Heritage Revival Center Organizes a Seminar “Types of Interpretation by the Close (Associated) Meaning.”
The Center for the Revival of Arab Scientific Heritage at the University of Baghdad organized a seminar on Monday morning, January 12, 2026,., entitled “Types of Interpretation by the Close Meaning.” The seminar was attended by a number of researchers and academics and was held in Professor Nabila Abdul Munim Dawood Hall. The lecture was delivered by Professor Dr. Taha Sabti Ibrahim, Head of the Department of Pure Sciences at the Center.
The lecturer explained that interpretation by the close meaning refers to explaining a word or a verse through a meaning that is related to the original meaning by implication, by a part of it, or by example (type). He then outlined the types of interpretation by the close meaning, beginning with interpretation by implication (al-lāzim), in which the derived meaning is not directly indicated by the wording but is necessarily entailed by it, both rationally and customarily—just as writing necessarily implies the existence of a writer. An example of this is interpreting the word “tadḥā” as “to sweat” in the verse: “And you will not suffer therein from thirst, nor from exposure to the sun” (Surat Ṭā Hā, verse 119). Commentators have offered two explanations for its meaning: first, that one will not be exposed to the sun and thus harmed by its heat; and second, that one will not sweat. Sweating is a natural consequence of exposure to harmful sunlight.
The researcher further clarified interpretation by part, which occurs when the exegete mentions only a part of the meaning that a word may carry in order to indicate the remaining meanings. An example is interpreting “the sacred ordinances of Allah” as the rituals in the verse: “That is so. And whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah—it is best for him in the sight of his Lord” (Surat al-Ḥajj, verse 30). If “the sacred ordinances” are understood to mean everything that is inviolable, this represents interpretation by the original meaning; however, if they are understood as the rituals of Hajj, this constitutes interpretation by part of the meaning, since the rituals are one aspect of what must not be violated.
Finally, the lecturer referred to interpretation by example (type), in which the exegete mentions a specific example or type of the word’s meaning, such as interpreting the word “their imam” as the Book, the Prophet, or deeds in the verse: “On the Day We will call every people by their imam. Then whoever is given his record in his right hand—those will read their records, and they will not be wronged even as much as a thread” (Surat al-Isrā’, verse 71). In this verse, “imam” may refer to their Book, their Prophet, the leader of their era, or their deeds; each of these interpretations represents a type and an example of the original meaning
