Pizhuhish nāmah-i intiqādī-i mutūn va barnāmah hā-yi ̒ulūm-i insāni (Critical Studies in Texts & Programs of Human Sciences)

Methodological Flaws and Limitations in the Dominant Approach to the Classification of Quranic Interpretative Methods: A Case Study of the Interpretive Research of Goldziher, Al-Dhahabi, Al-Ma ‘rifah, and Fahd Al-Rumi

Document Type : Research

Author

Sajjad Mohammadfam

Assistant Professor of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/crtls.2024.48789.2840
Abstract
In the field of post-interpretive Quranic Studies, one of the prominent and evolving areas of inquiry is the examination and classification of interpretive methods, which has gained significant attention, particularly over the past century. Like other domains of human thought, the classification of interpretive methods is susceptible to various challenges and deficiencies. Among these, methodological shortcomings stand out as critical due to the fundamental importance of methodology in the sciences and the necessity of establishing a comprehensive and effective framework for the classification of Quranic exegeses. This study aims to critically analyze the methodological flaws in the interpretive frameworks proposed by Goldziher, Al-Dhahabi, Al-Ma‘rifah, and Fahd Al-Rumi. The findings reveal that the classifications of interpretive methods proposed by these scholars are based on unidimensional and tree-diagram models. While such models may hold educational value, they are inadequate for studying the complexities of interpretive traditions. These approaches offer a limited and reductive understanding of the phenomenon of interpretive methods, undermining the robustness of analytical outcomes. The shortcomings are rooted in significant methodological issues, including a predominant divergent approach, reductivism, the absence of a spectrum-based perspective, the prevalence of binary thinking, and an exclusive focus on diachronic analysis.

Keywords

Tree-Diagram Classification
Reductivism
Post-Interpretive Studies
Unidimensional Classification
Quranic Exegesis Studies

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 20 April 2024
  • Revise Date 11 August 2024
  • Accept Date 05 October 2024

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