The Ethics of Interpreting the Holy Quran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Corresponding Author, Assistant Professor, Quran va Hadith University

2 Assistant Professor, University of Tehran, Qum Campus

Abstract

Phenomenon of understanding the meaning of a text is
highly taken into consideration and viewed from different
perspectives nowadays. Hermeneutics is among those
detailed discussions related to this field. Among
discussions related to the phenomenon of understanding
and its explanation as well as interpretation is ethics of
them: whether or not man has any responsibility to the text
he is trying to understand. In other words, is there any
criterion for true understanding and interpreting the text or
is man free to interpret the text and to attribute what he
understands to the text and its author? When related to the
sacred texts and the Holy Quran, the issue becomes of
more significance. Relying on Islamic texts, the present
paper attempts to expound the ethical theory of
understanding and interpretation, clarify moral
responsibility of those addressed by texts, and discuss the
scope of understanding and interpretation with respect to
moral criteria especially in relation to the Holy Quran.

Keywords