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Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari Durham E-Theses The exegesis of Tabatabaei and the Hermeneutics of Hirsch: a comparative study Mokhtari, Mohammad Hossein How to cite: Mokhtari, Mohammad Hossein (2007) The exegesis of Tabatabaei and the Hermeneutics of Hirsch: a comparative study, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2569/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 The Exegesis of Tabatabaei and the Hermeneutics of Hirsch: A Comparative Study By: Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The copyright of this thesis rests with the author or the university to which it was submitted. No quotation from it, or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author or university, and any information derived from it should be acknowledged. 2007 University of Durham United Kingdom 'I ' 0 . 1 8 APR 2008 Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without Mohammad H. Mokhtari's prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Declaration I, the author of this thesis, declare that none of the materials in this thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree qualification in this or any other university. II Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my parents who have been my guiding light throughout my life and to my wife and children who have always given me their unconditional support, especially during the years that it took me to finish this work. III Acknowledgements Any research work by its very nature is a team work and this one is no exception. The people who helped me in the evolution and completion of this thesis are too numerous to name here. I sincerely hope that any omissions are forgiven for I remain truly indebted to them. My special thanks and gratitude are due to my supervisor Dr Colin Turner who guided me through every stage of my work patiently and meticulously until the very end. He was always available when needed and went out of his way to ensure that the research was carried out in a proper and thorough fashion. Thanks also are due to all members of staff at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. A special thank you is also extended to the staff at the university library for their continuous help throughout the period of my research. Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to each member of my family who stoically endured the challenges and difficulties associated with living away from home for many years and coping with fortitude and without complaint with my working late and at unsociable hours. IV Abstract This thesis is a comparative study between Hermeneutics on the one hand and exegesis of the Holy Qur'an on the other. Its objective is to discover whether there are salient points of convergence between the two disciples, and whether issues germane to the Hermeneutical tradition in the West have been referred to and/or employed in Muslim works of Qur'an commentary. To this end, the works of one of the most prominent Shi'ite philosophers and exegetes, Allama Mohammad Hossein Tabataei, have been analysed and compared with the perspective and methodology of E.D. Hirsch, one ofthe most important hermeneuticians in the Western World. Hirsch has been chosen since, in the opinion of the author, there is a considerable number of commonalities between the Hirschian approach to hermeneutics and the exegetical methodology of Tabatabaei and other Shi 'ite Muslim interpreters of the Qur'an .. Hirsch, as an objectivist, along with a number of other Hermeneutical scholars, are critical of those who subscribe to philosophical Hermeneutics, such as Heideger and Gadimer. The same approach is taken in Tabatabaei's works, thus providing a strong rationale for an academic comparison of these two scholars. For this reason, this thesis attempts to study the theories of Tabatabaei and Hirsch in order to highlight the similarities and differences in their works. The central hypothesis is that while small differences in approach exist, there is much common ground, and that it is possible to use certain facets of Hirschian hermeneutics in the interpretation of the Qur'an, thus modernising some of the existing exegetical approaches employed by Shi'ite scholars. Since the aim of this thesis is to compare the interpretive works of Tabatabaei with those of Hirsch's, an introductory chapter has been dedicated to the study of the evolution of Shi'ite exegesis from the beginning to date. Tabatabaei's Al-Mizan has been chosen as the foremost work of Shi'ite exegesis in the modem period. Furthermore, a complete chapter has also been dedicated to Tabatabai's exegetical modus operandi as ·reflected in Al-Mizan, in order to arrive at a better understanding of his perspectives. v This research amves at the conclusion that philosophical Hermeneutics and Epistemology have opened new horizons on which we will always be dependent. Whatever interpretive theories with regards to the understanding of the text are accepted, or whatever the tendency as . far as literary criticism is concerned, or whatever ideas are accepted in the arena of philosophy of human and social sciences, the discussion of the nature of understanding in general cannot be avoided. This does not mean that Hermeneutics is limited to these new theories. Rather, the opportunity always exists to introduce new interpretive theories in connection with the understanding of the text. It is indeed possible to study these discussions in detail in a separate sphere independent of the other branches of Islamic sciences and arrive at a number of stable principles in the interpretation of the text in Islamic research. VI Table of Contents Statement of Copyright ............................................................................................ II Declaration ................................................................................................................ II Dedication ................................................................................................................. III Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. IV Abstract....................................................................................................................... V Table of Contents ................................................................................................... VII Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1. Chapter One: Shi'l exegesis evaluation from the beginning to date ........... 17 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 17 1.2. Analytical examination of Shiite exegesis ................................................. 19 1.2.1. First Century: The Origin ofExegesis ............................................... 20 1.2.2. Second Century: Exegesis and Divergence from Tradition ............... 22 1.2.3. The Third Century: The Compilation Period ..................................... 24 1.2.4. Fourth Century: Establishment ofExegesis from the Viewpoint of Tradition 26 1.2.5. Fifth Century: The Beginning of the Flourishing of Exegesis Based on Independent Reasoning ....................................................... ·............................... 27 1.2.6. Sixth Century Development of Scholarly Individual Reasoning (Jjtil}§d) and the Contribution of Other Sciences .............................................. 28 1.2. 7. Seventh Century: Decline of Exegesis ............................................... 29 1.2.8. Eighth Century: Cultural Decadence ................................................. 31 1.2.9. Ninth Century: Writing Jurisprudential Interpretation ...................... 33 1.2.1 0. Tenth Century: Revival of Interpretation ........................................... 34 1.2.11. Eleventh Century: An End to Stagnation in Shiite Interpretation ..... 34 VII 1.2.12. Twelfth Century: Tendency towards the Traditional Method ........... 35 1.2.13. Thirteenth Century: Another Revival of the Jurisprudential Method 37 1.2.14. Fourteenth Century: Return to the Qur'an ......................................... 37 1.2.15. Fifteenth Century: The Summit of Achievement .............................. 39 2. Chapter Two: Verbal meaning and it's distinction with significance ......... 46 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 46 2.2. "Verbal meaning" of the text ..................................................................... 48 2.3. The distinction between Verbal Meaning
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