The Authority of the Qur’anic Text between Imami Interpretation and Modernist Criticism: An Analytical Study in Light of the Theses of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd

Abstract

This study explores the concept of "textual authority" through an interpretive comparison between two distinct approaches in Islamic thought: the traditional Imami (Shi‘i) methodology, which bases the understanding of the Qur'an on the infallible authority of the Prophet’s family (Ahl al-Bayt), and the modern hermeneutic approach represented by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, who views the text as a cultural product shaped by its historical and social context, with the reader playing a central role in constructing its meaning. The research is structured around four main sections: the epistemological basis of Imami interpretation, the concept of textual authority in the Imami school, Abu Zayd’s thesis on the historicity of the text and the reader’s role, and finally a comparative analysis. The study concludes with a balanced critical evaluation, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each approach, and proposes the possibility of a reconciliatory interpretive dialogue that preserves the sanctity of the text while engaging with modern methodologies.