Document Type : Academicm and Research

Authors

• Mohsen GHamarzadeh ¹
• Fahimeh Ahadipour ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Maaref, Iran Broadcasting University, Tehran, Iran

² Level 4 Seminary Student, Comparative Exegesis, Masoumiyyah Sisters Seminary,Qom. Iran

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

In recent years, comparative and interdisciplinary studies in religious sciences, particularly in Quranic exegesis, have gained importance and attracted researchers’ attention. Each of these approaches has its own specific boundaries and characteristics; however, in some research, the distinctions between these two types of studies have not been precisely defined, and they are sometimes confused with each other.

Questions concerning the nature, domain, and methods of comparative and interdisciplinary studies in Quranic exegesis are among the primary concerns of researchers. The present study, aiming to examine and compare these two types of research, analyzes their differences and similarities in the discussed areas.

The significance of this research lies in the fact that clarifying the nature of these studies helps prevent their conflation, as an incorrect combination of these methods can lead to erroneous and unrealistic results. An accurate understanding of these methods and their comparison can be beneficial in selecting the appropriate approach for religious research. Ultimately, a precise comprehension of the relationships between comparative exegesis and interdisciplinary studies not only contributes to a deeper analysis of each of these methods but will also lay the groundwork for scholarly and research collaborations among various disciplines. This collaboration can lead to the production of new knowledge and the presentation of fresh perspectives in religious and Quranic discussions.

Assessing the Relationship Between Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies

1. Assessing the Nature of Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies

Assessing the relationship between these two types of studies based on the four relations (al-nisab al-arbaʿah), Quranic researchers have proposed a general-and-specific-in-some-respect (ʿām wa khāṣṣ min wajh) relationship. However, this study demonstrates that between comparative exegesis and interdisciplinary studies—as two independent and distinct types of research—there exists a relationship of contrast (tabāyun). This means that each possesses its own specific characteristics and methodologies, and based on their objectives and scopes, different analytical outcomes can be achieved. Comparative exegesis, as an intra-disciplinary method, emphasizes the study of exegesis and various commentaries, seeking a deeper understanding of the meanings of the Quran while interdisciplinary studies, as an extra-disciplinary method, examines a single issue using multiple academic disciplines and emphasizes the integration and exchange of knowledge.

2. Assessing the Scope of Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies

Unlike comparative exegesis, interdisciplinary studies examine a single issue that can be analyzed across various disciplines. This single issue could be one of the Quranic topics that can also be discussed in other sciences. For example, exploring subjects such as the relationship between the Quran and empirical sciences or social sciences can be considered an interdisciplinary study.

Since this work focuses on Quranic interdisciplinary studies, the single issue in interdisciplinary studies will necessarily be one of the Quranic topics shared with other sciences that can also be discussed in those disciplines. Given that interdisciplinary studies involve at least two academic disciplines, if scope is taken as the criterion for assessment, it must be said that in this case, interdisciplinary studies will be more general (aʿamm). This is because the scope of interdisciplinary studies can extend beyond Quranic topics and exegesis, whereas in comparative studies, the scope remains limited to the exegesis itself.

3. Assessing the Methodology in Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies

Comparative exegesis constitutes a research methodology with its own distinct process, as it falls under comparative studies – which itself represents a research method. Therefore, positioning comparative exegesis as an exegetical style parallel to thematic and sequential exegesis warrants careful consideration. Similarly, interdisciplinary studies are also discussed as a research methodology. Consequently, these two types of studies are parallel in terms of being methods of research, and we can assert that their relationship, based on the criterion that both are research methods, is one of equality. Thus, in comparative exegesis, the research method is comparative, while in interdisciplinary studies the method would be dynamic rather than specific to any single discipline under discussion. It can be said that the term “interdisciplinary” refers to the stage of integrating perspectives from two or more disciplines in interdisciplinary studies. Therefore, the relationship between these two types of studies, with the criterion of methodology in the aforementioned sense, would be one of contrast (tabāyun).

Conclusion

In this study, after examining the relationship between interdisciplinary and comparative studies, we have demonstrated that there is a major difference between the nature of these two methodologies. Specifically, differences are evident in their methodology, whether they are intra-disciplinary or extra-disciplinary, the scope of subjects, and ultimate objectives. However, these differences are not absolute, and they share common ground in certain areas such as exegesis or the intermediate goal of cognition. Based on these findings, the study has defined the relationship between these two approaches in terms of their nature and scope as being both contrastive (tabāyun) and general-specific in certain aspects (ʿām wa khāṣṣ min wajh). Furthermore, the methodological evaluation revealed that both are treated as research methodologies; however, they maintain a contrastive relationship when considering their processes and types of research methods (comparative or dynamic).

References

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Keywords

• comparative exegesis
• interdisciplinary studies
• comparative studies

Main Subjects

• Islamic