I want to know the answer to the following question:
What is the Arabic term for the surface-level aspects of a text?
All the background I'm provided with is that "Commentaries dealing with the zahir (outward aspects) of the text are called tafsir, and hermeneutic and esoteric commentaries dealing with the batin are called ta'wil ("interpretation" or "explanation"), which involves taking the text back to its beginning.". Is that enough to answer the question?
Answer: yes