Comparative Studies of Quran

Comparative Studies of Quran

A Comparative study of the relationship between words and meanings in the Holy Qur’an with an emphasis on the Qur’anic exegeses of Majma’ al-Bayān, Al-Mīzān and Tasnī

Document Type : Original

Authors
mohammad dehghani 1
Fatemeh Dastranj 2
ali hasanbeygi 2
Kivan ehsani 3
1 PhD student of Qur’anic and Hadith Sciences, Arak University, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Arak University, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Arak University, Iran
10.22034/csq.2024.190553
Abstract
How words relate to meanings has always been the source of differences in the interpretation of a text. This issue is strongly observed in the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. The lack of research in this field has led the author to examine the topic titled "A Comparative study on the relationship between words and meanings in the Qur'an with an emphasis on the Qur’anic exegeses of Majma’ al-Bayān, Al-Mīzān and Tasnīm" using a descriptive-analytical method.
Finally, it was found that the main difference can be traced in the two theories of "real and figurative meanings" and the "original meaning". Some Qur’anic exegetes like Ṭabarsi, by accepting the theory of "real and figurative meanings" have considered all the usage of words in a sense outside their assigned meaning [figurative meanings]. However, after the emergence of the theory of the "original meaning" and its acceptance by Allamah Ṭabāṭābāī, the possibility of figurative expressions in the Qur’anic expressions decreased significantly. This is because he believed that the meanings of the Qur'an have allegorical interpretation [Ta’wīl], which refers to the usage of words in a real meaning in the conceptual application, but he considered the usage of those meanings in physical things as metaphorical.
On the other hand, Jawādī Āmulī, by denying the presence of figurative expressions in the Qur'an, believes that words are assigned for the original meanings and their usage in general concepts and the application of those concepts to any perceptible or physical example is "real". He compares the Qur'an to a hanging rope that the essence of meaning in all stages indicates them in a real way including; the word, meaning, concept, external and internal and developmental facts, etc.
Keywords
Word
meaning
figurative expression
original meaning
Majma’ al-Bayān
Al-Mīzān and Tasnīm

Subjects

Holy Qur’an
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Comparative Studies of Quran
Volume 8, Issue 2 - Serial Number 16
January 2024
Pages 114-139

  • Receive Date 08 November 2023
  • Revise Date 19 February 2024
  • Accept Date 20 December 2023
  • Publish Date 19 February 2024