Authority Dominion of Reason as the Source in Interpretation of the Qur’an with an Emphasis on Tafsīr al-Mīzān

There is difference of opinion among the proponents of jurisprudential interpretation concerning the domain and scope of reason in Qur’an interpretation. In this research we intend to examine the dominion of the authority of reason in Tafsīr al-Mīzān as one the most significant jurisprudential interpretations of the two major sects (of Shi’a and Sunni). To this end, first what is intended by reason and its types (reason as the source and reason as beacon) are clarified and accordingly the jurisprudential interpretation of the Qur’an are divided into three groups of traditionist, rationalist, and functionalist. Due to the fact that the reason as beacon and intuition were specifically out of the scope of this article, we continued the discourse in the realm of reason as the source and proceeded to examine various types of rationalist jurisprudential interpretation, i.e., the rationally evident; rational proofs; theological, philosophical, and scientific fundamentals, and the objects of perception of practical intellect in Al-Mīzān. It was concluded that all types of rationalist jurisprudential interpretations are brought up in Tafsīr al-Mīzān; therefore, from the viewpoint of the writer of Al-Mīzān the authority dominion of the reason as the source in the interpretation of the Qur’an includes all the above-mentioned types.