https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/ Journal of Interdisciplinary Qur'anic Studies en daily 1 Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106596.html The Recent advancements in deep learning have yielded novel and significant capabilities in natural language processing (NLP) and automatic inference generation. These capabilities are particularly critical due to their resemblance to human reasoning. At the same time, interdisciplinary initiatives have led to substantial advancements in the realms of knowledge and technology. In this study, the Qur’an is examined as a rich source of multiple concepts and teachings. The objective of this research is to employ natural language processing algorithms to derive meaningful and accurate inferences from the English translation of the Qur’an. Inference is defined as the process of deriving a new and logical sentence from two basic and related sentences. The research methodology introduces a model that utilizes transformers and pre-trained language models. Consequently, we construct the set of all unique unordered verse pairs (i<j) from 6,236 verses, totaling 19,440,730 pair evaluations. A fine-tuned BERT-based classifier labels each pair as either exhibiting or not exhibiting a syllogistic relation. Pairs predicted as “Yes” and exceeding a confidence threshold of 0.80 proceed to the subsequent stage, which is inference generation, while all other pairs are discarded. In the following phase, large language models are employed to generate inferences from the selected pairs of verses. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106615.html The Qur’an contains verses endowed with profound and complex meanings. Some exegetes and scholars in the field of Qur’anic studies believe that the science of interpretation systematizes this complexity and facilitates deeper understanding. Exegesis, in turn, engages with the various facets or dimensions of the Qur’an. The present paper employs an analytical–comparative method to investigate the issue of Buṭūn of the Qur’an (the inward meanings of the Qur’an) and the emergence of new dimensions within Qur’anic verses, while also applying the characteristics of fractal dimensions to the concept of Baṭn (inward meaning).By utilizing the newly articulated dimensions framed within scientific and political Laffāfeh (envelope) under the Buṭūn of the Qur’an, and by applying the properties of fractal geometry to the Qur’an’s inward meanings (Buṭūn), the presence of such dimensions can be more readily identified. Thus, it can be argued that the Buṭūn of the Qur’an constitute the dimensions of the Qur’an that necessitate its profound conceptual depth. As time progresses and advancements are made, human understanding increasingly reveals that the Qur’an, by virtue of these dimensions, has not only remained relevant throughout all eras but has also continuously offered meanings contingent upon humanity’s level of understanding, shaped by the achievements and advancements of each age. This profound comprehension stems from God’s attribute as the Knower of the Unseen (ʿālim al-ghayb). https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106636.html This paper asks whether existing scholarship on the unity and structure of Surah al-Nisāʾ can be used as a hermeneutic tool. The first part of the paper attempts to find if there is meaning in the structure, particularly in the final verse on Kalālah, verse 176 which seems to be misplaced. The second part of the paper explores some of the key words used to describe gender/marital relations in Surah al-Nisāʾ, which are actually repeated throughout the surah in different capacities. Drawing on three classical and modern tafsīrs with an eye to coherence (al-Rāzī, al-Biqāʿī, and Tabataba’i) this paper recontextualises such words as qiwāmah, faḍl, and nushūz. In the final discussion, concepts of femininity and masculinity as they relate to the surah are analysed.  https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106667.html This study aims to examine the Qur’anic verses that record the dialogues between the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the people. After identifying the dialogical methods employed by the Prophet’s audience, it investigates how the Prophet responded to both opponents and supporters according to their methods. To achieve accurate results and provide a systematic analysis of the verses, association rules (a data-mining method) have been applied. The findings show that the Holy Qur’an contains 153 verses devoted to the dialogues of the Prophet with the people, which can be divided into 72 separate conversations. The main focus of this study is on the verses in which the people initiate the dialogue and the Prophet provides the response. By categorizing the Prophet’s interlocutors into opponents and supporters, and by identifying the dialogical methods used by both sides, ten dialogical methods were recognized: emotional, argumentative, interrogative, exhortative, persuasive, propagative, denunciatory, assertive, derisive, and threatening. The analysis reveals that when the opponents initiate dialogue in an interrogative manner, the Prophet’s response is propagative; when their method is denunciatory, the Prophet responds with propagative and argumentative approaches; when their method is assertive, the Prophet responds in a persuasive manner; and when their method is derisive, his response is threatening. By contrast, the dialogue method of  the supporters is predominantly interrogative, to which the Prophet responds in an exhortative manner. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106693.html This article investigates sentiment and tone analysis of the verses of the Holy Qur’an using advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. By leveraging deep learning transformer models such as AraBERT and MARBERT, distinct models were designed and implemented for sentiment analysis (positive, negative, and neutral) and multi-label tone analysis. These models aim to identify emotional and tonal patterns within the sacred text of the Qur’an. Evaluation results demonstrate satisfactory accuracy and F1 scores in detecting these patterns. Furthermore, an analysis of the Qur’an’s text reveals a balanced distribution of tones across its chapters (surahs). This research underscores the potential of NLP as a powerful tool for analyzing complex and multifaceted religious texts, paving the way for future studies in this domain. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106876.html The Noble Qur’an employs parables (al-amthāl) as a method for bringing the human mind closer to the comprehension of transcendent truths. The expression “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth” (Q. 24:35) is among the most prominent Qur’anic parables that has long invited reflection among scholars of the Islamic sciences. Using a descriptive–analytical method, this study examines the historical trajectory of the interpretation of this verse in relation to the development of theories in optics. It also analyzes the system of parables in the Qur’an and demonstrates, in light of recent scientific findings, the possibility of novel understandings of this verse that have been neglected in existing exegetical works. A review of the historical course of interpretation reveals that empirical scientific knowledge had little influence on exegetical understandings up to the 13th century CE. The interpretation of al-nūr (light) by Suhrawardī as “that which is manifest and makes manifest” has endured due to its consonance with the empirical understanding of the nature of light.This study shows that, from an ontological perspective grounded in the metaphorical nature of the cosmos, the manifestation of higher truths within it, and the expression of these truths in the Qur’an through parables, attention to recent findings in optical science leads to the discovery of new dimensions of this Qur’anic parable. Features of light, such as the reflection of light in bodies depending on their properties, the visibility of only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the absoluteness of the speed of light irrespective of the observer’s motion, and the absence of perceived temporal passage in a hypothetical motion at the speed of light, respectively evoke the levels of divine manifestation in beings, the limitations of human perception, and the absoluteness and atemporality of God. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106948.html Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s theory of the “historicity of the text,” which emphasizes the primacy of cultural context in textual formation, reduces the revelation to a historically bounded linguistic message. By producing a rupture between the textual horizon of meaning and the horizon of the contemporary interpreter, this approach raises serious challenges for the efficacy and dynamism of the language of the Qur’an. The present study, with a critical approach, evaluates Abu Zayd’s linguistic model on the basis of the theory of rūḥ al-maʿnā (spirit of meaning) in Transcendent Philosophy (al-Ḥikmah al-Mutaʿāliyyah). The findings indicate that Abu Zayd’s theory rests on two fundamental errors. First, an ontological rupture between text and author: by treating the text as an independent historical product, Abu Zayd separates it from its author’s trans-historical subjectivity. In contrast, in the rūḥ al-maʿnā model the text is a manifestation and existential continuation of the author, and a union between text and author is established that guarantees the persistence and vitality of meaning. Second, a spurious dualization of maʿnā and maghzā: Abu Zayd holds that maʿnā (meaning as a historical signified) is imprisoned in the past and must be contemporized by constructing a new maghzā (interpretive significance). By contrast, the rūḥ al-maʿnā theory, by explicating the mechanism by which words are instituted for the spirit of meaning, demonstrates that the signification of Qur’anic words is not constrained to the material-historical instances of the period of revelation; rather, words  are instituted for  general functions  and universals. Accordingly, textual meaning possesses a fluid referential capacity that, without requiring a separation between maʿnā and maghzā, can be applied to novel instances in any temporal context. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106982.html The construction of the barrier by Dhū al-Qarnayn, as depicted in Surah al-Kahf (Q. 18:96), involves a unique combination of iron and copper. Traditionally, this process has been interpreted as the formation of a homogenous metallurgical alloy. However, from the perspective of materials science, this “Alloy Hypothesis” faces severe technical challenges, including the extreme melting point of iron and the inherent immiscibility of the iron-copper (Fe-Cu) system. This study employs a multidisciplinary methodology, combining Qur’anic analysis with historical metallurgical data from the Achaemenid era (6th century BCE) as a representative technological baseline. We argue that the barrier was not a product of anachronistic alloying but rather a masterpiece of composite engineering. By introducing a “Composite Model” based on interfacial thermal bonding and capillary infiltration, we demonstrate how ancient engineers could achieve structural unification (radm) and corrosion resistance without violating the physical laws of thermodynamics. Our findings suggest that the use of copper as a low-temperature intermediary binder provided a feasible solution for creating an impenetrable, monolithic barrier within the technological constraints of antiquity. https://iqs.sbu.ac.ir/article_106983.html Michael Riffaterre’s semiotic theory, with its emphasis on ungrammaticality and multi-layered reading, has provided an influential model for analyzing the distinctive structure of poetic language. This study investigates the application of Riffaterre’s semiotic framework to Qur’anic interpretation, with a specific focus on Angelika Neuwirth’s intertextual readings of the Qur’an. Neuwirth views the Qur’an as a poetic and dialogical text that engages with earlier religious and cultural traditions.  She employs Riffaterre’s model to reveal the text's semantic depth and internal coherence through the notions of ungrammaticality and dual signification. Using Surah al-Ikhlāṣ as a case study, this paper critically evaluates Neuwirth’s application of Riffaterre’s theory by examining her treatment of the supposed “ungrammaticality” regarding the use of the word aḥad. The paper argues that the notion of ungrammaticality in the Qur’an can be reinterpreted not as a violation of linguistic norms, but rather as a semiotic cue that signals deeper intertextual and theological meanings. Accordingly, evaluating alleged irregularities requires a contextual analysis of lexical patterns across the entire Qur’an, where usage, frequency, and semantic range reveal a consistent theological logic. By integrating insights from classical Arabic grammar, lexicography, and tafsīr with modern semiotic theory, this study reassesses the scope and limits of applying Riffaterre’s model to sacred text analysis. It concludes that while semiotic and intertextual approaches can illuminate the Qur’an’s structural and semantic complexity, they must operate within a balanced hermeneutical framework that  respects the text's revelatory nature and linguistic precision. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the intentional utilization of ungrammaticality in the Qur’an effectively serves specific theological functions.