Intents-Based (Maqasidi) Interpretation of the Gracious Qur’an: The early history and the terms that it went through

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the history of Intents-Based (Maqasidi) interpretation, its initial beginnings as a new form of interpretation, and to outline its stages, touching upon the milestones and turns that contributed to its formation, development, and advancement. Each stage represented a fundamental axis and a distinct direction within a knowledge system that reflects the realism of the text in accordance with the realism of time and place. The researchers followed the inductive method to achieve this by tracking and organizing the sayings of early and later interpreters. They also used the analytical method, which involves studying and analyzing the components of the scientific material and collecting similar phenomena to clarify the features of the history of Intents-Based (Maqasidi) interpretation and its organizational evolution. The study, based on evidence and proofs, reached numerous conclusions, including: the structure and development of the history of Intents-Based (Maqasidi) interpretation were not homogeneous in method, content, and perspectives; the history of Intents-Based (Maqasidi) interpretation, throughout its stages, lacked foundational construction, with exegetes' efforts in all eras and stages being directed towards the practical level; and the influence of schools, ideas, and notable figures in nourishing Intents-Based (Maqasidi) interpretation, such as the Meccan school and its figures, as well as other schools and their figures.