Book Review: Dr. Muḥammad-ʿAli Rezaei-Esfahāni, Manṭiq-i tafsīr-i Qur’ān (4): mabāḥith-i jadīd dar dānish-i tafsīr (zabān-i Qur’ān, hirminutīk, farhang-i zamānih) [The Logic of the exegesis of the Quran (4): New discussions on the science of exegesis(the language of the Quran, Hermeneutics, The culture of the time)]

Mashhadi, Babak

doi:10.22034/qns.2023.16979.1040

Book Review: Dr. Muḥammad-ʿAli Rezaei-Esfahāni, Manṭiq-i tafsīr-i Qur’ān (4): mabāḥith-i jadīd dar dānish-i tafsīr (zabān-i Qur’ān, hirminutīk, farhang-i zamānih) [The Logic of the exegesis of the Quran (4): New discussions on the science of exegesis(the language of the Quran, Hermeneutics, The culture of the time)]

Document Type : Book Review

Author

Babak Mashhadi

Ph.D. (Level 4) Student of the International Institute for Islamic Studies (IIIS), Qum, Iran.

10.22034/qns.2023.16979.1040

Abstract

Dr. Muḥammad-ʿAli Rezaei-Esfahāni’s Manṭiq-i tafsīr-i Qur’ān (4): mabāḥith-i jadīd dar dānish-i tafsīr (zabān-i Qur’ān, hirminutīk, farhangi zamānih) [The logic of the exegesis of the Quran (4): New discussions on the science of exegesis (the language of the Quran, hermeneutics, the culture of the time)] (1400Sh/2021) examines contemporary issues in Quranic exegesis, focusing on the Quran’s language, hermeneutics, and the influence of the culture of the time. Designed for postgraduate tafsīr students, the book spans four chapters. Chapter one introduces the significance of new tafsir discussions, defining key concepts and their recent development. Chapter two explores the Quran’s interaction with the pre-Islamic Arabian culture, identifying three attitudes: approving positive elements (e.g., keeping covenants), rejecting negative practices (e.g., idol worship), and correcting deviated customs (e.g., pilgrimage). It critiques views suggesting the Quran’s complete cultural influence, which undermine its divine origin. Chapter three analyzes the Quran’s language, affirming its real, metaphorical, and multidimensional nature, rejecting mythological attributes, and discussing esoteric interpretations, disconnected letters, and scholars’ views like Imam Khumayni, Allamah Ṭabāṭabā’ī, and Ayatollah Maʿrifat. Chapter four traces hermeneutics’ evolution—mythological, sacred, modern, philosophical, and objective—assessing their compatibility with Quranic tafsīr, endorsing classical and neoclassical approaches that emphasize authorial intent while rejecting relativistic philosophical hermeneutics.

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