بن يوسف وفاء

This research topic, entitled "The Pragmatics of Intentionality in Muhammad al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur's interpretation of “al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir”: Surah al-Nisa as a Model," holds significant importance in the field of discourse pragmatics due to the central position occupied by intention (al-qasd) and pragmatic theory in discourse analysis. Intention has been a key concept in any pragmatic analysis of texts and utterances, and pragmatics has been the focus and core of speech act theory, representing one of its latest developments. It is evident that pragmatic theory has roots in the Arab heritage, as Arab scholars have been interested in investigating the purposes of speech and understanding the speaker's intentions to achieve optimal intentional communication. The interpretation of al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir is one of the most important exegetical texts that adopted the fundamentals of modern textual analysis. The interpreter relied on the concept of intention to reach accurate inferences about the Quranic intent in order to ascertain legislative rulings and religious beliefs.

To achieve accurate results in this research, we attempted to present it in an introduction and an entry point. In the introduction, we addressed the conceptual aspects of discursive thinking, defining discourse pragmatics, providing a comprehensive account of its philosophical origins, and highlighting its modern developments and procedural mechanisms used in analysis. This served as an introduction to the definition of intention (al-qasd) and pragmatic theory and to highlight the relationship between discourse pragmatics and pragmatic theory, which has crystallized and evolved based on the procedural mechanisms of the discursive approach. In the first chapter, we defined intention and pragmatic theory, delving into their philosophical roots and phenomenological origins, and its subsequent transition into linguistic studies. We shed light on their significant role and importance in text analysis, examining their relationship with speech act theory, implicatures, and various contexts. We also explored the features of this theory in our Arab heritage, dedicating the second chapter to studying the features of Muhammad al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur's pragmatic theory in both the field of exegesis and the objectives of Islamic law. We examined his understanding of intention in both fields and the extent of their integration in order to ascertain the correct intention of the Quranic text. Furthermore, we dedicated the third and fourth chapters to shed light on the methodology employed by Muhammad al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur in approaching the verses of legal rulings in Surah al-Nisa and extracting their intentions based on his comprehensive textual approach to interpretation. This methodology relied on speech acts, implicatures, various contexts, and the consideration of legal objectives in deducing Quranic objectives. These chapters also emphasized the significant evidence relied upon in his interpretation of the Quran, as well as his awareness of intention in its discursive sense.

The nature of this research necessitated the employment of descriptive methodology and the utilization of various approaches, including induction and analysis, to deduce the pragmatic features in interpretation. The comparative approach was employed to identify the differences between deducing Quranic objectives and deducing legal objectives. This was done while harnessing the procedural steps of the discursive approach to analyze the interpretive text. This research has affirmed the awareness of Muhammad al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur about the discursive concept of intention, although he did not employ the exact terminology. It also highlighted the convergence between his methodology in interpretation and the discursive pragmatic approach to text analysis. Finally, this research recommends delving into the vast realms of this unique body of work through contemporary discursive research, not limited to rhetoric and linguistics alone. It also emphasizes the necessity of a harmonious combination of Arab heritage and modern linguistic approaches, avoiding exclusivity towards tradition or bias towards modernity and its theories. This pursuit aims to formulate a comprehensive Arabic theory that maintains the specific features of Quranic language.