SOME REMARKS ON STUDYING THE QUR’AN AS REVEALED KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

In the present paper, an attempt is made to achieve a novel way of Qur’anic interpretation, which can yield fruitful results in the light of the Qur’anic worldview as well as address related issues. The distinction between the concepts of interpretation (ta’wīl) and exegesis (tafsīr) are taken into account as interpretative activities. The notion of interpretation in this article at times refers to the acts of interpretation in general and other times to a particular kind, i.e. ta’wīl. In addition, it is shown that conceptual analyses are not sufficient to understand the Qur’anic worldview. Conceptual investigations should be regarded as preliminary studies. The underlying assumption of the paper is that one must go beyond theoretical key concepts and terms, investigate the subject matter in the verses and chapters in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Qur’anic worldview for semantic analyses, and further develop a number of general or particular principles. To me, this process is not achievable without theoretical approaches, ideas and logical arguments.Furthermore, it is obvious that a reader is incapable of construing a work in the desired way due to textual meanings that are implicitly introduced. As such, the paper focuses on several points and offers various answers to problems faced in the interpretative context of the Qur’ān.