The experience of significance in the book Al-Kashf wal-Bayan by Al-Thaalabi: An exemplary study

Abstract

In our contemporary world, in which technological sciences have exploded in a way that we have never witnessed before, the issue of shedding light on the invisible significance of interpretive books is particularly prominent, and the book “Kashf wal-Bayan” by Al-Thalabi is among these interpretive books that still comfortably bear the influence on thinking and understanding. Hence its importance as it is one of the oldest interpretations and was composed in the fourth century AH for a number of times. This interpretation is the peg that the commentators have collected in their interpretive books, and for the clear indication of the signature in the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, since knowing the Qur’anic verses is correct, it is actually correct due to the semantic foundations on which it is based. This article is an attempt to explore the depth and importance of this book from the perspective of its significance. Here we will discuss how the Holy Qur’an influenced the change and development of the meanings of words in this prominent interpretive work, and we will review how the study of semantics in this book shows the transformation of concepts and ideas over time, and how it contributes to a deeper understanding of the interaction between the interpretation of verses and the meaning of words. This study relied on the descriptive and analytical approach, and the multiple meanings of words and structures according to the linguistic level at which they are viewed, through the influence of sounds, meanings, linguistic and grammatical formulations, and context. These differences in connotations have a significant impact on understanding the comprehensive meanings of words and sentences, especially with some researchers adopting the stylistic approach and beginning to apply it. It is worth noting that the books of interpretation vary in the extent of their interest in these connotations, ranging from quick references to the predecessors to careful studies in more recent times, and this is due to their influence by the new stylistic approach, which actually represents one of the important effects of the predecessors’ references in this field.