The Intellectual References of Contemporary Imami Commentators and Their Impact on Building a Critical Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the impact of intellectual reference frameworks on shaping critical approaches to Qur’anic interpretation among a selected group of contemporary Imami exegetes. It proceeds from the premise that interpretive narrations are not received as mere transmitted reports; rather, they are examined in light of interrelated textual, doctrinal, rational, linguistic, and historical principles. The study aims to clarify the doctrinal foundation underlying the authority of narrations transmitted from the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and to reveal the differing approaches adopted by exegetes in accepting, interpreting, or suspending judgment on such narrations according to their methodological orientations. The research employs a descriptive-analytical method, supported by induction to trace selected examples from the commentaries of al-Khoei, al-Tabataba’i, Makarem Shirazi, and Fadlallah, as well as comparison to identify areas of agreement and divergence in dealing with interpretive narrations. The study finds that doctrinal reference constitutes the governing framework of Imami exegesis; however, its application is not uniform. The selected exegetes differ in their reliance on strict chain-of-transmission criticism, interpretation of the Qur’an through the Qur’an, rational and linguistic tools, and contemporary social implications. The study further demonstrates that Imami interpretive criticism is not confined to examining chains of transmission, but also extends to testing the content of narrations in the light of monotheism, infallibility, Qur’anic context, and language. This contributes to refining narrations and regulating the levels of reliance upon them without severing ties with their foundational principles. The value of the study lies in presenting a theoretical framework that balances the stability of doctrinal reference with the flexibility of critical tools, thereby supporting a disciplined scholarly reading of contemporary interpretive narrations.