The Foundations and Obstacles of the Scientific Authority of the Quran from the Perspective of Imam Khomeini

The Holy Quran, as the final heavenly book and the most important source of guidance in Islam, possesses extensive capacities to play a role in the individual and social life
of human beings. However, in the contemporary era, some of the scientific and social functions of the Quran have faded and it has sometimes been reduced to a merely devotional and spiritual book. The present article, focusing on the thought of Imam Khomeini, seeks to demonstrate that returning to the scientific authority of the Quran is not a secondary choice, but a fundamental necessity for reviving the relationship between religion and life. In this framework, the main issue of the research is how the Quran can once again reclaim its position of scientific authority and what factors strengthen or weaken this authority. The objective of the article is to explain the foundations and obstacles of the scientific authority of the Quran from the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini. The authors aim to clarify that Imam Khomeini did not regard the Quran merely as a text for recitation
and worship, but introduced it as a comprehensive, living, and guiding source for the intellectual, cultural, social, and political guidance of humanity. The article also seeks to show how, relying on Imam Khomeini’s perspective, the position of the Quran can be reconstructed in scientific and practical spheres and its reduction to a limited domain prevented. The central research question is: What are the foundations and obstacles for realizing the scientific authority of the Quran according to Imam Khomeini? In other words, what features within the Quran itself and what conditions in its understanding and utilization enable the Quran to serve as the scientific and epistemic reference of society, and conversely, what internal and external factors hinder the realization of this authority? The article attempts to answer why, despite the comprehensiveness of the Quran, many of its scientific capacities have not been utilized in practice. This research has been conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach based on library studies. By referring to the works of Imam Khomeini, especially his writings and statements related to the Quran, the authors have sought to extract and analyze the theoretical foundations and practical obstacles of
the Quran’s scientific authority. In this process, the data were first collected and then categorized to clarify the principles on which Imam Khomeini’s view of the Quran is based and what factors prevent the full realization of this outlook. The findings of the article show that Imam Khomeini regarded the Quran as a comprehensive, eternal, and undistortable book that can hold authority in various epistemic and social domains. Among the
most important foundations of the Quran’s scientific authority in his thought is the comprehensiveness of the Quran — meaning that the Quran is sufficient and guiding for the direction of human beings in all individual and collective dimensions. The eternality of the Quran is another key foundation, because a book revealed for all ages cannot be limited to a specific time or issue. Furthermore, the undistortability of the Quran ensures that trust in its text as a source of knowledge is preserved. In addition, Imam Khomeini emphasized the openness of the gate of ijtihad and the necessity of a modern interpretation of the Quran while observing valid interpretive principles — that is, the Quran must always be referred to and re-understood, but this re-understanding must not go beyond valid scientific frameworks. In the section on obstacles, the article shows that Imam Khomeini explained the obstacles to the scientific authority of the Quran at two levels: external and internal. Among the external obstacles is the creation of an unattainable image of the Quran — an image that distances the Quran from public access and fosters a sense of inability to understand it. The veil of (secular) knowledge and the feeling of self-sufficiency from the Quran, especially among some scholars and jurists, is another obstacle; that is, sometimes human knowledge, instead of serving the understanding of the Quran, makes man feel independent of it. Incorrect beliefs and corrupt thoughts also cause the divine verses to be misunderstood. Moreover, worldliness and attachment to material interests prevent the heart from paying attention to the Quran. At the social and historical level, imperialist and colonial policies, by limiting the role of the Quran in scientific and political systems, prevent the expansion of its authority. Among internal obstacles, the article points to the weak performance of religious scholars and their distance from the teachings of the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) — a weakness that causes even the custodians of religion to marginalize the Quran. The conclusion of the article is that, from the perspective of Imam Khomeini, the scientific authority of the Quran cannot be realized merely through slogans or verbal emphasis. It requires simultaneous attention to Quranic foundations and the removal of epistemic, ethical, and social obstacles. Due to its comprehensiveness, eternality, and undistortability, the Quran deserves to be the scientific reference of society. However, this potential becomes actualized only when religious scholars, scientists, and the general public overcome intellectual and practical veils and return to the Quran with correct interpretation and responsible ijtihad. Accordingly, the article concludes that the reconstruction of the scientific authority of the Quran in Imam Khomeini’s thought is a way to reconnect religion with contemporary life and to solve the emerging problems of humanity.