At the end...

At the end, the 'Allamah reminds us of an important point; that is, according to this method the Qur'an is explained by the Qur'an, not on the basis of personal opinions of an interpreter- a method that was disapproved by a famous tradition of the Prophet (S). Afterwards, 'Allamah Tabataba'I explains and compares three methods of exposition in detail, and holds that on the basis of Qur'anic arguments and proofs from tradition, the third method is the best for understanding the Qur'an.

In the concluding part of this discussion he presents specimen of the exposition of the Qur'an by the Qur'an, which we cannot cite here for the sake of brevity. This speciality of al-Mizan can be considered as a significant step taken in the direction of better understanding of the miraculous qualities of the Qur'an regarding the coherence and interrelatedness of its verses.

The Sociological Aspect: More or less all the commentaries of the Qur'an have paid attention to its sociological facets and have discussed the relevant issues, yet al-Mizan is incomparable with other commentaries in this regard. The sociological discussions presented in al-Mizan are both qualitatively and quantitatively of a far superior standard.

With his multidimensional approach and broad outlook in the sphere of social problems, 'Allamah Tabataba'I has been successful in projecting these issues in the light of the Qur'anic verses. He has thrown a new light on certain sociological problems from the Qur'anic point of view which were overlooked till now, and has opened up new vistas for the inspired readers who are ever eager to discover and explore some new dimensions from among the various marvellous dimensions of the Holy Qur'an.

The Philosophical Aspect: 'Allamah Tabataba'i, being a clear-sighted philosopher of rare excellence and originality, has performed a great service to the science of tafsir by elaborating the Qur'anic metaphysics which gives us a correct and valuable insight into the realities of life in the true sense of metaphysics. He has refuted all baseless misconceptions which are attributed to the Qur'an.

In his view Muslim metaphysics has its roots in the Holy Qur'an and it is nothing but an elaboration of the Qur'anic notions concerning God, man and the universe. Similarly, 'Allamah Tabataba'I also points out that the main factor responsible for the general distrust regarding metaphysics issues from the lack of proper understanding and correct information about it.