Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

One of the fundamental issues in exegetic interpretation of the Qur'an by the Qur'an is that this method of interpretation is based upon Quranic verses and the exegetist has to interpret the verses based on other verses; therefore, some exegetists, in their act of interpreting the Qur'an, claim independence from anything other than the Qur'an itself and advocate "Qur'an- adequacy" or "text-adequacy". With such a view about interpretation, some have attacked all fabricated narrations and see this large collection of narrations as invalid, and thus set aside sunna (normative custom of the Prophet) in the field of interpretation. The exegetists who interpret the Qur'an by the Qur'an have different attitudes toward the value of sunna and the narrations of the immaculate Imams (PBUT) in the field of interpretation. Although they have a similar interpretive methodology, their approach to the value of sound narrations can affect their interaction with narrations; examination of the interpretive works of contemporary exegetists shows this clearly. The present paper introduces the exegetic interpretation of the Qur'an by the Qur'an, examines the place of narrations in this method of interpretation and the approach of exegetists toward this method. In the next part, the paper tries to find out whether the exegetists have relied on narrations in their interpretations or not. The answer to this question is that most of the exegetists who use this method of interpretation have made use of narrations, but with differing approaches: some have employed narrations only to lend credence to their interpretation and others have ignored them altogether.

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