A Preliminary Conceptual History of the Science of Taʾwīl: From the Period of the Prophet Muḥammad to al-Ghazālī

Abstract

This article offers a preliminary conceptual history of the science of taʾwīl from the time of the Prophet Muḥammad to Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d.1111 CE). While taʾwīl has long been recognised as integral to ʿulūm al-Qurʾān, its formal development as an independent discipline remains underexplored compared to tafsīr. Drawing upon both classical sources and modern analytical frameworks, this article argues that the conceptual and methodological sophistication of taʾwīl emerged alongside, and often within, tafsīr. The article employs the classical three-period periodisation of tafsīr while integrating Alparslan Açıkgenç’s historical model of scientific development in Islamic intellectual history. Through this dual framework, the study demonstrates how taʾwīl progressively evolved in scope, terminology, and method, attaining its earliest systematic and scientific maturity in the works of al-Ghazālī. The survey in this article, although inexhaustive, establishes a conceptual groundwork for future research and highlights the significance of tracing the intellectual development of taʾwīl in safeguarding its conceptual and practical integrity.