Uṣūl al-Tafsīr: The Sciences andMethodology of the Quran Journal Article

This book Uṣūl al-Tafsīr could only have been written by an author with profound experience in the history and exegesis of the Qur’an in particular, as well as with a great deal of familiarity and comprehensive understanding of the various Islamic disciplines. In his valuable work, Recep Doğan, a lecturer of Islamic sciences and civilizations at Australia’s Charles Stuart University, attempts to fill a gap in the literature of the methodology of Qur’anic exegesis. In the introductory chapter, Doğan deals with the history of ‘ulūm al- Qur’ān and defines the different terminology related to it, such as fahm al- Qur’ān (understanding), ‘ilm al-Qur’ān (science), and fiqh al-Qur’ān (jurisprudence). Prior to that, the study of the Qur’an used to be included under the science of hadith and recognized as the book of exegesis (kitāb al-tafsīr). Doğan then provides defi- nitions for many different terminologies in the field of Qur’anic exegesis, such as ta’wīl, uṣūl al-tafsīr, ‘ulūm al-tafsīr, and the translation of the Qur’an.