ABSTRACT
As indicated in earlier chapters, the first generation of Muslims enjoyed a high degree of freedom in interpreting the Qurʾān. Major figures, such as the second caliph, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, departed from the Qurʾānic text in favour of what was considered ‘right’ at the time. This freedom was facilitated largely by the absence of a governing methodology and attendant principles and procedures for interpreting the Qurʾān. This meant that the early Muslims were relatively free to relate the text to prevailing conditions. These early Muslims, from the Companions and the Successors onwards, were highly dependent on an intuitive exploration of the text that reflected what the Qurʾān meant for them and how they should respond to it. Thus we see the emergence of what could be called a ‘proto-Contextualist’ interpretation.
