Haralli Andalusi's Sufi Approach in the Theory of Understanding the Qur’an

The Qur’an is the most important source for the cognition of Islamic rulings and knowledge; but authorities are divided over how to understand this text. The mystics, in turn, seek to understand it with a different viewpoint than others. Haralli Andalusi brings up his approach and theory in explaining the verses of the Qur’an neither as tafsīr nor as ta’wīl, but as theory of “understanding”, which is based on consolidated relation between the verses of the Qur’an and Divine Names. He has devised principles special in their kind for understanding the Qur’an and believes that tafsīr and ta’wīl are both barriers to proper understanding the Qur’an. Haralli views the principles of tafsīr versus understanding as rank of essences (a‘yān) versus traditions. Form Haralli’s perspective, human beings’ psychic and epistemic levels are in accord with Divine Names and on this basis, the human beings’ levels of understanding of the Qur’an are different depending upon their rank and level of faith, or as he phrased it, upon their heart age. Accordingly, the door to understanding the Qur’an would only open up to the servants as per their assuming the traits of Divine Names. In Haralli’s procedure of understanding, the Qur’an’s commands are arranged according to Divine Names and Attributes and the meanings of the verses are expounded with respect to the Names of Allah. The present article tries to analyze and study this approach that can be effective in the mechanism and method of understanding the Qur’an, which is highly important both in theorization and application.