Selected exegetical principles and ideas

Qur’anic exegesis (interpretation), or tafsir , has been central to the intellectual development and practical application of Islam as a religion since the very beginning of Islam in the seventh century CE. Over time, Muslim scholars have developed a range of principles and methods for approaching the Qur’an, all of which have been designed to assist in interpreting and understanding its meaning. These intellectual approaches have varied; some scholars have focused more on interpreting the Qur’an according to the Qur’an itself, or as it was interpreted by the Prophet and the earliest Muslims; others have focused on the use of independent reasoning and the ability of individual scholars to deduce meaning from the text. Other developments have related to the classification of the text itself; for example, whether a given verse is ambiguous or clear and whether its meaning can be best understood literally or as a metaphor. As with all areas of intellectual endeavour in Islam, the development of these classifications and approaches has been accompanied by a rich history of debate. What follows is largely based on the Sunni tradition.