An introduction
Hundreds of tafsir works have been produced by Muslims scholars with a view to make the message of the Quran accessible to the mankind. These works represent various trends, different approaches, diverse methodologies, multifarious objectives, and numerous schools of thought. Consequently, different, and at times, mutually conflicting interpretations of the words of Allah has caused Muslims to feel confused and dejected.
Interestingly, scholars who have applied one and the same methodology to unfold the truth of the divine speech have also miserably failed to maintain the unity of the message of the Quran, and come up with uncompromisingly contradictory interpretations. This situation serves as an obvious indicator that there is something wrong in the methodology of the interpretation of the Quran.
In the twentieth century some Muslims scholars such as al-Farahi and Islahi proposed and also practically demonstrated a new methodology of tafsir known as Nazm al-Quran. To them, it is not merely an excellent miraculous feature of the Quran but also a methodology. Application of this methodology in the Quranic tafsir leads to the unity of message in the Quran. This methodology may enable the commentators of the Quran to develop various meanings of verses but there is no possibility of conflict among scholars while interpreting the Quran in terms of ideas.
To be continued..
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