Conciseness Is Allameh Balaghi’s Interpretive Method in Ala Al-Rahman Exegesis
-- Brevity and conciseness characterize Allameh Balaghi’ interpretive method in Ala Al-Rahman fi Tafsir Al-Quran Exegesis by which he tries to help researchers come to a better understanding.
This is according to Ali Ramadan Al-Awsa, Iraqi Quran researcher and head of Arabic Department in London Islamic Center, who also told IQNA that in the exegesis, Allameh limits himself to the interpretation of important verses and outlines major topics avoiding details and repetitions.
Elaborating on the difference between “method” and “approach”, he noted that “method” is a way through which researchers try to perceive the meanings of verses and God’s real intentions behind them while “approach” is a set of meanings and interpretations gained through research and the interpretive method applied by researchers.
Its emphasis on the holy Quran, the Prophet’s Sunnah, and Ahlul-Bayt’s (AS) Hadiths, the use of common elements like language and style shared by other great interpreters, as well as its correction of linguistic rules and previous interpretive mistakes are among the features which have made Ala Al-Rahman superior to other Shia exegeses, Al-Awsa added.
Comparing Ala Al-Rahman with Allameh Tabatabaee’s Al-Mizan Exegesis, he said: “Both are primarily based on Quran verses and use interpretations only where they confirm the results they have already obtained from the verses.”
Quran’s date, language and fluency clarify the vague points about Esmat (Infallibility) and Shafa’at (Intercession)
According to Ali Ramadan Al-Awsa, Allameh Balaghi has used various media such as the Quran’s date and language as well as its stylistic and thematic evidence to shed more light on the truth of this holy book and clarify the vague points and wrong views about infallibility and intercession put forward by some biased Orientalists, Christians and Jews.
Stressing the significance of reasoning and subjective views and freedom from all unwise restrictions, Allameh has compared the Quranic text with that of the Old and New Testaments using this enlightening method to respond to those biased outlooks, Al-Awsa expresses in his book “Al-Balaghi, Mofassera” (Al-Balaghi, the Interpreter).
“Predicated on important Shia and Sunni sources including various books of interpretation, Quran and Hadith sciences, language, jurisprudence,poetry, history and Sirah , Ala Al-Rahman is a scientific and thematic exegesis following a moderate approach in its religious views. It stresses that the Quran is not opposed to scientific innovations but includes a set of scientific facts which are supported by modern inventions and sciences.”
“Quranic words are as important for Allameh as the general structure of verses,” Al-Awsa went on to say adding that Allameh only elaborates on the complicated words and their linguistic and idiomatic implications on which linguists and interpreters are in disagreement.
“It often becomes so comprehensive that includes a variety of topics like repentance, the creation of man, ego, monotheism, etc. and can be categorized as a thematic interpretation. Yet, it succinctness and emphasis on the elaboration of words have made it more a lexical interpretation.”
Speaking about the miraculous aspect of the holy Quran mentioned in the introduction of the exegesis, Al-Awsa referred to Allameh’s method in comparing the Quranic stories with those in the Old and New Testaments to prove that unlike them, the Quran is devoid of elements of atheism and superstition.
Ali Ramadan Al-Awsa, author of “Al-Balaghi, Mofassera”, is the head of Arabic Department in London Islamic Center, a central member of Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Parliament, former professor of Imam Sadeq (AS) University, and head of the research center in southern Iraq. He has got a BA in Arabic language and Quranic sciences from Iraq University, an MA in Islamic sciences from the University of Cairo, and a PhD in Quranic sciences from the Faculty of Theology of Tehran University. He also attended the international seminar of Allameh Balaghi in Qom.
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Elaborating on the difference between “method” and “approach”, he noted that “method” is a way through which researchers try to perceive the meanings of verses and God’s real intentions behind them while “approach” is a set of meanings and interpretations gained through research and the interpretive method applied by researchers.
Its emphasis on the holy Quran, the Prophet’s Sunnah, and Ahlul-Bayt’s (AS) Hadiths, the use of common elements like language and style shared by other great interpreters, as well as its correction of linguistic rules and previous interpretive mistakes are among the features which have made Ala Al-Rahman superior to other Shia exegeses, Al-Awsa added.
Comparing Ala Al-Rahman with Allameh Tabatabaee’s Al-Mizan Exegesis, he said: “Both are primarily based on Quran verses and use interpretations only where they confirm the results they have already obtained from the verses.”
Quran’s date, language and fluency clarify the vague points about Esmat (Infallibility) and Shafa’at (Intercession)
According to Ali Ramadan Al-Awsa, Allameh Balaghi has used various media such as the Quran’s date and language as well as its stylistic and thematic evidence to shed more light on the truth of this holy book and clarify the vague points and wrong views about infallibility and intercession put forward by some biased Orientalists, Christians and Jews.
Stressing the significance of reasoning and subjective views and freedom from all unwise restrictions, Allameh has compared the Quranic text with that of the Old and New Testaments using this enlightening method to respond to those biased outlooks, Al-Awsa expresses in his book “Al-Balaghi, Mofassera” (Al-Balaghi, the Interpreter).
“Predicated on important Shia and Sunni sources including various books of interpretation, Quran and Hadith sciences, language, jurisprudence,poetry, history and Sirah , Ala Al-Rahman is a scientific and thematic exegesis following a moderate approach in its religious views. It stresses that the Quran is not opposed to scientific innovations but includes a set of scientific facts which are supported by modern inventions and sciences.”
“Quranic words are as important for Allameh as the general structure of verses,” Al-Awsa went on to say adding that Allameh only elaborates on the complicated words and their linguistic and idiomatic implications on which linguists and interpreters are in disagreement.
“It often becomes so comprehensive that includes a variety of topics like repentance, the creation of man, ego, monotheism, etc. and can be categorized as a thematic interpretation. Yet, it succinctness and emphasis on the elaboration of words have made it more a lexical interpretation.”
Speaking about the miraculous aspect of the holy Quran mentioned in the introduction of the exegesis, Al-Awsa referred to Allameh’s method in comparing the Quranic stories with those in the Old and New Testaments to prove that unlike them, the Quran is devoid of elements of atheism and superstition.
Ali Ramadan Al-Awsa, author of “Al-Balaghi, Mofassera”, is the head of Arabic Department in London Islamic Center, a central member of Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Parliament, former professor of Imam Sadeq (AS) University, and head of the research center in southern Iraq. He has got a BA in Arabic language and Quranic sciences from Iraq University, an MA in Islamic sciences from the University of Cairo, and a PhD in Quranic sciences from the Faculty of Theology of Tehran University. He also attended the international seminar of Allameh Balaghi in Qom.
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