Surūsh's theory of the contraction and expansion of religious knowledge

The book Qabḍ wa basṭ-i tiʾūrīk-i sharīʿat (The Contraction and expansion of legal theory) is Surūsh’s first analysis of epistemology and hermeneutics with reference to the takāmul (development) of religious knowledge. His choice of the Arabic terms qabḍ and basṭ is inspired by traditional Sufi literature where they represent distinct mystical states, the constriction respectively the dilation of the mystic’s heart. ¹ The book is divided into four parts with an introduction and supplements. ² In the foreword, Surūsh asserts that the purpose of the book is to provide a philosophical investigation of a specific field of human knowledge, fiqh, and at the same time make theoretical reflections on science as such. Another purpose is to create possibilities for the development of a pluralistic dimūkrāsī-yi dīnī (religious democracy), which is an outgrowth of the community of believers, by substantiating the concepts of the plurality of reasons and the contingency of religious knowledge with a mabānī-yi ipīstimūlūzhīk (epistemological basis). ³ The third purpose of the book is to present what he calls a dark-i azīzānah-yi dīn (endearing conception of religion) and to close the possibility of ideological or official interpretations of religion. He argues that the most beneficial advantage of the theory of contraction and expansion is that it makes peace not merely between the eternal and the time-bound and between religion and science, but also between tradition and modernity, by clarifying the relationship between transcendence and immanence as well as revelation and reason (Surūsh 1996c:32, 34, 58).