The Scholarly Efforts in Qur’anic Sciences: Methodologies of Exegetes as a Model 10.35781/1637-000-143-002

Abstract

The fundamental objective of this research is to establish the discipline of Exegetical Methodologies (Manāhij al-Mufassirīn) as an independent field of study, and to provide a clear account of its origins, development, and significance. Tracing the efforts of scholars in the domain of Qur’anic studies reveals that this discipline did not emerge suddenly; rather, its roots extend back to the earliest periods of Qur’anic exegesis. It gradually took shape through a long scholarly trajectory that began with the practical application of tafsīr during the era of the Companions and their Followers (may Allah be pleased with them). Their exegetical works and transmitted interpretations already contained the seeds of critique and comparison among the statements of exegetes, which lies at the very core of this discipline. Subsequently, these efforts evolved into systematic theorization, until the discipline became established in the modern era as an independent academic field that contributes to the advancement of Qur’anic studies and the regulation of interpretive methodologies. Nevertheless, describing Exegetical Methodologies as a contemporary field of study does not imply that its intellectual foundations are of recent origin. Rather, what is meant is that the methodological treatment of exegetical approaches as a distinct domain of academic inquiry has only emerged in modern times, whereas its substantive material was already dispersed throughout the works of earlier scholars within tafsīr, its principles, and the sciences of the Qur’an. The research has reached conclusions affirming that the codification of Exegetical Methodologies was the outcome of cumulative scholarly efforts. The methodology adopted in its writing combines historical, descriptive, analytical, comparative, and critical approaches, which has rendered it an authentic discipline serving contemporary Qur’anic studies. This is the summary of the study, which—by the will of Allah—will examine Exegetical Methodologies among classical scholars of the Qur’an and their contributions to its codification, from the early generations to contemporary scholars. Keywords: scholarly efforts – Qur’anic sciences – methodologies – exegete