Imam Sadiq University Philosophy of Religion Research 2228-6578 23 1 2025 04 06 A Critical Study of al-Sharīf al-Raḍī’s Theological Views about God in Talkhīṣ al-Bayān ʿan Majāzāt al-Qurʾan A Critical Study of al-Sharīf al-Raḍī’s Theological Views about God in Talkhīṣ al-Bayān ʿan Majāzāt al-Qurʾan 137 153 77655 10.30497/prr.2025.246260.1916 FA Amir Zowqi Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran. 0009-0005-8538-5687 Journal Article 2024 05 09 Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, the renowned Shia scholar and poet of the 10th century, mostly known for his compilation of Nahj al-Balāgha, has authored a big commentary on the Holy Quran named Ḥaqāʾiq al-Taʾwīl fī Mutashābih al-Tanzīl (The Realities of Metaphorical Interpretation in the Ambiguous Verses of Revelation) and summarized it later in Talkhīṣ al-Bayān ʽan Majāzāt al-Qurʼan (A Summary of the Clarification on the Metaphors of the Quran). Being a disciple of Qāḍī ʿAbdul-Jabbār in theology and hence becoming acquainted with Muʽtazilite theological views, he interpreted the verses that imply anthropomorphism and injustice of God in accordance with Muʽtazilite school. In this paper, while investigating al-Raḍī's theological presuppositions in the interpretation of the Quran, especially that of metaphor's extent, we criticize them in comparison with antagonist views. According to this study, the most important neglected aspects in al-Raḍī's commentary which led to his excessive metaphorical exegesis are as follows: (1) acknowledgement of analogical metaphors, (2) the feasibility of allegorical exegesis, (3) interpretation according to the esoteric aspect of the world, and (4) interpretation in accordance with the theory of the designation of the words for the spirits of meaning. Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, the renowned Shia scholar and poet of the 10th century, mostly known for his compilation of Nahj al-Balāgha, has authored a big commentary on the Holy Quran named Ḥaqāʾiq al-Taʾwīl fī Mutashābih al-Tanzīl (The Realities of Metaphorical Interpretation in the Ambiguous Verses of Revelation) and summarized it later in Talkhīṣ al-Bayān ʽan Majāzāt al-Qurʼan (A Summary of the Clarification on the Metaphors of the Quran). Being a disciple of Qāḍī ʿAbdul-Jabbār in theology and hence becoming acquainted with Muʽtazilite theological views, he interpreted the verses that imply anthropomorphism and injustice of God in accordance with Muʽtazilite school. In this paper, while investigating al-Raḍī's theological presuppositions in the interpretation of the Quran, especially that of metaphor's extent, we criticize them in comparison with antagonist views. According to this study, the most important neglected aspects in al-Raḍī's commentary which led to his excessive metaphorical exegesis are as follows: (1) acknowledgement of analogical metaphors, (2) the feasibility of allegorical exegesis, (3) interpretation according to the esoteric aspect of the world, and (4) interpretation in accordance with the theory of the designation of the words for the spirits of meaning.

https://prrj.isu.ac.ir/article_77655_0ee45e13f3ae8584d9d8d7e1d5214b97.pdf