ما الذي يمكن تعلّمه من القرآن؟ وكيف؟ دراسة في ضوء العقلانية النقدية

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce a critical rationalist approach to studying the Quran. Following a very short introduction, I shall introduce the main tenets of critical rationalism (Sec. 1). In the second section, I shall briefly discuss a cluster of related notions, namely, ‘algorithmic compressibility’, ‘complex systems’, and ‘logical depth’. Taking stock from this discussion, I shall argue in the next section (Sec. 3) that the Quran is a complex system with a significant logical depth and that its message can be best understood with a critical rationalist approach. Section four deals, in a very brief manner, with the all-important discussion concerning the relevance of the notion of ‘meaning’ to the understanding of the Quran. I shall then explore in the fifth section possible similarities between the critical rationalist approach and the approach introduced by Ali ibn Abi Talib in his Nahj al-Balaghih, known as the method of istintaq (interrogation). In section six, some possible criticisms of the critical rationalist approach to studying the Quran will be considered. The paper will close (conclusion) with a recapitulation of the main arguments introduced in the previous seven sections.