A True Understanding of Quran Requires Three Historical, Meta-historical and Cultural Interpretations
In order to have a true understanding of the Holy Quran, one should rely on three types of interpretations, namely historical (the milieu, conditions and requirements at the time of Revelation), meta-historical (general teachings of the Holy Book which apply to all times and places) and cultural (compatibility of the Quranic rules and principles with the modern society).
Talking to IQNA, Jafar Nekunam, academic board member of Qom University, added that “The Holy Quran is a historical book which was sent to Muslims and non-Muslims over 1400 years ago with the aim of guiding them to the right path through their own language.”
“Accordingly, we need to interpret the Book based on the historical milieu and conditions that were prevalent among the people of Mecca and Medina at that time,” he went on to say.
“However, due to the emergence of new issues over time, a meta-historical interpretation is also required to bring up the subjects that are more controversial at the present time.”
“Moreover, a cultural interpretation is needed to check out the compatibility of the rules and principles extracted from the Quran with the existing issues in the world.”
Referring to the disparity between the historical interpretation of the Quran and the historical criticism of the Bible in the West, Mr. Nekunam noted: “The former implies understanding the holy Quran based on the conditions at the time of its Revelation. Learning about the events and happenings of the time as well as the interactions between the Arabs and Prophet Mohammad (PBHU) can be of great help in understanding the verses.”
“The historical criticism of the Bible, on the other hand, is aimed at a holistic review to determine those parts which do not correspond with reality or the verses that are not compatible with the sciences, human rights and modern requirements.”
“Far from looking for unreal or superstitious subjects in the Holy Quran, the historical interpretation mainly seeks to reveal the Word of God as conveyed through the meanings and expressions used by the Arabs at the time of Revelation,” he further asserted.
Author of “A Survey of Quran’s Semantics” and “A Survey of Quran’s Historical Timeline” also stressed the significance of using an audience-oriented approach instead of an author-oriented one in interpreting the Holy Book, adding, “As the Quran was mostly addressing the pagans in Mecca as well as the Muslims and Jews in Medina, we ought to investigate the methods they employed to understand and interpret the Divine Word which can thereby reveal God’s intentions behind the verses.”
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“Accordingly, we need to interpret the Book based on the historical milieu and conditions that were prevalent among the people of Mecca and Medina at that time,” he went on to say.
“However, due to the emergence of new issues over time, a meta-historical interpretation is also required to bring up the subjects that are more controversial at the present time.”
“Moreover, a cultural interpretation is needed to check out the compatibility of the rules and principles extracted from the Quran with the existing issues in the world.”
Referring to the disparity between the historical interpretation of the Quran and the historical criticism of the Bible in the West, Mr. Nekunam noted: “The former implies understanding the holy Quran based on the conditions at the time of its Revelation. Learning about the events and happenings of the time as well as the interactions between the Arabs and Prophet Mohammad (PBHU) can be of great help in understanding the verses.”
“The historical criticism of the Bible, on the other hand, is aimed at a holistic review to determine those parts which do not correspond with reality or the verses that are not compatible with the sciences, human rights and modern requirements.”
“Far from looking for unreal or superstitious subjects in the Holy Quran, the historical interpretation mainly seeks to reveal the Word of God as conveyed through the meanings and expressions used by the Arabs at the time of Revelation,” he further asserted.
Author of “A Survey of Quran’s Semantics” and “A Survey of Quran’s Historical Timeline” also stressed the significance of using an audience-oriented approach instead of an author-oriented one in interpreting the Holy Book, adding, “As the Quran was mostly addressing the pagans in Mecca as well as the Muslims and Jews in Medina, we ought to investigate the methods they employed to understand and interpret the Divine Word which can thereby reveal God’s intentions behind the verses.”
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