ACADEMIC ESSAYS

The History of Scientific Exegesis of the Qur’an

How European colonialism sparked a new movement in Tafsir

Photo by Syed Aoun Abbas on Unsplash

The history of tafsir begins following the death of the Prophet Muhammad with the Formative Phase. What began as a response to Christian theologians and sceptical philosophers grew until it was consolidated in the eleventh century in the middle of the Recording Phase, which spanned from 700AD until the onset of the Modern Phase in the nineteenth century. It was during the Modern Phase that the discipline of scientific exegesis of the Qur’an emerged as a response to the scientific and medical developments in the Western world.

Colonial Occupation

The French occupation of Egypt in 1798 marked the change in balance of power between Muslims and Europeans. Whilst progress in the Muslim lands had begun to stagnate following the golden age of sciences (786–1258), the adoption of the printing press in Europe from the fifteenth century onwards led to the mass dissemination of ideas. Furthermore, the English Industrial Revolution (1760–1840) had led to the development of machines and devices and German scientists studied the pure sciences, leading to a great jump in the knowledge, productivity and military power of the West. In contrast, it was not until the…