A Study on the Term 'Comparison' in Interpretations of Kashani

Abstract

The inner-mystical experiences of seekers, which are formed on the basis of struggle (spiritual care), open the door to new intuitive insights and interpretations on them. The language and type of discourse chosen to express these discoveries and intuitions are different. From the fourth to the ninth century AH, Sufi commentaries played a unique role in the interpretation of the Qur'an. In the second mystical tradition, which begins in the seventh century, the acquisition of knowledge is linked to ontology. Meanwhile, Abd al-Razzaq Kashani (d. 730) in his interpretations, which is an individual interpretation with a philosophical and mystical approach, interprets the knowledge of the heart of the Qur'an and uses the term "adaptation" in cases such as the unexplainability of the verse . As Kashani himself has pointed out, in a few cases he has used these adaptations to show the way to the newcomers and to provide the ground for their progress and decline. Although there have been no previous interpretations of the reconciliation of Qur'anic stories with the spiritual forces before him, Abdul Razzaq seems to have used adaptation with a specific function and perhaps as a basis for interpretation. In a descriptive-analytical way, this study examines the examples used in the term adaptation in this interpretation to clarify the exact semantic range of this term and the relationship between adaptation and interpretation. According to the obtained results, the term adaptation in interpretations is different from interpretation and the main focus of the use of this term in Kashani is the self-knowledge or ontology of Sufis - the interaction of human elements during the peak or spiritual decline.