A CRITIQUE OF VARIOUS QUR'ANIC EXEGETICAL SCHOOLS IN ALLAMA TABATABAI'S AL-MIZAN

Abstract

One of the most prominent representatives of the twentieth-century Imami school of Qur’anic exegesis was Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i. In addition to Qur’anic exegesis, Allama Tabataba’i possessed profound expertise in morphology (ṣarf), syntax (naḥw), Arabic literature, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and its principles (uṣūl al-fiqh), mathematics, philosophy, theology (kalām), and Islamic mysticism (ʿirfān). He authored numerous works in these fields. His most significant contribution is al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, which is not only a Qur’anic commentary but also an important scholarly source on the methodology of Qur’anic exegesis. This article examines Tabataba’i’s critiques of various exegetical trends and the methodological foundations of these critiques. It comparatively analyzes his approach to narrative (riwāyah-based), theological, philosophical, mystical (ishārī/ʿirfānī), and modern scientific methods of Qur’anic interpretation, while systematizing his arguments concerning their methodological shortcomings. Furthermore, the study investigates his explanation of the causes of disagreements in Qur’anic interpretation, his understanding of the relationship between words and meanings, and the fundamental principles of the method known as “interpreting the Qur’an through the Qur’an.” The primary objective of this study is to evaluate Tabataba’i’s methodology of Qur’anic exegesis and his critiques of the classical schools of tafsir from an academic perspective. The research employs historical, descriptive, comparative, and analytical methods. The findings demonstrate that Tabataba’i regarded the interpretation of the Qur’an through its own verses as the primary exegetical method and rejected the imposition of external philosophical, theological, or scientific theories upon the meanings of the Qur’anic verses. His methodology, which aims to preserve the internal coherence and integrity of the Qur’an, continues to hold significant relevance for contemporary Qur’anic studies.