نوع مقاله : مقاله تخصصی
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
The Qur’anic concept of Imsāk al-Samāwāt wa al-Arḍ (the withholding of the heavens and the earth), as mentioned in verse 41 of Sūrat Fāṭir, is a key notion in understanding the divine relationship with the cosmos and the continuity of creation. Throughout the history of Qur’anic exegesis, this term has drawn exegetes’ attention to Allah’s role in sustaining and preserving existence, reflecting how the Qur’anic text has been reinterpreted across diverse intellectual horizons. The central question of this study is: How has the exegetical understanding of Imsāk evolved from a physical notion of cosmic preservation to a metaphysical interpretation of continuous ontological emanation? The research methodology is based on conceptual genealogy and qualitative content analysis. Findings indicate that in early theological commentaries, Imsāk was primarily interpreted as divine restraint preventing cosmic collapse, symbolizing Allah’s forbearance and mercy. However, in philosophically inclined exegeses, the concept undergoes a fundamental transformation, being redefined as the sustaining cause of existence and continuous creation where the persistence of the cosmos is seen as dependent on the perpetual emanation from the Necessary Being. The study concludes that the semantic evolution of Imsāk reveals the dynamism of exegetical thought and the Qur’an’s capacity to engage with diverse epistemological frameworks. Exegetes of each era have interpreted the text according to their intellectual needs and foundational knowledge: theologians emphasized its ethical and doctrinal dimensions, while philosophers recontextualized it within ontological discourse. This trajectory highlights the Qur’an’s potential for multilayered interpretation simultaneously ethical, theological, and philosophical.
کلیدواژهها English
