Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Qur’an 2:178-179
Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Qur’an 2:178-179
The Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 2:178-179. The Qurʾan Seminar, organized by IQSA, is dedicated to collaborative study of selected passages that are significant for understanding major themes and structures of the Qur’anic text. Contributors are encouraged to address the Qur’an directly and to not rely on classical exegesis as a lens through which to view the text. Of particular interest to the discussion are the following questions:
The structure of the Qur’an (its logical, rhetorical, and literary qualities, or naẓm)
The Qur’an’s intertextual relationships (with both Biblical and other literary traditions)
The Qur’an’s historical context in Late Antiquity
Access to Qur’an Seminar is open to IQSA members only. To become a member, click HERE. Once you are a member, you can access the Qur’an Seminar website:
As a member of IQSA, fulfill the required field under Have an account? Sign in and then, click on Login. (Your password may be the same as for your IQSA member login.)
The Qur’an Seminar website has two principal elements. First, the website includes a database of passages of the Qur’an with commentaries from a range of scholars. This database is meant to be a resource for students and specialists of the Qur’an alike. The commentaries may be quoted and referenced by citing the corresponding URL.
Second, the website includes an active forum in which additional Qur’anic passages are discussed. At regular intervals the material on the forum will be saved and moved to the database, and new passages will be presented for discussion on the forum. As a rule, the passages selected for discussion are meant to be long enough to raise a variety of questions for discussion, but short enough to lend that discussion coherence.
We hope you will enjoy the content and consider contributing!
The International Qur’anic Studies Association is excited to share with its members its new Qurʾan Seminar website! The Qurʾan Seminar is a research project of IQSA dedicated to collaborative study of selected Qurʾanic passages on themes of central importance to the text itself, which collectively represent a diversity of literary genres, and which are of interest to the academic field of Qurʾanic Studies.
The website includes a database of passages of the Qurʾan with commentaries from a range of scholars, and an active forum in which additional Qurʾanic passages are discussed. Scholars are encouraged to address the Qurʾan directly and to not rely on classical exegesis as a lens through which to view the text. Of particular interest to the discussion are the following questions:
The structure of the Qurʾan (its logical, rhetorical, and literary qualities, or naẓm)
The Qurʾan’s intertextual relationships (with both Biblical and other literary traditions)
The Qurʾan’s historical context in Late Antiquity
Qur’an Seminar Access:
Access to Qur’an Seminar is open to IQSA members only. To become a member, click HERE. Once you are a member and have paid membership dues, follow the instructions for accessing Qur’an Seminar.
2. Click Log in/Sign up located on the top right hand corner.
3. Complete the required field under Have an account? Sign up. Click Login. The password you choose can be the same as your IQSA member login or a new one.
4. You will receive an email message which will confirm your registration.
NOTE: Your first access after registration will not be possible immediately. A delay between 6 to 24 hours will be necessary. For questions about Qur’an Seminar or issues with the registration process please contact mehdi.azaiez@theo.kuleuven.be
The Qur’an: Historical Context, Manuscripts, and Material Culture (IQSA) 11/21/2014 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: Room 23 B (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Panel 2: The Qur’an: Historical Context and Material Culture Wadad Kadi, Oriental Institute, Chicago ‘Abd al-Hamid al-Katib’s Use of the Qur’an in His Legal, Theological, and Historical Letters (30 min)
Francesca Leoni, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford Mighty (S)words: Protective and Apotropaic Uses of the Qur’an (30 min)
Peter Webb, University of London Inhabiting the Book: The Qur’an and Space in Mamluk Religious Architecture (30 min) Robert Hoyland, Oriental Institute, Oxford Writing the Qur’an in Stone: Use of the Muslim Scripture in Early Arabic Inscriptions (30 min)
International Qur’anic Studies Association 11/21/2014 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Room: Room 23 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Keynote LectureEmran El-Badawi, University of Houston, Presiding
Emran El-Badawi, University of Houston, Introduction (10 min)
Angelika Neuwirth, Freie Universität Berlin Qur’anic Studies and Historical-Critical Philology. The Qur’an’s Staging, Penetrating, and Eclipsing Biblical tradition (45 min) Andrew Rippin, University of Victoria (BC), Respondent (20 min)
International Qur’anic Studies Association 11/21/2014 5:15 PM to 6:30 PM Room: Room 24 A (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Reception
Qur’anic Studies: Methodology and Hermeneutics (IQSA)
11/22/2014 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Room: Room 24 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:The Qur’an and Justice: How Removable are the Contradictions? Farid Esack, University of Johannesburg The Qur’an on Black and White: Exploring Possible Traces of Race and Racism in Tafsir (20 min)
Jerusha Tanner Lamptey, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Muslima Theology and Relational Qur’anic Hermeneutics (20 min)
Karen Bauer, The Institute of Ismaili Studies Interpreting away the Qur’an: Hermeneutical Strategies for Reconciling Text and Values (20 min)
Fred M. Donner, University of Chicago Approaching the Qur’an’s Contradictory Statements on Ahl al-Kitab (20 min) Discussion (20 min)
International Qur’anic Studies Association 11/22/2014 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Room: Room 1 B (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC)
Mentorship Lunch (Details TBA)
The Qur’an: Historical Context, Manuscripts, and Material Culture (IQSA) 11/22/2014 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: Room 24 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Panel 1: Historical Context and Qur’an Manuscripts François Déroche, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes MS R38 from Kairouan, Tunisia and Its Umayyad Context (20 min)
Daniel Brubaker, Rice University Manuscript and Tradition: Exploring Scribal Alterations in Early Qur’ans in View of the Qira’at and Masahif Literature (20 min)
Umberto Bongianino, University of Oxford Early Qur’anic Manuscripts from the Muslim West: A Typological Survey (20 min)
Nuria Martínez-de-Castilla-Muñoz, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Sixteenth-Century Spanish Translations of the Qur’an: The Almonacid de la Sierra Atelier (20 min) Discussion (50 min)
The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition (IQSA) Joint Session With: The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition (IQSA), Syriac Literature and Interpretations of Sacred Texts 11/22/2014 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM Room: Room 24 B (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:The Qur’an and Christian Oriental Traditions Holger Zellentin, University of Nottingham, Presiding
Sidney Griffith, Catholic University of America The Suhuf of Abraham and Moses (25 min)
Abdulla Galadari, Masdar Institute The Camel Passing through the Eye of the Needle: A Comparison between the Qur’an, the Greek Gospels, and Tatian’s Syriac Diatessaron (25 min)
Cornelia B. Horn, Catholic University of America Parallel Structures, Polemical Interpretations: An Intertextual Approach to Jesus’ Miracles in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Normative and Interpretive Texts (25 min) Nicolai Sinai, Oxford University The Eschatological Kerygma of the Early Qur’anic Surahs in Light of Syriac Literature (25 min) Paul Neuenkirchen, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes The Qur’anic “Vision Pericopes” in Light of a Christian Apocrypha (25 min)
The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition (IQSA)
11/23/2014 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Room: Room 24 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Bible, Qur’an, and Jewish Traditions Cornelia Horn, Catholic University of America, Presiding
Hamza M. Zafer, University of Washington Jonah and the Ninevites: Prophecy to Communal Outsiders in the Qur’an (25 min)
Emad Botros, McMaster Divinity College The Recalcitrant Prophet: Jonah Between the Qur’an and the Hebrew Bible Traditions (25 min)
Michael Pregill, Elon University Another Brick in the Wall: The Intertwining of Biblical and Qur’anic Exegesis in Islamicate Midrash (25 min) Reuven Firestone, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (California Branch) Shabbat Violation in Qur’anic Discourse (25 min) Holger Zellentin, University of Nottingham The Qur’an and Rabbinic Judaism: “Mecca” and “Medina” between Palestine and Babylonia (25 min) Business Meeting (30 min) – All IQSA Members are expected to attend!
Qur’anic Studies: Methodology and Hermeneutics (IQSA)
11/23/2014 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Room: Room 24 B (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Qur’anic Hermeneutics: Diversity Beyond Muslim/Non-Muslim Binaries Ebrahim Moosa, Duke University, Presiding
Clare Wilde, University of Auckland Contemporary Echoes of Early Christian Arabic Approaches to the Qur’an (20 min)
Sayeh Meisami, University of Toronto Qur’anic Hermeneutics and Islamic Philosophy: A Study of Ibn Sina’s Commentary on Surat al-Falaq in Comparison with His Philosophical Writings on the Problem of Evil (20 min)
David R. Vishanoff, University of Oklahoma Reenchanting the Qur’an: Hermeneutical Applications of the Ash’ari Concept of God’s Eternal Speech (20 min)
Yusuf Rahman, State Islamic University Jakarta Indonesia The Indonesian Muslim Responses to the Use of Hermeneutics in the Study of the Qur’an (20 min) Discussion (30 min)
Andrew Rippin, University of Victoria (BC), Respondent (10 min)
The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition (IQSA) Joint Session With: The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition (IQSA), Qur’an and Biblical Literature 11/23/2014 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: Room 24 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Bible and Qur’an: Confirmation, Conversation, Conflict John Kaltner, Rhodes College, Presiding
Ashoor Yousif, University of Toronto Claiming the Claimed: Islamic Exegesis of Biblical Prophecies During the ‘Abbasid Period (30 min)
Salah Mahgoub Edris, Cairo University The Christian Interpretation of the Qur’an in Syriac Literature (30 min)
Mohammad Hasan Ahmadi, University of Tehran The Qur’anic Terminology of the Biblical Tradition (30 min) Carol Schersten LaHurd, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago The Academy vs. the Grassroots: Cognitive Dissonance on Interfaith Dialogue (30 min) Roberta Sabbath, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Teaching Tanakh, New Testament, and Qur’an to Undergraduate English Majors and Elective Students (30 min)
Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur’anic Corpus (IQSA) 11/23/2014
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM Room: Room 24 C (Upper level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Themes and Rhetorical Tools in the Qur’an Sarra Tlili, University of Florida, Presiding
Anne-Sylvie Boisliveau, University of Groningen, Presiding
D.S. Adnan Majid, University of California-San Diego Virgins of a Virginal Paradise: The Use of Synecdoche in Surah Rahman (18 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Thomas Hoffmann, Københavns Universitet Delivering the Qur’an: Metaphors of Qur’anic Maternality and Natality (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Devin Stewart, Emory University Anomalous Rhyme-Words in the Qur’an and Their Implications (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Break (10 min)
Vanessa De Gifis, Wayne State University The Economy of Excellence: A Thematic Study of Fadl in the Qur’an (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Andrew G. Bannister, Melbourne School of Theology Retelling the Tale: A Computerized Oral-Formulaic Analysis of the Qur’an (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Carl Ernst, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Respondent (25 min)
Qur’an Seminar (IQSA) 11/24/2014 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Room: AB (Level 3 (Aqua)) – Hilton Bayfront (HB) Theme:Surah 74 and Q 18:60–102 Participants will discuss together the two selected Qur’anic passages.
Mehdi Azaiez, University of Notre Dame, Panelist
Gerald Hawting, School of Oriental and African Studies, Panelist
Thomas Hoffmann, Københavns Universitet, Panelist
Daniel Madigan, Georgetown University, Panelist
David Penchansky, University of Saint Thomas (Saint Paul, MN), Panelist
Gabriel Reynolds, University of Notre Dame, Panelist
Stephen Shoemaker, University of Oregon, Panelist
Tommaso Tesei, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Panelist
Sarra Tlili, University of Florida, Panelist
Qur’an Seminar (IQSA) 11/24/2014 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: AB (Level 3 (Aqua)) – Hilton Bayfront (HB) Theme:Surahs 19 and 88 Participants will discuss together the two selected Qur’anic passages.
Mehdi Azaiez, University of Notre Dame, Panelist
Gerald Hawting, School of Oriental and African Studies, Panelist
Thomas Hoffmann, Københavns Universitet, Panelist
Daniel Madigan, Georgetown University, Panelist
David Penchansky, University of Saint Thomas (Saint Paul, MN), Panelist
Gabriel Reynolds, University of Notre Dame, Panelist
Stephen Shoemaker, University of Oregon, Panelist
Tommaso Tesei, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
Sarra Tlili, University of Florida, Panelist
Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur’anic Corpus (IQSA) 11/24/2014 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM Room: Room 17 B (Mezzanine level) – San Diego Convention Center (CC) Theme:Detecting Ring Patterns: Insights into the Qur’an’s Structure and Meaning This panel is dedicated to the emerging field of Semitic Rhetoric/Ring Composition theory applied to the Qur’an.
Sarra Tlili, University of Florida, Presiding
Anne-Sylvie Boisliveau, University of Groningen, Presiding
Dalia Abo-Haggar, Harvard University Symmetry and Asymmetry in the Qur’an (18 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Giuliano Lancioni, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, and Raoul Villano, Università degli Studi Roma Tre The Self-Similar Koran (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
AbdelMadjid Benhabib, University of Tlemcen – Algeria Lexical Repetition in Noah’s Discourse in the Qur’an (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Break (10 min)
Raymond Farrin, American University of Kuwait Ring Structure in Sura 9: Repentance Emphasized (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Rick Oakes, North-West University (South Africa) The Semitic Rhetoric of Surat al-Nisa’ 153-162 Imparts Meaning to Shubbiha in Aya 157a (18 min) Discussion (5 min)
Anne-Sylvie Boisliveau, University of Groningen, Respondent (10 min)
Discussion (15 min)
It seems that the section of Q 5:3 that reads “al-yawm akmaltu la-kum dīnakum…al-islām dīnan” is an interpolation inserted between two parts of the verse that should be read continuously, as they pertain to dietary restrictions and to exemptions in life-threatening situations or in case of force majeure (cf. Q 2:175 and 16:115). The key words in the interpolated section are dīn and islām, with islām possibly meaning “being in the act of islām,” referring to various modalities of joining a protection contract with God.
Arabic text of Qur’an 5:3; image from quran.com.
In order to better understand this section of Q 5:3, it is helpful to compare various translations:
Yusuf Ali:“This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
Pickthal: “This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam.”
Jacques Berque: “Aujourd’hui les dénégateurs désespèrent (de venir à bout) de votre religion. Ne les craignez pas; craignez-moi. Aujourd’hui j’ai parachevé pour vous votre religion, parfait pour vous mon bienfait en agréant pour vous l’islam comme religion.”
Hamza Boubakeur:“Aujourd’hui les mécréants désespèrent (de vous détourner) de votre religion. Ne les redoutez pas; redoutez moi. Aujourd’hui j’ai parachevé pour vous votre religion, vous ai comblé de mon bienfait et ai agréé l’islam comme doctrine religieuse pour vous.”
It is also instructive to compare the use of islām and dīn in other Qur’anic verses. The word islām appears in Q 61:7: “Who does greater wrong than the one who forges a lie against Allah, even if he is being invited to islām? And Allah does not guide those who do wrong” (trans. Yusuf Ali). The meaning of the verbal noun islām is complicated, and best understood in light of its foundational meaning as a verb (aslama), as in Q 2:112: “man aslama wajhahu lillāh.” This phrase should not be translated as “whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah” (Pickthall) or “whoever submits his whole self to Allah” (Yusuf Ali), but more accurately as “he who turns his face towards God” in an act of salām. This would mean that the person approaches God peaceably, without any hostility, which enables him to receive God’s protection and guidance (as Q 61:7 indicates with the word hudā). Thus islām is actually a contractual relationship between man and God.
As for the word dīn, it cannot be adequately translated as “religion.” It rather expresses the idea of a way or path, as in Q 109:6: “lakum dīnukum wa-lī dīn (to you your way [conduite] and to me mine),” and in Q 30:43: “aqim wajhaka lil-dīn al-qayyim min qabl an ya’tiya yawm lā maradd lahu min Allāh (follow [turn your face towards] the right path before there comes the day when there is no chance to escape from God).” The phrase aqim wajhaka can be considered similar to “making an act of islām,” by turning one’s face to God as a gesture of commitment to Him in request of His approval and protection. The phrase “al-dīn al-qayyim” refers to the content of the contract into which man enters, namely the behavior adopted on the right path.
Returning to the interpolated section of Q 5:3, it announces God’s will to take care of those who seek His protection. Concerning the interpretation of the two factitive verbs, akmala and atmama, they designate effects not of time but of quality. The verb akmala, which signals the signing of the contract between man and God and accepting of all its terms, should be understood not as “to complete” but “to make kāmil (perfect).” Likewise, the verb atmama should be understood not as “to finish” but “to make tamām (entire).” Thus I propose the following translations, in French and English:
“Aujourd’hui ceux qui récusent désespèrent [de vous détourner] de la conduite que vous avez adoptée, dīn: ne les craignez pas; c’est moi que vous devez craindre [en raison du Jugement eschatologique annoncé et de ses conséquences]. Aujourd’hui j’ai validé entièrement la conduite que vous devez tenir [eu égard au contrat qui a été conclu]; [en vertu de ce contrat] je vous ai fait bénéficier de ma totale bienfaisance; [et en retour] j’ai agréé le fait que vous vous soyez engagés à vous mettre sous ma protection en adoptant la conduite convenue.”
“Today those who disbelieve are desperate of [leading you away from] the conduct you have adopted (dīnikum). Do not fear them, but fear Me [because of the eschatological Judgment that has been announced and its consequences]. Today I have perfected the behavior by which you are to live [in fulfillment of the contract]. [Following the content of this contract] I made you benefit from My entire good will; [in return] I have agreed to the fact that you have committed yourself to My protection in adopting the right conduct.”
Alternatively, “akmaltu lakum dīnakumwa-atmamtu ʿalaykum niʿmatī” may be rendered: “Today I gave you the best rule of conduct and I fully dispense to you My good will, and I accept the fact that you are committed to adopt this way.”
International Qur’an Conference: “Recent Trends in Qur’anic Studies”
by Mun’im Sirry
IQSA and State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, are co-hosting an international conference on “Recent Trends in Qur’anic Studies,” to be held in Yogyakarta on 4-7 August 2015.
This international Qur’an conference will be a forum where the Islamic tradition and rigorous academic study of the Qur’an will meet, and various approaches to the Qur’an will be critically discussed. In the spirit of learning from, and enriching, one another, we are working on a conference that will introduce our unique model of collaboration between IQSA and UIN Sunan Kalijaga to enhance the field of Qur’anic studies.
Over the last few decades, Qur’anic studies emerged as an exciting and vibrant field of research among scholars both in the West and in the Muslim-majority countries. This is evident not only in the flurry of books and articles that deal with the Qur’an and in the convening of various workshops and seminars on the subject, but also in the controversies that this field engenders. Diverse methodologies are currently applied to Qur’anic studies, and various issues are raised. Some of these methodologies and issues are new discoveries, while others revive older researches. As a result, many assumptions that for years have been taken for granted are now under rigorous scrutiny and often disputed to such an extent that, as Fred Donner has rightly noted, the field of Qur’anic studies seems today “to be in a state of disarray,” in the sense that there is little consensus among scholars. Questions such as the milieu within which the Qur’an emerged, the Qur’an’s relation to the Biblical tradition, its chronology, textual integration, and literary features are hotly debated today.
This international conference aims to explore major methodological and thematic issues in recent scholarly studies of the Qur’an in different parts of the world. We also wish to engage in scholarly conversations about the possibility of collaborative works to enhance the field of Qur’anic studies by bringing together scholars who may have little other chance to directly interact. There clearly needs to be closer collaboration among scholars of different perspectives and backgrounds. Rather than deepening conflicting approaches to the Qur’an, these scholars will explore the extent to which they may learn from one another in terms of methodological/hermeneutical approaches as they will also address current issues being debated in the field.
Among scholars in the field who will participate in the conference, to mention a few names (in alphabetical order), are: Fred Donner, Ali Mabrouk, Daniel Madigan, Jane McAuliffe, Gabriel Reynolds, Andrew Rippin, Abdullah Saeed, Nayla Tabbara, along with Indonesian scholars such as Amin Abdullah, Noorhaidi Hasan, Moch. Nur Ichwan, Syafaatun el-Mirzanah, Yusuf Rahman, Quraish Shihab, Sahiron Syamsuddin.
If you are interested in presenting your research on any of the following topics, please send your abstract (250 words) to Mun’im Sirry (msirry@nd.edu).
Possible topics:
Critical Approaches to the Qur’an
Qur’anic Milieu
Intertextuality: The Qur’an and the Biblical tradition
The Qur’an and Other Religions
Re-assessing the Exegetical Tradition of the Qur’an
Modern Trends in the Tafsir Tradition
The Indigenization of the Qur’an: Is there an Indonesian Tafsir
Please note that abstracts, papers and presentation must be in English.
Important Dates:
Deadline for submission of abstract: November 1, 2014
Following is the text of my foreword to Morteza Karimi-Nia, Bibliography of Qur’anic Studies in European Languages (Qum: Center for Translation of the Holy Quran [CTHQ], March 2013). The bibliography is comprised of 8812 entries; as described in Karimi-Nia’s introduction, it is an exhaustive bibliography of books and articles published in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Latin, within the time-span of 1500-2012 CE. The works catalogued fall in the following categories: general books and bibliographies, Qur’anic sciences (all branches), history of the Qur’an, Qur’anic scripts and manuscripts, tafsīr works and studies, history of tafsīr and the exegetes, Qur’an translators and translation studies, Qur’anic vocabulary and etymology, studies focusing on Qur’anic verses, Suras, personages, or concepts, Qur’anic scholars, the Qur’an and challenges of the modern world, and critiques of Western Qur’anic works. It does not include translations of the Qur’an as such.
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A bibliography is defined as “a list of writings relating to a given subject.” It is that, of course, but it is also so very much more. A bibliography serves to define a field of study and to document that field’s history, contours, and participants. It displays in a lucid way how areas of interest come and go over time, and, in its silences and absences, suggests areas of investigation that still need attention.
This bibliography of Qur’anic studies tells us a great deal about our discipline as it has unfolded in European languages. Several observations may be made. For one, the extent of this bibliography has reached proportions that no individual scholar could hope to be intimately acquainted with all of its entries. That state of affairs reflects not only the general phenomenon of the explosion of knowledge—and of the access to that knowledge—in contemporary times but also the significant increase in interest in the scholarly study of the Qur’an in recent decades. The range of topics that this bibliography covers is impressive as well; it is possible to see the emergence of sub-disciplines within Qur’anic studies in the way subjects start to cohere: manuscript studies, tafsīr studies, textual studies, thematic studies, historical studies, the Qur’an in ritual, and so forth.
It is also worth noticing the range of names associated with the scholarly endeavor of Qur’anic studies reflected in this bibliography. Given that all this writing is in European languages, it is notable that the names of the authors reflect the global diversity that is the academic world today. On the basis of those names alone, one would have difficulty in asserting that research in this area is the domain of one particular culture, language, ethnicity, gender, or religion. This fact signifies a number of things. It shows that the Qur’an has truly entered into the canon of world literature, subject to analysis through a wide range of methods, approaches and presuppositions. It also uncovers a hopeful message for the future. I often encounter expressions of distrust when it comes to considering writings about the Qur’an stemming from “outside” Islam. Certainly it is possible to point to entries in this bibliography that no reputable scholar would wish to cite as anything other than a component in the history of the discipline: the existence of bias and questionable motives on the part of some writers must be acknowledged and we must all be alert to the need to detect it (and to teach our students how to assess their sources critically). However, what a bibliography such as this shows us is the active dialogue and debate that is taking place in the academic world of Qur’anic studies across every border and boundary. And that, I believe, is a positive sign that should encourage further development of scholarly studies of the Qur’an and its world.
In the end, however, a bibliography is primarily a research tool, one that allows us access to what other scholars have investigated. The importance of that cannot be overstated. Scholarship must take place as a conversation, a back-and-forth between the individual academic and the scholarly community. It is only in such a way that scholarship can move ahead; that is also how we come to understand the history of why certain questions have become focal points for investigation and why research questions are framed in the way that they are. Every new piece of scholarship must, if it is to be useful and significant, stand in an acknowledged relationship with what has come before it. Thus, this bibliography is an indispensible tool, and all scholars of the Qurʾān from all around the world owe a substantial debt of gratitude to Morteza Karimi-Nia for his efforts in producing this invaluable resource.
The Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 2:178-179. The Qurʾan Seminar, organized by IQSA, is dedicated to collaborative study of selected passages that are significant for understanding major themes and structures of the Qur’anic text. Contributors are encouraged to address the Qur’an directly and to not rely on classical exegesis as a lens through which to view the text. Of particular interest to the discussion are the following questions:
