A faculty member from the College of Islamic Sciences at the University of Karbala, Professor Dr. Iqbal Wafi Najm, participated in a series of international scientific seminars organized by the University of Tehran in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the participation of a distinguished group of professors from international universities. The seminar was entitled: “Analysis and Critique of Contemporary Qur’anic Exegesis – Al-Tafsir al-Jamiʿ as a Model.”
During the seminar, Dr. Iqbal Wafi presented a concise study on the book Al-Tafsir al-Jamiʿ by Dr. Mohammed Abdul Sattar Al-Sayyid. The study was structured around three main axes. The first axis focused on introducing the author, his upbringing, and an overview of his academic biography. The second axis was devoted to introducing Al-Tafsir al-Jamiʿ through a presentation of the foundations upon which the author based his exegesis, which she summarized into eight principles. These included interpreting the Qur’an by the Qur’an itself, interpreting it through the sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), reliance on language and reason, and the application of contextual rules related to the circumstances of time, in addition to occasions of revelation.
The third axis addressed the methodology of Al-Tafsir al-Jamiʿ, clarifying the multiplicity of exegetical approaches adopted therein, and its reliance on the sequential method in interpreting Qur’anic verses, based on both linguistic and transmitted (athari) methodologies, while benefiting from certain disciplines of Qur’anic sciences.
In the conclusion of her participation, Dr. Iqbal Wafi presented a number of critical observations that centered on the historical period in which the author lived and the issues it produced, which influenced his interpretation of Qur’anic verses. She noted that Al-Tafsir al-Jamiʿ largely confined itself to presenting exegetical opinions associated with the author’s own school of thought, rather than encompassing the full spectrum of exegetical views.
This study received considerable interest from the seminar participants due to its rigorous academic approach, which combined analytical and evidentiary methodology with a contemporary rational perspective in the critique of Qur’anic exegesis.
