Through the Efforts of the Bostan-e Ketab Institute, the Book “Fundamental Preliminaries of Quranic Exegesis” Has Been Published

According to the reporter of the Book and Publishing Service of Rasa News Agency, the Bostan-e Ketab Institute, affiliated with the Islamic Propagation Office of the Qom Seminary, has published the book “Fundamental Preliminaries of Quranic Exegesis” written by Ayatullah Sayyid Mujtaba Nur Mufidi.

The Qur’an is the divine word revealed within the framework of contextual words to guide humanity toward worldly and otherworldly salvation. It is clear and evident that achieving happiness in this world and the hereafter is the result of acting upon the teachings of the Qur’an, which naturally requires implementing these teachings based on their comprehension.

Admonitions and exhortations such as “Do they not then reflect on the Qur’an…?” indicate the reality that the addressees of the Qur’an also have a duty to strive for its understanding, explanation, and exegesis. It goes without saying that traversing this path, like any other significant and specialized task, requires familiarity with its preliminaries so that both the exegete and their audience can confidently rely on the results of this blessed endeavor.

The exegesis of the Qur’an is a highly complex domain, which without exaggeration resembles walking on the boundary between guidance and deviation. Yet, without referring to exegesis, especially during the era of the occultation of the Imam of the Time (may Allah hasten his reappearance), one cannot succeed in reflecting upon the Qur’an, let alone acting upon its deep concepts. Correctly traversing the path of truth in the discussion of exegesis requires a preliminary methodology that the traveler must successfully navigate.

The Dar al-Ma’rifah Institute, which has set the explanation of teachings derived from the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) as one of its missions and has taken several steps in this direction, prepared this work in line with its inherent duty.

The present work, titled “Fundamental Preliminaries of Quranic Exegesis,” is the result of detailed studies on this important subject and its teaching by Ayatullah Sayyid Mujtaba Nur Mufidi. After being organized and compiled—along with the omission of certain unnecessary materials and the addition of necessary points by the honorable scholar, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi—it is now presented to seekers of Islamic knowledge.

The present text, published under the title “Fundamental Preliminaries of Quranic Exegesis,” is a blessed effort to attain the essential preliminaries of exegesis. It attempts to briefly and usefully address the most important pre-exegetical topics.

Despite its brevity, the present work contains beneficial content that can undoubtedly be useful for those interested in these discussions. In short, efforts have been made in this book to introduce and analyze the most prominent opinions in each of the domains of the preliminaries of exegesis.

Structure of the Book

The author has prepared and organized this work in 10 chapters.

Chapter One: The author examines the revelatory nature of the words of the Qur’an. Referring to the lexical meaning of revelation (wahy) and its usage in the Qur’an, he notes that the term “revelation” is used in various instances, including prophetic revelation, inspiration, satanic instigation, instinct, the natural order of the universe, and signaling. Furthermore, while clarifying the subject of discussion, the arguments of both proponents and opponents of “the revelatory nature of the words of the Qur’an” are analyzed.
Chapter Two: The author examines the lexical and technical meanings of “revelation/descending” (nuzul) and its types. He presents different views on the descent of the Qur’an, followed by an examination of the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) and their importance, and finally discusses the Meccan and Medinan nature of the chapters (surahs) and verses of the Qur’an. Some of the topics discussed in this chapter include the meanings, types, and opinions regarding descent, the occasions of revelation and their importance, the wisdom behind the descent, the Meccan and Medinan classification of verses and chapters, their criteria, and an analysis of certain exceptions.
Chapter Three: Titled “The Quality of the Compilation of the Qur’an,” along with explaining the meaning of compiling the Qur’an, the writing of the Qur’an and its three historical periods are discussed, as well as the order of verses and chapters in writing, alongside the opinions, criticism, and evaluation of these views. Some of the titles of this chapter include: the Codex (Mushaf) of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), the stance of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) regarding the compilation of the Qur’an, and the vocalization (diacritics) of the Qur’an.
Chapter Four: The author first speaks of the recitations (qira’at), the differences in recitations, and their causes. He then introduces the “Seven Reciters” (Qurra Sab’ah) and evaluates the validity (hujjiyyah) of the recitations, analyzing the narration of the “seven letters” (sab’at ahruf) in terms of its chain of transmission (sanad) and implication (dilalah). The explanation of how the recitations became restricted to seven and the views of the scholars of both schools (Shi’a and Sunni) on this matter are also presented. Finally, by clarifying the status of the recitation of ‘Asim among the Seven Reciters, the issue of recitation in prayer is addressed. Topics examined in this chapter include differences in recitation, the Seven Reciters, the hadith of the seven letters, the stance of scholars on the seven reciters, and the correct recitation.
Chapter Five: Along with the lexical and technical definitions of miracle (mu’jizah), the issue of challenge (tahaddi), its types, and the verses related to it are presented. The author also examines the arguments for the eternal nature of the Qur’an’s miraculousness, the pillars of a miracle, and some aspects of the miraculous nature of the Qur’an. The titles of some sections in this chapter include: miraculousness and challenge, the order of the verses of challenge, the eternity of the Qur’an’s miracle, the non-human origin of the Qur’an, rhetorical miraculousness, reports of the unseen, the comprehensiveness of the Qur’an, legislative miraculousness, scientific miraculousness, and numerical miraculousness.
Chapter Six: Titled “The Distortion of the Qur’an” (Tahrif), after explaining the lexical and technical meanings of distortion, its nine meanings, examples, and rulings are presented. Furthermore, the first argument, titled “the necessity of correspondence between the Ummah of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and previous nations,” is criticized and analyzed. Subsequently, “the difference between the Codex of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) and the existing Codex” is examined as the second argument, followed by “the correlation between the quality of the Qur’an’s compilation and distortion” as the third argument. Other arguments for distortion include narrations which are presented and examined in six categories. The result of examining these arguments is the proof of the non-distortion of the Qur’an. Additionally, the arguments of the proponents of non-distortion are also examined.
Chapter Seven: The author examines the lexical and technical meanings of exegesis (tafsir) and esoteric hermeneutics (ta’wil) and presents several definitions. He introduces the meaning of ta’wil in the Qur’an and the issue of the potential non-interpretability of the Qur’an along with its proofs. Finally, the importance of the role of narrations (hadiths) in the exegesis of the Qur’an is addressed.
Chapter Eight: While defining and enumerating the sources of exegesis, the author points out the reasons for their status as sources, and then presents the rules for using these sources in exegesis. Reference is also made to the permissibility and validity of interpreting the Qur’an through narrations, followed by the introduction of the most important sources.
Chapter Nine: The author addresses the prerequisite sciences of exegesis, which include literary sciences (comprising morphology, syntax, semantics, and rhetoric), theology (kalam), principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), jurisprudence (fiqh), biographical evaluation and hadith terminology (rijal and dirayah), experimental and human sciences, and the science of divine gift (ilm al-mawahib).
Chapter Ten: The author discusses the methods of exegesis, the importance of debating them, and the criteria for the validity of exegetical methods, examining the process of their formation. Furthermore, the exegetical schools and methods—namely the narrative, ijtihaadi (analytical), scientific, and esoteric methods—are analyzed as the four major methods.

A Passage from the Book

Ways of Relying on Narrations Regarding the Occasions of Revelation

When dealing with narrations concerning the contexts of revelation (shan al-nuzul), several factors must be considered to determine the occasions and contexts of the verses’ revelation with greater confidence. These factors include the chain of transmission (sanad) of the narrations, the frequency of transmission, supporting evidence and indications, and distinguishing Meccan chapters from Medinan ones.

Sources of Quranic Exegesis

The first and perhaps the most important source to be examined for the exegesis of the Qur’an is the Qur’an itself; using the Qur’an to interpret itself is one of the best methods of exegesis. To prove this claim, arguments have been established based on the practice of rational people (sirat al-uqala), the Qur’an, narrations, the practical life and method of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and the practice of the companions.

It can be said that after the Qur’an, the most important source of Quranic exegesis consists of the narrations transmitted from the Infallibles (peace be upon them). Of course, in this regard, it is obvious that the narrations under consideration must meet the conditions of authority (hujjiyyah) and not be deemed weak. With this assumption, narrations play a fundamental role in understanding the objectives and meanings of the verses. This is particularly useful in the case of ambiguous verses (mutashabihat), the specification (takhsis) and qualification (taqyid) of the Qur’an, and the designation of practical examples. Various arguments have been proposed for the permissibility of using narrations as a source of Quranic exegesis, the most important of which are the Qur’an, the practice of rational people, and the practical life of Muslims.

One of the important sources of Quranic exegesis is history. It is clear that for a better understanding and interpretation of verses referring to past events, the history of nations, past peoples, and previous prophets, one must refer to history and be knowledgeable about it. Furthermore, many verses of the Qur’an were revealed following events during the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and knowledge of these events influences the understanding of the Quranic verses.

The fourth source, which is considered among the most important sources of Quranic exegesis, is intellect (aql). What is meant by intellect is the definitive judgment of reason, not what the intellect perceives through conjecture. The categorical perception of intellect is an important source in the exegesis of verses—indeed, more important than other sources.

The Bostan-e Ketab Institute, affiliated with the Islamic Propagation Office of the Qom Seminary, has released the book “Fundamental Preliminaries of Quranic Exegesis” written by Ayatullah Sayyid Mujtaba Nur Mufidi in 424 pages, with a circulation of 500 copies, priced at 63,000 Tomans.

Those interested in obtaining this book can visit the main store of the Bostan-e Ketab Institute at Shohada Crossroads, Qom, or its other branches in Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan. Alternatively, they can visit the institute’s website at www.bustaneketab.ir or call the telephone numbers 02531151187 and 02531151250.