A Study of the Theory of the Spirit of Meaning in Viewpoint of Imam Khomeini

There are four viewpoints about the vague concepts in the Quran: the appearance; the commonality of words; truth and virtual; and spirit of meaning. According to the theory of spirit of meaning, words have been forged on the basis of the spirit of meaning and the features of the referents have not been taken into consideration in their meanings. Hence, their application in the tangible referents too can be true. Therefore, the vague words that have been used in the Quran have been used in tangible and intangible referents in a true manner not in a virtual manner. This viewpoint was put forth by Gazzali but after him has been discussed till date. Such figures as Mullsa Sadra, Feiz Kashani and Allama Tabatabi have discussed it. The present paper is an attempt to discuss the viewpoints of Imam Khomeini on the same issue.