An Overview of Qur’ānic Studies in the West: Themes, Approaches and Methodologies

Authors

  • Dr. Iffat Batool Lecturer, Department of Tafsīr and Qur’anic Sciences, Faculty of Usuluddin, International Islamic University Islamabad
  • Dr. Taimia Sabiha Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Religion, Faculty of Usuluddin, International Islamic University Islamabad

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53762/alqamar.04.04.e03

Keywords:

Qur’ānic Studies, Orientalism, Qur’ānic Translations, Tafsīr, Islam and West

Abstract

The Quran, being foremost religious and sacred book of the Muslims, gained a significant place in the western religious studies since long. From medieval polemical refutation to the contemporary academic studies a significant number of anthological works have been produced by the western scholarship in the Qur’anic studies.  A variety of approaches and methodologies have been applied to expound multiple Qur’ānic themes which intermittently resonate among western scholars of Islam. This paper mentions a brief overview of western contribution from medieval to contemporary times and highlights the major themes in the field of western Qur’anic studies. The gradual development in applying the various socio-religious methodologies is cited as well.  

References

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Heis Professor Emeritus of Arabic Literature at the University of Michigan.

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The late Fazlul Reḥmān was of the view that this genre has received the least attention of the Western scholars. The major themes, xii

See for instance the works of; Tamara Soan, “Introducing” and Buck, Christopher “ Discovering” in

Blackwell . These works have in general dealt with the basic topics of the Qur’ān. The article of Denial Madigan on the themes of Qur’ān specifically represents the idea of God and His attributes in the Qur’ān. See: McAuliffe, Jane, ed. The Cambridge companion to the Qur’ān.79-98

Originally,the work was produced in 1997 in French. It was translated into English by Zoe Hersov.

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Humanist is the scholar believing in Humanism. Humanism is a philosophical approach developed in Modern times that believes in value and agency of human beings and generally deals doctrines of faith with critical approach giving priority to human rationale. It also believes in the capability of human beings to lead their moral and ethical life without the help of religious dogmas.

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There are numerous works that have approached this theme. An instance of the recent works that are entirely dedicated to this theme is “The Qur’ān in context”.

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Perhaps, one instance will suffice here. Following the idea of Noldeke, Kavin Blader says that the prophet must have heard orally the story of Alexander the Great as the story was already circulating in the surroundings of Makkah. “The Alexander Legend in the Qur’ān”. In The Qur’ān in its historical context, 175

In the same book, many examples based on this concept can be located. See for instance;

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http://www.jstor.org/stable/163701.

See also: Yahya Oyewole, “The Tradition of Qur'ānic Learning in Borno”. Journal of Qur’ānic Studies. 6, no. 2 (2004), pp. 96-102. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25728152

See for instance: Elizabeth Urban, “The foundations of Islamic society as expressed by the Qur’ānic term Mawla”. Journal of Qur’ānic Studies. 15, no. 1. 1-22.

The writer has attempted to show that how this term identify the bonds of help, cooperation and assistance that united the early Muslim society as one entity.

Published

2021-12-31

How to Cite

Dr. Iffat Batool, and Dr. Taimia Sabiha. 2021. “An Overview of Qur’ānic Studies in the West: Themes, Approaches and Methodologies”. Al-Qamar 4 (4):45-70. https://doi.org/10.53762/alqamar.04.04.e03.