AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hojat-ol-Islam Saleh Vazirizadeh said modern humanities methods, digital tools, and artificial intelligence could help researchers analyze human issues more precisely. However, he said this depends on clear methodology, comprehensive evidence, and established principles of interpretation.
Hojat-ol-Islam Vazirizadeh, a teacher at both seminary and university levels, described thematic interpretation as a significant capacity for expanding scientific studies.
“This method allows for a systematic examination of human topics and issues by referring to the verses of the Holy Quran,” he said. In this approach, he explained, the researcher does not examine verses according to their order in the chapters. Instead, the researcher gathers a set of verses related to a specific topic and analyzes their content in relation to one another.
He added that using this method alongside conventional academic research requires a precise definition of the topic, comprehensive identification of related verses, and evaluation of results based on textual evidence, linguistic and literary analysis, and credible exegetical sources. In sequential interpretation, by contrast, the interpreter examines the verses of a chapter or a section in order and discusses vocabulary, literary structure, content, related narrations, and interpretive points. For example, in interpreting Surah Al-Fatiha, the examination begins with the first verse. After analyzing the meaning of the words and literary and content-related points, subsequent verses are studied in order.
Hojat-ol-Islam Vazirizadeh continued, “In thematic interpretation, the starting point of the research is a specific topic. For example, if a researcher wants to examine the concept of ethics or patience in the Quran, he must identify and gather related verses from different chapters. Then he must classify and summarize the findings by examining vocabulary, expressions, messages, interpretive narrations, and the views of exegetes.”
He stated that since verses related to a single topic may be scattered across different parts of the Quran, the researcher must examine them together and in light of the context and content of each verse. This is done to obtain a coherent picture of the topic. “Therefore, in this method, the research topic is the focus of gathering and analyzing the verses,” he said.
The seminary teacher noted that thematic attention to verses has a history in the interpretation tradition. “Thematic interpretation should not be considered a completely new and unprecedented method,” he said. “What has received more attention in modern periods is the development of thematic research methods, a more precise explanation of their steps, and the use of new capacities to identify and analyze related verses.”
Two Main Paths for Selecting A Topic in Thematic Interpretation
Hojat-ol-Islam Vazirizadeh distinguished two main paths for selecting a topic in thematic interpretation. In one approach, he said, the researcher selects the topic from the Quranic text or other religious texts. For example, when encountering the concept of patience in one verse, the researcher examines how this concept appears in other verses and what other dimensions and meanings it has. In this method, research begins with a Quranic concept, and identifying related verses and studying interpretive sources helps complete the researcher’s understanding.
He said that in the other path, the starting point of the research can be an issue outside the Quranic text. This is an issue that arises in individual life, social relations, the family environment, or the cultural structures of society. In this case, the researcher first identifies and formulates the problem, then refers to the Quran to examine its related dimensions.
Referring to the issue of juvenile delinquency, the university teacher said, “When society faces harmful behaviors among teenagers, this issue can be turned into a research question, and the capacity of Quranic verses to examine its moral, educational, and human dimensions can be studied.”
He added, “In such research, merely finding a word similar to the title of the issue in the Quran is not enough. Rather, the precise dimensions of the topic must be specified, and the real connection of the verses to it must be examined. One cannot conclude that a complete answer to a complex social issue has been obtained by finding a few similar words or phrases.”
The cleric stated that this type of study can bring the questions of contemporary humans, cultural and educational issues, and topics related to family and social relations into the arena of systematic Quranic examination. However, he said, providing precise answers to these issues requires specialized study and attention to the complexities of each topic.
Role of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Tools in Quranic Studies
In response to a question about the possibility of using contemporary humanities research methods in Quranic studies, Hojat-ol-Islam Vazirizadeh said using different scientific methods to study the Quran and narrations is not inherently problematic. Researchers can use methods appropriate to the research topic, new data analysis tools, and modern technologies to examine religious texts. This is conditional on these methods being compatible with the nature of the text and the objectives of the research.
Referring to the capacity of digital tools, he added that software and computational tools can help researchers search for vocabulary, identify different uses of a word, classify textual data, and examine relationships between concepts. Tools based on artificial intelligence can also be used in some early stages of research, including suggesting related vocabulary or organizing information.
The seminary and university scholar stated that using such tools does not mean there is no need for specialized examination. “The output of software and artificial intelligence systems must be evaluated by referring to the original text, credible sources, and scientific rules,” he said. “New tools can facilitate the research process, but the accuracy of an interpretive understanding cannot be confirmed merely based on the output of a software program.”
He concluded by saying that in interdisciplinary research, the method used must also be properly defined. “For example, if a researcher uses sociological methods to examine an issue, it must be clear what data is being examined, how concepts are defined, and what evidence the conclusion is based on. Alongside these steps, the specific characteristics of the Quranic text must also be considered when interpreting verses.”
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