Tawil
تأويل
taʾwīl
✨Ismaili Terms
Esoteric or spiritual interpretation seeking inner meanings.
Full Definition
Tawil is spiritual or allegorical interpretation that seeks the inner (batin) meanings of scripture beyond the literal (zahir). Central to Ismaili hermeneutics, tawil understands religious texts and symbols as having multiple levels of meaning, with deeper spiritual truths accessible through proper interpretation guided by the Imam.