MAULANA FARAHI’S PRINCIPLES OF UTILIZING DIVINE SCRIPTURES AND THEIR APPLICATION IN QUR’ANIC EXEGESIS: A CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

This article examines Maulana Hamid al-Din Farahi’s methodological principles concerning the use of previous divine scriptures in Qur’anic exegesis and critically evaluates their practical application. It highlights the apparent inconsistency between his theoretical principles and their application, particularly in interpreting the Qur’anic accounts of the miracles and punishments inflicted upon previous nations. Through an analytical examination of the accounts of Prophet Musa, the people of Lut, and the people of Noah (peace be upon them), the study demonstrates how Maulana Farahi interprets various forms of divine punishment, including the splitting of the sea, the shower of stones, and the Flood, primarily in terms of wind. The article argues that such interpretations sometimes conflict with the explicit Qur’anic wording and that Maulana Farahi occasionally departs from his own exegetical principles to maintain his theory of Qur’anic coherence (Nazm al-Qur’an).