The Origin and Evolution of the Sunni Literalist School in the Interpretation of the Quran

The Sunni literalist school is one of the oldest currents of thought in the Islamic world, especially the Sunnis school of thought, which its dimensions and angles have been less studied and analyzed. Using a descriptive-analytical method this paper studies the origin and evolution of the Sunni literalist school in the interpretation of the Quran. The results show that the intellectual roots of this school in Sunni school as an influential current in understanding the Quran, date back to the post-Prophet and the Companions era, which, over the centuries, has continued to the present day in the form of various schools such as the Hanbalis, Salafis and Wahhabis. Talking about the apparent meanings of the Quran and Sunnah from the point of view of this school is heresy. Ignoring reason, this group takes an extreme view of Sunnah and believes that the Book and traditions are the criteria for measuring the validity of reason and there is no need for theological arguments and the method of theologians. This approach governs all the principles and ideas of the Sunni literalist school.