UDK 28-277
Author
Abdullah Saeed
Abstract
This text is the ninth chapter of the book Interpreting the Qur’an. Towards a contemporary approach in which the author focuses on the issue of ‘meaning’ in interpreting the ethical and legal content of the Qur’an. The author does not adopt any particular theory of meaning (e.g. reference, semantic, ideological or functional), but considers them all somewhat relevant in the interpretation of the ethical and legal content of the Qur’an. He states that for many textualists, classical and modern, the reference theory of meaning was the most relevant. The author criticizes the textualist understanding and advocates the adoption of a meaning that is more appropriate to the interpretation of the ethical and legal content of the Qur’an. He also believes that the reference theory of meaning is inappropriate in interpreting the ethical and legal texts of the Qur’an, and advocates recognizing the degree of uncertainty and complexity of meaning, the importance of context (linguistic, socio-historical and cultural) and the legitimacy of multiple understandings.
Key words
meaning, complexity of meaning, reference theory, literal meaning, interpretation
URL: /en/recognizing-the-complexity-of-meaning-of-the-quran-text/