Bridging Tafsīr Tradition and Modernity: Ali Bulaç’s Qur’ān Commentary in the Context of Contemporary Türkiye

Abstract

Ali Bulaç (b. 1951), a prominent Turkish Islamist intellectual and sociologist, has played a significant role in shaping contemporary debates on Islam, modernity, and religious thought in Türkiye. His seven-volume Qurʾānic commentary, Kur’an Dersleri (Dirāsāt al-Qur’ān), represents the culmination of decades of intellectual engagement and offers a valuable window into modern Turkish tafsīr discourse. This article examines Bulaç’s hermeneutical approach by analysing the intellectual and biographical conditions that prompted him to write a tafsīr, the methodological principles that structure his exegetical practice, and the broader scholarly tradition within which he situates himself. Building on this foundation, the study focuses on two representative case studies that illuminate the character of his interpretive project: (1) his engagement with the ongoing debate between contextualist and traditional approaches to Qurʾānic interpretation, and (2) his approach to women’s veiling (ḥijab/headscarf) in the Qur’ān. Through these cases, the article demonstrates how Bulaç seeks to uphold classical hermeneutical principles while responding critically to the theological, socio-ethical and intellectual challenges of the modern world. His tafsīr exemplifies a distinctive attempt to bridge inherited exegetical methods with contemporary concerns, making the Qurʾān intellectually rigorous and contextually meaningful for modern Turkish readers. Regarding the two cases, the article argues that Bulaç rejects modernist/contextualist approaches to revelation, particularly criticising Fazlurrahman and Abdolkarim Soroush’s interpretations. While the Qurʾān uses history as a narrative tool, not as a limiting context, the purpose of the Qurʾān’s judgments is universal. Although he often critiques modernist and reformist perspectives, he occasionally aligns with them on certain points, such as Jesus’ ascension and return. Finally, Bulaç believes in the universality of the Qurʾānic teaching for women’s veiling (ḥijab/Ali Bulaç headscarf), and the obligation to wear the headscarf is still in force for Muslim women due to the Qurʾānic reason (‘illa) of “identity.”