploring the exegetical theory of a school of thought is paying attention to the exegetical function of its interpreters. Ijtahādī (jurisprudential) and atharī (narrational) are two exegetical methods of Imāmiyya, each of which has its principles and advocates. Authored with a theory-studies approach, this research seeks to explore and analyze the basic components of the exegetical theories of Imāmiyya’s jurisprudential interpreters from the two early Baghdad and contemporary Najaf and Qum Islamic seminaries (hawzas). Primarily, the early Imāmī interpreters in Baghdad hawza outlined the jurisprudential exegesis theory of this school with reference to legal reasoning (ijtihād) and reliable traditions, which is represented in their exegetical works. Although the formulation process of this theory has been gradual, it has enjoyed a unity of principles throughout different historical periods, reaching an established stage in the contemporary era. The contemporary Iranian Imāmī jurisprudential interpreters from the two hawzas of Qum and Najaf slightly disagree on some components such as the realm of interpretation, but agree on the components of principles, sources, and methods.