Viva Books has recently published a new book of interest to IQSA members and affiliates: Recent Trends in Qur’anic Scholarship by Tauseef Ahmad Parray (2020).
PUBLISHER’S OVERVIEW
Qur’anic Studies’ (al–Dirasat al-Qur’aniyya) is a remarkable and noteworthy academic sub-genre in the area of Islamic studies to which Muslims and non-Muslims have contributed extensively. Qur’anic scholarship has seen a rapid and broad-ranging development, especially in the present century, as it is seen as a vibrant and multidimensional scholarly pursuit to which scholars have introduced a multiplicity of approaches. Keeping in view the academic study of the Qur’an in its present scenario, it is not an exaggeration to claim that the Qur’anic studies have emerged as a vibrant field of research globally. In this context, the present work (consisting of 11 chapters) attempts to explore some facets of and the recent trends in the 21st century Qur’anic studies by: exploring some Qur’anic concepts and themes of socio-political and moral significance vis-à-vis their contemporary relevance (such as Ihsan, Shura, inter-connection of ‘Aql, Tafakkur and ‘Ilm, rise and fall of societies/ nations and social ethics vis-à-vis the institution of family); assessing and evaluating the scholarly contribution of some prominent scholars of the 21st century in the field of Qur’anic studies (including Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Abdullah Saeed, Ziauddin Sardar, Andrew Rippin and Jane D. McAuliffe) and focusing on the teaching, research and recent works in Qur’anic studies by providing a description of the activities of some academies, journals and recent research carried on different aspects in this field. Thus, blending the scholarship of the past and the present, it reflects on some major trends and issues of diverse nature. The present work will prove valuable and appealing to the students, general readers and the specialists alike. It seeks to explore the relevance of the teachings of the noble Qur’an to the readers of the 21st century.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Parray displays his knowledge to give a detailed and lively picture of Qur’anic Studies and its leading figures in both the Muslim World and the West. A rich, and welcome source of information that will be invaluable to scholars of Islam in general, and of the Qur’an in particular”
—Dr. Majid Daneshgar, University of Freiburg, Germany
“A readable and accessible introduction to some of the key debates on the Qur’an and its interpretation today”
—Professor Abdullah Saeed, University of Melbourne, Australia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I: Qur’anic Concepts and Themes
Chapter 1. Concept of Ihsan (Excellence) as a Virtue: Text, Traditions and Interpretations
Chapter 2. The Qur’anic Concept of Shura: Text, Tradition and Modern (Varied) Interpretations
Chapter 3. Reasoning and Pondering as ‘Sources of Knowledge’: Inter-connecting the Qur’anic Concepts of ‘Aql, Tafakkur and ‘Ilm
Chapter 4. Rise and Fall of Societies in the Qur’anic Perspective: The Views of Some Contemporary Scholars
Chapter 5. Social Ethics vis-à-vis the Institution of Family: The Contemporary Crisis and the Qur’anic Paradigm
Part II: 21st Century Qur’anic Scholarship
Chapter 6. Abdur Raheem Kidwai’s Contribution to the Qur’anic Studies: An Evaluation of His Important Works
Chapter 7. Abdullah Saeed’s Contribution to the 21st Century Qur’anic Scholarship: An Evaluation
Chapter 8. Ziauddin Sardar vis-à-vis Qur’anic Studies: A Critical Evaluation of His ‘Reading the Qur’an’ (2015)
Chapter 9. 21st Century Western Scholarship in the Qur’anic Studies: A Comparative Study of the Works of Jane D. McAuliffe and Andrew Rippin
Part III: Recent Works and Research vis-à-vis Qur’anic Studies
Chapter 10. A Critical Assessment of Some Recent Works on the Qur’anic Studies (2010–2019)
Chapter 11. Teaching and Research on the Qur’anic Studies: Introducing Some Exemplary Academies and Journals on the Qur’anic Studies
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tauseef Ahmad Parray is presently working as Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies, Govt. Degree College for Women, Pulwama, Higher Education Department, J&K (India). He holds his masters, PhD and postdoctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Kashmir (2008), Aligarh Muslim University (2014), Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD), International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan (2015) respectively.
He is the author of Towards Understanding Some Qur’anic Terms, Concepts, and Themes (2017), Muslim Intellectual Deficit: Reasons and Remedies (2018), Exploring the Qur’an: Concepts and Themes (2019) and Mediating Islam and Modernity (2019). He has published in numerous reputed academic journals, magazines and newspapers, from over a dozen countries, around the world. He is on the editorial board (and is also a member) of various journals based in Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and the UK. His major areas of interest are: Islam and Democracy; Modernist/Reformist Thought in South Asia; and Recent Trends and English Scholarship in Qur’anic Studies.
Readers can purchase the book online here.
Content courtesy of Viva Books.
© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2020. All rights reserved.