One of the important discourses of hermeneutic approaches is the hermeneutic circle. This circle has taken various forms in different approaches of hermeneutics.
Friedrich Ast viewed the circle as functioning between the part of the text and its whole. Understanding the text is subject to understanding the part and understanding the part is subject to understanding the whole.
Circle is quite obviously existent in Schleiermacher’s normative and technical hermeneutics, as well. In normative hermeneutics, there appear to be a circle between understanding the vocabulary on the one hand, and understanding the text and the sentence, on the other. In technical hermeneutics, the circle exists between understanding the creators of the text on the one hand, and the culture of their era, on the other.
Dilthey also talks in his hermeneutics about the circle between the part and the whole. To his opinion, understanding is the expression of the whole life, as the whole life is obtained from the parts and the parts from the whole life.
Heidegger views the circle to be between human being and the universe and in his writings he talks about the circle between understanding and pre-understanding.
Similarly, Gadamer regards understanding of the text as a result of the circle between pre-understanding and understanding.
The above-mentioned circle exists in interpretations of the Qur'an, too. For instance, the circle between word and āya, between āya and sūra, between sūra and the Qur'an, between understanding of the Qur'an and cognition of the Creator of the text, between understanding of the text and correctness of the text, etc.
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