An Insight into the Critical Approaches towards Western Civilization in Exegesis Literature of the Sub-Continent

Abstract

The Quran claims to be the final revelation to man, preserving and protecting what was revealed to mankind through earlier Prophets and completing and perfecting that guidance for the future. Since fourteen centuries, Muslim scholars from diverse schools of thought have been interpreting the Holy Quran with accordance to their specific intellectual fields i.e. jurisprudence, philosophy, rationality, theology, mysticism etc. One can find itself into a library of styles, methods, and diversity which are accompanied by different school of thoughts. This can be clearly observed with a careful study of the books of exegesis of the Quran. Among all these approaches, a unique trend was introduced to study the holy verses pertinent to erroneous believes of immoral people mentioned in the holy Quran in the context of the contemporary Western society. This style of interpretation has relevance to the specific political background of the sub-continent on which British ruled for more than a century. Thus, commentators of the holy Quran paid special attention to critically assess Western civilization, its humane values, economic and political fundamentals on the Quranic parameters. Such exegesis style contains several: criticism, admiration, and comparison of the two horizons; the east and the West. The current research will present a study which would critically analyze the intellectual approaches and characteristics of the exegeses as well as estimate the influences of Western culture and intellect on the sub-continent described by the commentators in their unique styles and methods. In conducting this study, inductive, critical, and analytical methodologies will be utilized.