پژوهش نامه نقد آرای تفسیری
سال سوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 5، بهار و تابستان 1401)

It is necessary to study the works of scholars and critique their views on the Qurʾan and Islamic teachings. Considering the importance of Prophet Abraham as the founder of monotheistic religions, and his son Ismaʿīl as the sacrifice of his father, orientalists have studied the lives of these prophets in their studies. Although some Orientalists have done research on Islam and the Qurʾan, they have made some mistakes due to inconsistencies in the verses. For example, the difference between the attributes of Prophet Abraham in the verses, the emphasis on the non-prominence of him in some verses, confirming the expression of the milla of Abraham, and identity of the sacrificed son. In addition to the Orientalists' motivation for claiming differences in the verses, it seems that one of the factors created the illusion of difference is the lack of access to reliable sources. The present study has studied the works of Orientalists on the subject with an analytical-critical approach. This study aimed to examine the works of Orientalists on the subject with an analytical-critical approach. An attempt will be made to defend the hypothesis that orientalists, due to the bias they have unintentionally shown on their cultural perceptions of the meanings of the verses, and also due to incomplete access to reliable sources, when they observe any kind of difference between one verse and another, they consider it as a distortion and contradiction; While two verses can be considered contradictory just when the truth of one verse results in another falsehood.

The different applications of the words of the Qurʾān sometimes provide different meanings. This applications sometimes do not change the general meaning of the Quranic verses; But they make it difficult to understand the subtleties of the Qurʾān's meanings and reveal weak points in understanding the meaning. One of the roots of words whose different meanings have sometimes created far-fetched translations and interpretations is root <ʿJB> (usually means amazing), which can be seen in several verses of the Qurʾān. Most Arabic and Persian commentators and translators have interpreted it as “surprise”. A small number of commentators have also tried to interpret some of the usages of this root as “pleasant” and the like by distinguishing between different passages. This latter understanding is usually seen among the translators of the Qurʾān in European languages. The lack of a clear rule to distinguish the meaning of this root in its various applications has caused confusion. The present study is devoted to the analysis of the meaning of words derived from this root, and it is based on a descriptive-analytical method to examine this article lexically and morphologically, and by reviewing the commentators' opinions about the verses containing this article, its correct meaning in each explains its application. The achievement of this study is to evaluate this rule: the root <ʿjb> in all of it's application as an abstracted triple verb (al-Thulāthī al-Mujarrad) only means “surprise”; but in the case of Mazīd verbs, it is possible to have both meanings: pleasant and unpleasant, which of course, according to the context of the verse, the correct meaning is extracted.

Tafsir al-Jawahir fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm written by al-Ṭanṭawī al-Jawharī (1287-1358 AH/ 1870-1940 AD) is the only complete commentary of the Qurʾān with the method of scientific interpretation and has a special place in this literary genre. There are different opinions about this interpretation and its interpretation method. Due to the non-comprehensive view of al-Jawāhir and the abundance of natural science content in it, many have not made a precise judgment about this interpretation and its method. With the complete study of Ṭanṭāwī's commentary, the conclusion is reached that Ṭanṭāwī chose the method of employing and applying natural sciences for the interpretation of the Qurʾān, and in fact, he interpreted the Qurʾān by looking at science. From his point of view, the more the audience of the word of God knows about the universal verses of God that are around him, the better he will understand the Qurʾān. Political and social concerns have been one of the most important motivations for Ṭanṭawī to write this commentary. Despite all this, his interpretative thoughts are not free of damage and there are criticisms regarding the basic, methodical and ultimate damage to it.

Many words have been said about the proof of the Prophet Muhammad's prophethood through sensory miracles. Among them is the story of Shaqq al-Qamar as a miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Surah al-Qamar, one of the “Al-Makki al-Awāʾil” Suras. The main basis of beleiving in Shaqq al-Qamar, which is reflected in the interpretations, is a sentence from the Qurʾān itself: “The Hour approached and the the moon separated”, which is mentioned in Asbāb al-Nuzūl narrations: this verse was revealed after the moon had split into two halves on the fourteenth night of Dhul-Hijjah. But these narrations of the reasons for the descent are multiple and have been narrated with different and surprising themes. For this reason, some scholars criticized the narrations and turned to denying the reports of Shaqq al-Qumr. Basically, these scholars, despite the existence of the Qurʾān as an intellectual āya (sign of God), did not see the need for such a sensual miracle as Shaqq al-Qamar. However, Sahqq al-Qamar has been also criticized by contemporary commentators in more documented form and with more diverse evidences. These exegetes said that these narrations are in conflict with the nature of the Qurʾān's call to reasoning and its explicit statements in refusing to bring sensory miracles. In this study, we are going to take a look at the statements of the proponents and opponents, state the problems and evidences and problems of accepting the Sun Moon traditions, and finally criticize the theory of the positive and defend the theory of the negative and compare the two views with the validity of the miracle of the Qurʾān.

Human cognition and perception is one of the philosophical topics that have been explained in different schools of thought by referring to other ideas that the followers of that school have. Subjects such as the nature, possibility, tools and levels of knowledge have always been discussed and disputed among opinionated people. On the other hand, knowledge is one of the basic elements of education. Therefore, our belief about it will have a significant effect in organizing the educational system. One of the Muslim philosophers who has shown great attention to epistemological issues in his commentary on the Holy Qurʾān is Sayyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabayi. In this study, we intend to recognize his epistemological foundations in his commentary book Al-Mizan and seek the achievements of these foundations in the discussion of other components of the educational system; such as goals, principles and methods. This study aims to reveal that Ṭabāṭabāyī believes that from the point of view of the Qurʾān, knowledge is the absolute meaning of consciousness, which becomes possible with the help of sense, intellect, and revelation, and it has levels. In Tabatabayi's point of view, the Qurʾān considers the glorification of God as a way to gain knowledge, it also considers self-restraint and stopping it from engaging with the body as a necessary thing to gain knowledge. Also he believes that providing a moral model, reasoned education and avoiding imposition, and strengthening critical thinking are Qurʾān's educational methods that are compatible with these principles.

One of the ways to create charm and eloquence for words is to create proportion in it. In the Holy Qurʾān, this method has been widely and effectively applied. One of the types of proportionality that can be seen widely used in the Qurʾān is to create harmony and proportionality in the intervals of the verses. However, in the suras of the Qurʾān, the proportionality of the final words is not always respected. Wherever in the Qurʾān, the harmony and appropriateness of intervals are in conflict with their verbal and literary rules and norms, deconstruction has occurred, and extra-normatives have been presented that add to the eloquence and charm of the speech. Among the types of literary, rhetorical and lexical changes and deconstructions of the Qurʾān that can be seen in the Qur'anic intervals is the deletion of letters and words. Such deletions from the Qurʾān have been discussed by writers, commentators and Qurʾān scholars since the first century of Hijra. In the present study, we intend to recognize the interpretations and books about the Qurʾān up to the 13th century AH that dealt with the style of deletion in the intervals of the verses, and to investigate the evolution of attitudes towards the style of deletion in them. We want to defend this theory that the attitudes towards the style of delition in these works can be categorized into two major stages according to the characteristics and common features in the analysis and interpretation method the formation stage (before the 8th century AH), and the development stage; Also, we intend to reunderstand the attitudes towards the application  of this style in the Qurʾān from a critical viewpoint during both periods of developments.

In the Holy Qurʾān, the expression ʾaraʾyat and its similes are frequently applied. These expressions are among the most difficult combinations of the Qurʾān. In the upcoming study, we intend to study the application of these combinations in the Qurʾān and re-read the analysis of the meaning of each case of their applications in the Qurʾān with a critical approach. In this study, we specifically want to compare the analyzes reflected in the four works of Al-Durr al-Maṣūn by Samin al-Ḥalabī, Iʿrāb al-Qurʾān al-Karim wa bayānuh by Muḥyī al-Dīn Darwīsh, al-Tahrīr wa al-Tanwīr by Ibn ʿĀshūr, and al-Mīzān by Ṭabāṭabāyī about the applications of this linguistic structure. These four works seem to reflect the analyzes  aforementioned in books of the Iʿrāb al-Qurʾān, literary interpretations of the Qurʾān, and contemporary interpretations. Our purpose is to find out what exactly the different applications of this structure mean and which of the commentators have analized these applications more correctly. We aim to defend this hypothesis that considering the attention of all commentators to the rhetorical subtleties of the applications and its effect on the meaning of the verses, and considering the distinction of the various applications of theese expressions in similar structures, the contribution of the commentary of Samīn al-Ḥalabī in the literary analysis of the applications, and the contribution of two contemporary commentaries, Ibn ʿĀshūr and Ṭabāṭabāyī are worthy of attention in terms of matching the meaning of interpretation with literary points.

Turning to the narrations of Asbab al-Nuzul is a clear example of the commentator's attempt to be in the conditions of the revelation of the verses of the Holy Qurʾān in order to achieve a correct and comprehensive understanding of the concepts of the verses. Excessive trust in the Asbab al-Nuzul  and neglecting its damages can also cause slippages in the opinions of commentators. In this study, we intend to review the evidence of the wrong understanding of the verses of the Qurʾān in the first three centuries of the Hijra, and the cases of slippages caused by trusting the narrations that caused the downfall from an intra-religious point of view. In the first step, we will define the causes of descent and state its benefits and harms. Then we will review the opinions of the commentators of the first three centuries of Hijra in using the narrations of the causes of descent, and examples of incorrect usage. It is possible to recognize three categories of slippages in understanding the causes of revelation: incorrect determination of exceptions, unjustified claims of abrogation in the Qurʾān, and mixing criteria for distinguishing Meccan and Madani suras.

An overview of the numerous uses of the term Sabīl Allāh in the Qurʾān shows that this concept has gone through different semantic paths and undergone semantic changes to be established in Islamic culture. Understanding these semantic changes is possible by reviewing the Qurānic exegesis and Islamic traditions. In this study, we are going to examine the stages of semantic evolution of the concept of Sabīl Allāh in the era of its formation. The obtained results show that Sabīl was first used in the concept of a vague path as a term of transportation, then it found the meaning of a way and also a way of life in the Quraʾāic vocabulary, then the migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina, which was a movement along the same vague path, was called a movement in Sabīl Allāh. In a later stage, the desirable way of life of a Muslim was represented as a movement in such a vague path, which was known as the Sabīl Allāh. In order to be placed in this divine Sabīl, Muslims had to face difficulties such as being persecuted, emigrating, spending their wealth, doing Jihād, and finally being killed in such a way by the enemies of their religion. After the stabilization of the Islamic society by the prophetic migration, the idea of Jihad in the way of God was also formed based on the same idea of the Sabīl Allāh to mean the sum total of sincere efforts that a person should make with a divine purpose.

Part of the literary beauty of the Qurʾān can be seen when examining the structure and text of its chapters. This study is followed by descriptive-analytical method and aims to present the aesthetics of this sura at the level of structure, sounds and vocabulary. The results of the study indicate that this sura has a coherent structure and its discussions are presented in two categories: The first category contains the story of the faith of the Jinn by hearing the verses of the Qurʾān and their freedom from polytheism. The second category also includes the proof of the message of God's mission and the unseen world. The aim and purpose of the sura is to call for monotheism and to prove the prophecy of the prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) and that the Qurʾān is a guide fo humanity. At the phonetic level, arrays of repetition, al-tasdīr and alliteration have been used, which show the beauty of the words and the coherence of the text. At the lexical level, the final words of this sura are very similar to Sura al-Kahf. Through the comparative study of two surah, one can reach new points.

The Holy Qurʾān was revealed in Arabic, and the Arabic language, like any other language, under the influence of various factors, hosts non-Arabic words from other cultures and languages. After being digested in the Arabic language and structural transformation, these words gradually acquire an Arabic character and are used as familiar words in common conversations and literary texts of the target language. One of the words for which a non-Arabic root is claimed is the word al-Fīl, which is used once in Sura al-Fīl in the Qurʾān. The aim of this study is to find the root of the language of origin of such a word, which is also used in the Qurʾān. This effort leads to a better understanding of the verses that contain these kind of words. This study seeks to answer the question of what is the origin of the word al-Fīl  in Arabic and what is the course of its semantic evolution over time. The results of this study indicate that this word is an Arabized word (al-Dakhīl) and has entered the Arabic language from the Persian word “Peel”, and it has been reflected  in the Qurʾān, Islamic traditions attributed to the Prophet and Arabic poems.

The Gospel of Jacob is one of the famous unofficial gospels (Apocrypha). In it, the birth and childhood of Mary and Jesus Christ have been discussed in detail. Studying and comparing these two stories in the Gospel of Jacob with the Qurʾān is important in many ways. The explanations of these two stories in the Gospel of Jacob have similarities with the narration of the Qurʾān and are closer to the Qurʾān and more harmonious with it than what is stated in the official Bibles. The study of these gospels, which for whatever reason have received less attention in the Christian world, and their comparison with the Qurʾān can reveal the intertextual relationships between the Qurʾān and previous religious texts; As it can be understood, the audiences of the Qurʾān probably felt the need to receive revelation from the Prophet Muḥammad in order to solve what problems and discover what ambiguities. In the upcoming study, by reviewing the stories of the birth and childhood of Mary and the birth of Jesus Christ in the Qurʾān, the official Gospels and the Gospel of Jacob, we will defend the greater similarity of the Quranic story with the Gospel of Jacob in comparison with the official Gospels.