An Examination of the Semantic Opposition of

Ramyar, Fatemeh; Hosseini, Zaynab Al-Sadat

doi:10.22034/qc.2026.565723.1236

An Examination of the Semantic Opposition of "Ta'wil" in the Thought of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli and the Philosophical Hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Ramyar ¹

Zaynab al-Sadat Hosseini ²

¹ Ph.D. Student, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

10.22034/qc.2026.565723.1236

Abstract

Given the special status of Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutic theory in discovering hidden layers of meaning and its widespread influence on contemporary interpretive studies, the main issue of this research is to examine the possibility of aligning the foundations of this theory with the purpose and function of narratives of ta'wil in Islamic thought. Using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, this research compares seven prominent narratives of ta'wil interpreted by Ayatollah Javadi Amoli within the framework of Ricoeur's theory. The findings indicate that the narratives of ta'wil in Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's thought carry fixed and divine meanings, while Ricoeur's hermeneutics emphasizes the construction of meaning within the textual process. The conclusion indicates that despite apparent commonalities in attention to multiple levels of meaning, the two viewpoints are in opposition. Ricoeur's hermeneutics, centered on the reader and the construction of meaning, stands in contrast to ta'wil, which is centered on the text and the discovery of fixed truth. This methodical process ultimately reveals the limitations of the hermeneutic approach in dealing with revelatory texts.

Keywords

Hermeneutics, Ta'

wil, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Paul Ricoeur, Semantic Opposition

Subjects