The literary approach to Quranic interpretations is founded on words, morphology, syntax and rhetoric. However, contemporary literary school, in addition to these principles, takes into account other principles like authenticating solely the literary understanding. Comparing Sayyid Murtazā's literary approach with the principles and ideas of Sheikh Tusi in Al-Tibyan reveals various aspects of their differences with the literary school and the close similarity, along with some distinctions, of the principles of these two exegetes in literary interpretation of the Quran. Sheikh Tusi and Sayyid Murtazā, unlike the contemporary literary school, believe that the literary exegesis of the Quran is a prerequisite to understanding it and not its main purpose as is the case in the existence of synonymy and critical interpretation in the Quran.
Believing in polysemy is another difference between these two exegetes and the contemporary literary school. Allusions to the Quranic verses as the most important resource of words, using verses' register, allusions to Hadith, giving preference to early exegetes' views over philologists' ideas, referring to Arab poets in decoding the meanings of words and confirming the content of the verses, taking advantage of the Arabic literary prose traditions, knowing the readership and paying attention to the setting in which the verses were revealed to the Prophet are some common principles between these two exegetes in literary interpretation. Some different methods used by them include Sayyid Murtazā's, as contrasted with Sheikh Tusi, little attention to the similarity and differences of the words, low use of interpretation narratives, preferring early exegetes' opinions over the philologists', who has favored the order of citing philologists and exegetes based on the words' most proper meaning