Mollā Fenārī’s Quranic Hermeneutics Between Legal Theory and Sufism

This paper examines the scriptural hermeneutics of Mollā Muḥammed b. Ḥamza el-Fenārī (d. 834/1431), a pivotal figure in the school of Ibn al-ʿArabī and the Ottoman intellectual tradition. Fenārī was both a jurist and a Sufi metaphysician, producing works in legal theory and Sufi Quranic exegesis. By analyzing Fuṣūl al-Badāʿiʿ and ʿAyn al-Aʿyān, this study argues that there is a subtle crossover between exoteric and esoteric interpretive frameworks in Fenārī's writings. By adhering to classical Ḥanafī legal theory, Fenārī critiques Ṣadr al-Sharīʿa’s alternative understanding of linguistic communication and interpretation, favoring an approach that aligns with Sufi notions of interpretive plurality. This paper aims to contribute to an integrative picture of Fenārī between these traditions within the context of the later periods of Islamic thought.