The Novel Ideas of Ibn Sina in the Philosophical Exegesis of Surah al-Tawhid and the Critique of Muhaqqiq Dawani

The blessed Surah al-Tawḥīd is the second shortest chapter of the Qurʾān that contains the most profound discussions on the knowledge of God within it. According to the traditions, its recitation equals [the recitation of] onethird of the Qurʾān. It is further stated in a tradition that this surah is revealed for the insightful people who will come in the future. This may mean that future generations will attain a deeper understanding of the meanings of Surah al-Tawḥīd. Since the nature of the divine is one of the main subjects discussed in philosophy, and given that this surah contains within it discussions regarding the nature of the divine, it has always been given importance by exegetes and some philosophers as well. Ibn Sīnā is the first person to propound a philosophical exegesis of Surah al-Tawḥīd through the method of rational argument and hermeneutics, and thus has brought about innovation in the field of Qurʾānic exegesis. Dawānī is also the first to write a philosophical critique of Ibn Sīnā’s exegesis. The purpose of this research, which is the first to written in this regard, is to examine the innovations of Ibn Sīnā and Dawānī in the context of the exegesis of the blessed Surah al- Tawḥīd.