The contemporary method of the interpretation of the Qur'an is broadly different from the traditional interpretation methods of the past centuries. Among the differences is a new approach in the interpretation of chapters and verses the Qur'an which is called the "Theory of Coherence in the Qur'an"; i.e., there is an integration as well as a conceptual and thematic unity among the chapters and verses of the Qur'an. Although a similar viewpoint can be traced back in some traditional interpretations under the rubric of interrelation of verses and chapters of the Qur'an, the impression of the earlier interpreters have been basically different in this respect and therefore it has never received due attention as one of the principles of interpretation in the past.
With a brief examination of the history of this issue, the writer of the article has first explained the status of the above theory in the Islamic exegetical tradition and the difference in modern and traditional impression about it. Then, with an introduction and analysis of the exegetical opinions of Ḥamīd al-Dīn Farāhī and Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, two of the contemporary interpreters and thinkers of the Indian Subcontinent, the writer goes on to introduce their approach as a new method in the interpretation of the Qur'an.
It is shown in this article that the two interpreters have regarded the integrity and coherence of the chapters of the Qur'an as a primary principle in its interpretation and therefore have presented a more orderly and more holistic exegetical outlook comparing others.
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