Qom University Comparative Interpretation Research 2476-4191 Articles in Press 2026 05 03 A study of the conceptual evolution of "obedience" in Meccan verses and interpretations from the third to seventh centuries AH. A study of the conceptual evolution of "obedience" in Meccan verses and interpretations from the third to seventh centuries AH. 4385 10.22091/ptt.2026.14346.2537 FA Somayeh Khalsani PhD student in Islamic Studies - Quran and Hadith Sciences, International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish, Iran 7094-9357-0003-0009 Hajar Bakhtaryebrahimsaraaee Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Tehran University of Welfare 0000-0001-6715-8978 Seed Mohsen Tabatabaee Assistant Professor, Department of Law, International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish, Iran 0000-0001-5244-3178 Journal Article 2025 10 27 This study, using a descriptive–analytical method and grounded in historical semantics, examines the conceptual and contextual development of tabiʿiyyat (followership) in the Meccan verses of the Qur’an and its interpretation in the commentaries of Ṭabarī, Farrā’, Zamakhsharī, Ṭabrisī, and Fakhr al-Rāzī. As a key concept in the Meccan discourse of guidance, tabiʿiyyat clarifies the relationship between human beings and revelation, as well as moral responsibility and the formation of religious identity.<br /><br /><br /><br />Analysis of the occurrences of the root t-b-ʿ demonstrates that the concept begins with an individual and faith-centered meaning and gradually expands into rational, epistemic, and social dimensions. Early exegetes largely interpreted tabiʿiyyat as outward, behavioral obedience, whereas exegetes of the middle centuries, influenced by rational and rhetorical approaches, understood it as conscious and insight-based adherence.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Qur’anic data reveal three stages of semantic development: individual and monotheistic followership; social differentiation between guidance and misguidance; and followership as a collective and historical responsibility. Accordingly, tabiʿiyyat in the Qur’an is not blind imitation but a rational and ethical act, reflecting the intellectual maturity of the believing community. This study thus highlights the dynamic interaction between the Qur’anic text and exegetical contexts and offers a focused account of the semantic evolution of tabiʿiyyat. This study, using a descriptive–analytical method and grounded in historical semantics, examines the conceptual and contextual development of tabiʿiyyat (followership) in the Meccan verses of the Qur’an and its interpretation in the commentaries of Ṭabarī, Farrā’, Zamakhsharī, Ṭabrisī, and Fakhr al-Rāzī. As a key concept in the Meccan discourse of guidance, tabiʿiyyat clarifies the relationship between human beings and revelation, as well as moral responsibility and the formation of religious identity.<br /><br /><br /><br />Analysis of the occurrences of the root t-b-ʿ demonstrates that the concept begins with an individual and faith-centered meaning and gradually expands into rational, epistemic, and social dimensions. Early exegetes largely interpreted tabiʿiyyat as outward, behavioral obedience, whereas exegetes of the middle centuries, influenced by rational and rhetorical approaches, understood it as conscious and insight-based adherence.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Qur’anic data reveal three stages of semantic development: individual and monotheistic followership; social differentiation between guidance and misguidance; and followership as a collective and historical responsibility. Accordingly, tabiʿiyyat in the Qur’an is not blind imitation but a rational and ethical act, reflecting the intellectual maturity of the believing community. This study thus highlights the dynamic interaction between the Qur’anic text and exegetical contexts and offers a focused account of the semantic evolution of tabiʿiyyat.