تفسیر التحریر و التنویر کی روشنی میں قرآن کریم کے اسلوب استفہام کا تنقیدی فکر اور تشکیل علم میں کردار: ایک تجزیاتی مطالعہ

The Role of the Qur’an’s Interrogative Style (Uslub al-Istifham) in Critical Thinking and Knowledge Construction: An Analytical Study in Light of Tafsir “Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir"

Abstract

The Holy Quran is the divine revelation of Allah, free from doubt and unmatched in its authority, offering complete guidance for human life. As a religion of fitrah and moderation, Islam encourages reflection (tafakkur) and contemplation (tadabbur) as essential means to understand its message. The Quran addresses human beings through diverse rhetorical styles, including promise and warning, narratives, and especially the interrogative style (uslub al-istifham), which stimulates reflection, affirms truth, and challenges false assumptions without necessarily seeking direct answers.

The interrogative style plays a vital role in developing critical thinking by encouraging analysis, reasoning, evidence-based understanding, and rejection of blind imitation (taqlid). It transforms the mind from passive acceptance to active inquiry, thereby contributing to the construction of knowledge through reflection, deduction, and intellectual engagement.

This study examines the Quran's interrogative style in relation to critical thinking and knowledge construction in light of Allama Ibn Ashur’s tafsir Al-Tahrir wa-l-Tanwir. Ibn Ashur emphasizes that this style is not merely rhetorical but serves to awaken intellect, guide reasoning, and establish sound epistemological foundations by encouraging reflection and independent thought.