The Course of the Views of Exegetes in the Interpretation of Verses Corroborating Causality in Society: A Case Study of Verse 32 of al-Zukhruf

One of the laws mentioned in the Holy Quran which has been indicated in many ethical, legal, social, natural, etc. verses directly or indirectly, is the law of causality. The different types of this law such as efficient and final causes, and material and formal causes can be studied and recognized in verses of the Quran. One of these verses in the social sphere that explains the law of causality and which mentions the final cause is verse 32 of the al-Zukhruf Chapter. In this verse, the reason for the “elevation of rank” of some compared to others has been identified as taskhīr. Studying the course of the exegeses of the Holy Quran regarding this phrase in the verses under discussion shows that the understanding of commetators from this phrase has been very different in different time periods, especially in the recent period. Exegetes and Quran researchers have pinpointed various factors in explaining the reason for these exegetic differences; however, among these factors, less attention has been given to the role of “movements” as an external factor that unconsciously influences the understanding of the exegete of the verses of the Quran. The present paper will identify the movement or movements that have played a role in the interpretation of the sentence “… and raised some of them above others in rank, so that some may take others into service…” in the verse under discussion. The findings of this study show that the “master-subject” and “socialism” systems can be recognized as two movements that influence the thoughts of exegetes in the interpretation of the verse under discussion.