Abstract:
Tafsir of the Qur’an is a living subject that goes with time. It reflects on intellectual, social, political, scientific and spiritual trends of the society at all ages. Modern ideas and development have found their way in the Muslim’s way of life as a result of European inversion of their land. Tafsir being a living subject reflected on these developments right from that time to present. The pioneer of modernism in the field of Tafsir was Imam Muhammad Abduh of Egypt. He developed a method that combined traditional scholarship with modern methodologies in expanding the meaning of the Qur’an. This paper surveys the methods of Tafsir in the light of modern development as propounded by Imam Muhammad Abduh and his followers. It also highlighted Abduh’s view on the necessity of the reopening of the so-called “closed door of ijtihad” so as to emancipate the Muslims from the bondage of taqlid (imitation) and blind literalism, and guide them to realize the aim of the Qur’anic revelation. The paper concluded with some observations on merits and demerits of Abduh’s method of Tafsir and finally proffers a way forward.