Journal Of Islamic Denominations

Journal Of Islamic Denominations

A Semantic Examination and Analysis of Esotericism and Literalism with a Focus on Sources of Salafist Scholars

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Safadasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jid.2024.391485.2411
Abstract
The issue of esotericism (adherence to esoteric interpretations of religious texts or taʾwīl) versus literalism (or Zahirism, which is the strict adherence to the literal meanings of religious texts) has long been a subject of debate among various Islamic schools of thought. This debate has led to significant disagreements and objections among scholars. These disputes arise from differing interpretations of the term “taʾwīl” (interpretation) as used in the Quran and other sources, concerning whether it is synonymous, distinct, related, unrelated, or identical in meaning. Without addressing this question, it is challenging to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concept of “interpretation,” which has contributed to divisions among theological and philosophical schools. This article uses an analytic-descriptive approach to contextualize the issue of “taʾwīl” within the relevant disciplines and to clarify the semantic network of the term against its related concepts. It argues that “taʾwīl” refers to a type of interpretation derived from the context of the speech and its implicatures—meaning what is implied by the speech rather than its literal meaning. Therefore, the term “taʾwīl” encompasses both literal and implied meanings.
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Keywords
Subjects

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