A Critical Analysis of the Pluralist Interpretation of Q. 109:6 (Sūrat al-Kāfirūn) in Light of Intratextual and Extratextual Approaches

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

The issue of religious pluralism in theoretical belief and practical program represents one of the enduring questions in the history of interfaith encounters that has received renewed attention in recent periods due to various causes and purposes. Religious pluralism encompasses different meanings and dimensions, and proponents of pluralism have relied on various arguments, including religious content and Quranic verses, to establish their position. Many of these claims and their supporting evidence have frequently been subject to examination, critique, and refutation. One verse that has received less scholarly attention is the sixth verse of Sūrat al-Kāfirūn: "To you your religion, and to me my religion" (lakum dīnukum wa-liya dīn). Pluralism advocates maintain that this verse confirms pluralism in truth and veracity, grants various religions and beliefs a share in truth, and accepts the multiplicity of religions. The principal research question is whether, based on conventional approaches to Quranic understanding, this interpretation of the verse is correct, and if problematic, what criticisms may be raised against it? In this article, employing a descriptive-analytical method, we explain two interpretive approaches—namely, the use of internal contextual indicators and reliance on supportive external principles—and examine the pluralistic interpretation of the verse against these two approaches. We attempt to prove the hypothesis that such an interpretation is unacceptable neither through reliance on context and internal indicators nor through dependence on general external principles.

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Main Subjects

References

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