The limits of Batiniyya's interpretation in Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi and its lexical-semantic relationship in language

The Batiniyya, emerging in the third century of the Islamic calendar, constitute a faction distinguished by their mystical interpretations to the Quranic verses and Hadiths. Batiniyya, allage that the Quran and Hadiths hold profound and hidden meanings beyond their literal interpretations, and put forward that every apparent meaning possesses a concealed one, therefore they interpreted the religious texts through symbolic and metaphorical meanings. This interpretative method, severely criticized by numerous other factions, notably preoccupied the agendas of theologians, particularly those versed in Kalam. One of the scholars who authored the most comprehensive critiques of this interpretation method is Fahreddin al-Râzî. Râzî criticized the Batiniyya and fundamentally their mystical interpretive method, both in his renowned exegesis work "Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb" and in various other writings pertaining to Kalam. At the core of the criticisms directed towards the Batiniyya lies their disregard for lexical-semantic relationship, and elements such as contextual relevance and indication, which are natural necessities for metaphorical (majaz) uses in language. Rāzī extensively criticized their interpretations of Quranic verses and Hadiths from these two perspectives and persistently highlighted that the language must have an essential limitations which should not be exceeded. Indeed, upon scrutinizing the interpretations offered by the Batiniyya regarding textual sources, clearly it becomes apparent that their interpretive methodology is inherently impractical. The potential results of this methodology would permit the extraction of any meaning from any text, a scenario that, if applied to a text as encompassing of human life as the Quran, would reach irreversible unprecedented levels of absurdity. Râzî's critiques were concentrated on this point. According to him, the interpretive method of the Batiniyya is inapplicable not only to the Quran but also to understanding any text whatsoever.