A study of Said Hawwa and Tabatabais approach to the relevance and coherence of verses and suras

Abstract

In recent years, Quranic scholars and those concerned about the study of Quran have been interested in attaining a comprehensive approach to suras and verses of the Quran, finding a relationship between them and arranging all them verses of one sura around one objective. This attitude can be considered as a reaction against the doubts some orientalists have raised, suggesting that Quran consist of a variety of isolated issues and scattered ideas and messages. In respond, some contemporary scholars of Quran believe that behind this allegedly isolated issues there is an unavoidable link, a thematic unity relating all the verses together. This study evaluates the principles of this theory as well as the convenient means for identifying the relation between different verses of a sura or different suras, from the viewpoint of two contemporary exegetes, Allameh Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabayi in al-Mizan and Said Hava in al-Assass fi-l-tafsir. Both interpreter in order to show the relevance claimed, have employed different means and evidences, while trying to avoid any enforcement of their own personal tastes on the verses of the Quran. Meanwhile, to both of them, the context enjoyed a special significance for indicating the main subject of the verse. This article reviews the methods of these two interpreter and reveals their similarities and differences.

Keywords

• relevance
• tabatabayi
• said hava
• thematic unity