Research Information System
Mutefekkir, vol.11, no.21, pp.29-53, 2024 (Scopus)
The question of whether there are verses in the Qur’ān whose meaning is unknown is one of the problematics discussed in the classical literature. The issue is discussed in the tafsīr literature in the context of the concepts of mutashābih and taʾwīl mentioned in the seventh verse of Surah al-‛Imrān or in the introductory chapters of works of tafsīr. Most of the theologians argue that the Qur’ān cannot contain expressions that cannot be understood, while the majority of the commentators argue that there are verses in the Qur’ān whose interpretation cannot be known. It can be said that the mutakallimūn, in justifying this idea, acted with the reflex of proving that there are no contradictions or meaningless expressions in the Qur’ān. In this context, it is seen that the issue is analyzed as a problematic of theology and speech. In the context of tafsīr, the practical aspects of Qur’ānic language and style are paired with the ontological relevance of the will. In order to follow the debate in a healthy way, it is important to identify terminological and methodological distinctions. In the research, the paradox caused by the presence of incomprehensible verses in the Qur’ān, which was revealed to be understood and is a clear statement, for those who defend the existence of verses whose meaning cannot be known in the classical paradigm, and for those who argue that the Qur’ān is fully comprehensible, the fact of the presence in the Qur’ān of expressions whose truth cannot be grasped due to human ontological and epistemological limits is determined as problematic. In the research, the hypothesis that the authors’ idea of existence and their acceptance of the attribute of kalām are determinative was taken as a starting point. In the research, the concepts and theories embedded in the discourse analysis method were tried to be identified and described, and the verses whose meaning was unknown in the traditional tafsīr paradigm were tried to be interpreted in terms of the declarative nature of the Qur’ān. As a result, it has been determined that the divergence of the authors, who have the same conception of theology, in this debate stems from the conceptual framework.