Guidance of the Qur'an

The first aim of exegesis, in the view of Muhammad Rashid Rida, is that the Qur'an be understood as a religion of guidance that leads people to their happiness in this world and the next. He states this in the introduction to his commentary, and says that discussion of rhetoric, grammar, stories, jurisprudence and theology follows this aim or serves it ¹.

Rida distinguishes between a dry exegesis that aims only at solving the meanings of words and parsing sentences, and an exegesis that gathers the required conditions so that it can serve its purpose, which is to convey the intended meaning and the wisdom of the legislation in a way that draws hearts to act. He considers the second kind a collective obligation ^{2 3}.

Rida quotes his teacher Muhammad Abduh that being guided by the Qur'an is the primary purpose of reading the exegesis ³.