Methodological Quest in Qur’ānic Exegesis
-A Study of the Characteristic Texts of the Early and Classical Periods-
In contemporary Tafsīr literature, the prevailing view suggests that during the early and
classical periods, the science of Tafsīr failed to develop an independent and distinctive
methodology separate from other disciplines. However, restricting the history of Tafsīr
methodology exclusively to compilation works of the ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān genre confines the
subject to an overly narrow framework. This is because these sources—with the exception
of sections outlining the necessary qualifications of a mufassir—are largely encyclopedic
texts that compile information and traditions (riwāyāt). Conversely, an examination of
early Tafsīr introductions (muqaddimāt) and independent methodological treatises written
in this field clearly reveals the traces of a unique quest for methodology in Tafsīr.
Although some scholars were influenced by the training and frameworks of disciplines
such as Fiqh and Kalām, there are also highly original approaches that strived to adapt
this methodology to the inherent nature of Tafsīr.
Grounded in these methodological efforts, this study aims to analyze the historical, political,
and theological (iʿtiqādī) motivations behind the search for methodology in Tafsīr
through an examination of characteristic texts. In line with this objective, the first chapter
focuses on how the scholars engaged in this methodological quest analyzed the nature
and characteristics of the methodological and factual errors committed by the factions
they deemed adversarial in their Qurʾānic interpretations. The second chapter investigates
the theoretical mechanisms constructed and the concrete, practical rules proposed
to resolve ambiguities by the analyzed authors in response to the aforementioned erroneous
practices, with the aim of ensuring an accurate interpretation of the Qurʾān. Finally,
the last chapter analyzes the relationship between these proposed methodological
frameworks and disciplines such as Fiqh, Kalām, and Sufism (Taṣawwuf), evaluating the
extent to which they remained eclectic or succeeded in achieving independence to forge
an identity specific to Tafsīr. Consequently, it has been established that dynamic quests
for methodology in Tafsīr emerged from the early period onward. It is clearly observed
that a certain portion of these efforts achieved a distinct success and made significant
strides in rendering the developed methodology unique to Tafsīr.
Keywords: Tafsīr; Tafsīr Methodology; Search for Methodology in Tafsīr; Methodology;
Ta’wīl; Ulum al-Qur’ān