A Contemporary Muslim Scholar's Approach to Revelation: Mohammad Mogtahed Sabestari's Reform Project

Over the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, rethinking the traditional understanding of revelation has been welcomed by a number of Muslim scholars. Mohammad Mogtahed Sabestari, an influential Si'i reformer from contemporary Iran, certainly falls in the category of such scholars. The aim of this paper is to discuss his theory of revelation for the purpose of exploring the potential values it holds for flexible interpretation of Islam in the present context. The paper argues that Sabestari's method of interpretation of the Qur'an has its roots in his account of revelation. In order to show in practice how Sabestari's understanding of the nature of revelation influences the way he approaches the Qur'an, the paper focuses on three main themes that consistently appear throughout his writings, namely Qur'anic socio-political provisions, religious pluralism and the relation between state and religion. The paper, in general, provides an insight of how rethinking the classical methods, ideas and approaches can take place within Islamic tradition in the modern period.