A Comparative Study of the Role of Literary Preferences and Context of Readings in Tabarsi’s Majma al-Bayan and Farra’s Maʿani al-Quran with an Explanation of the Exegetic Effect in Related Verses

Abstract

Among the books of Quranic readings and Quranic sciences and exegesis, there are different indicators to determine the preference of popular readings over each other; indicators that the scholars of this field have always used in reasoning throughout the history of this science. One of the most important indicators is that the readings are inArabic. Adhering to the common laws of Arabic usage and syntax, eloquence and rhetoric are counted as some of the criteria for deciding Arabicness.When counting the aspects of the preference of readings over the Hafs Reading, the aspect that is most statistically preferred is the one related to literary preference based on indisputable Arabic laws, in the sense that in numerous instances, another reading in terms of Arabicness is preferred over the Haf reading. Similarly, a study of the context of verses in some instances expresses the preference of other readings over the Hafs one. These preferences have also led to differences in the exegetic views of interpreters. The focus of this article is to study these aspects of preference and analysis of some of the instances based on the views of Tabarsi and Farra in comparison to other Sunni and Shiite exegetes. Some of the results of this research include: resolving some of the problems in justifying the literary aspect of verses in exegesis considering other popular readings, explaining the semantic aspect more clearly in exegesis, the academic acceptance of both the Sunnis and Shias in this aspect, etc.

Keywords

• readings
• hafs reading
• literary preference
• reading preference
• context