Challenges of Exegetical Narrations in the Formation of a Unified Islamic Ummah: A Descriptive–Argumentative Approach

Abstract

The ideal of the “unified Ummah” is one of the most fundamental Qur’anic concepts in the domain of religious community-building, grounded in monotheism, fraternity among believers, justice, the rejection of division, and the convergence of the Islamic Ummah. Nevertheless, the realization of this ideal throughout the history of Islamic thought has consistently encountered serious obstacles. One of the most significant of these obstacles concerns the ways in which “exegetical narrations” are produced, transmitted, selected, and employed in understanding Qur’anic verses. On the one hand, exegetical narrations constitute an important means of elucidating Qur’anic verses, identifying their referents, clarifying the circumstances of revelation, and uncovering the semantic layers of the Qur’an. On the other hand, when characterized by weak chains of transmission, semantic inconsistency, the predominance of sectarian tendencies, the incorporation of Isrāʾīliyyāt, or the restriction of the general meanings of verses to particular and potentially contentious referents, they may become a source of division, exclusivism, and the reproduction of sectarian cleavages. Employing a descriptive–argumentative approach, this article examines the principal challenges posed by exegetical narrations to the formation of a unified Islamic Ummah and demonstrates that some of the existing inconsistencies in the collective understanding of the Qur’an arise not from the Qur’anic text itself, but rather from the manner in which it is approached through narrations. The findings indicate that challenges such as the infiltration of Isrāʾīliyyāt, sectarian-oriented interpretations, insufficient hadith criticism, apparent conflicts between certain narrations and the general principles of the Qur’an, and the predominance of particularistic readings over purposive approaches constitute some of the most significant obstacles to achieving a unity-oriented understanding of the Qur’an. Finally, the article emphasizes the necessity of critically reassessing exegetical narrations, evaluating them against the Qur’an, attending to the overarching objectives of Islamic law (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah), and strengthening rapprochement-oriented approaches to Qur’anic exegesis.