Semantic and rhetorical interpretation in Qur'anic discourse: A comparative study between exegesis and artificial intelligence

Abstract

 This study explores the semantic interpretation of Qur’anic texts from a modern linguistic perspective, through a comparative analysis between human interpretive reasoning and artificial intelligence models such as GPT and AraBERT. The research focuses on four key Qur’anic concepts with deep and multi-layered meanings: mercy, heart, guidance, and light. The findings reveal that while AI models demonstrate strong lexical and structural analysis capabilities, they struggle to comprehend figurative, contextual, and theological meanings inherent in Qur’anic discourse. The study concludes that AI can serve as a supportive tool in Qur’anic education and interpretation, but it cannot replace the depth of human linguistic and contextual understanding.

This study presents several findings that shed light on the relationship between the meanings embedded in Quranic texts and the capacity of artificial intelligence to analyze and interpret them. A comparative analysis of human versus machine-generated interpretations of various Quranic terms reveals that, despite their linguistic sophistication, artificial intelligence models remain incapable of achieving the level of semantic interpretation afforded by the human mind—particularly when applied to texts characterized by profound rhetorical depth, eloquence, and high degrees of symbolism.