Aims, Methods and Contexts of Qur'anic Exegesis (2nd/8th-9th/15th Centuries)
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:12th Dec '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Medieval interpretations of the Qur'an often serve as points of reference for Muslim thought; yet Qur'an commentaries were shaped not only by the Qur'an itself, but also by their authors' ideological viewpoints, their theories of interpretation, their methods, and the conventions of the genre. This volume is the first to focus solely on the complicated relationship between exegetes' theoretical aims, their practical methods of writing, and the historical and intellectual contexts of Qur'an commentaries (tafsīr). Experts in various aspects of the Qur'an and its interpretation have contributed essays, spanning the 2nd/8th to the 9th/15th centuries, the period in which the commentarial tradition developed and flourished. They emphasise the ways in which geography, human networks, hermeneutical systems and genre boundaries affected the writing of these texts. This volume offers fresh analytical perspectives and addresses new methods for the study of tafsīr. It also provides resources for scholars, by including editions and translations of the introductions to al-Basīt of Abū'l-Ḥasan 'Alī al-Wāḥidī (d. 486/1076) and the Tahdhīb fī Tafsīr al-Qur'ān of al-Ḥākim al-Jishumī (d. 494/1101), as well as translated selections from the introduction to the tafsīr of 'Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (d. 736/1336). The detailed studies in this volume will help scholars and students alike to comprehend accurately the purpose and content of Qur'an commentaries individually and as a genre.
The academic and intellectual content is high. This is a volume that anyone concerned with tafsīr will need to consult--it is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the nature and development of the field, and it raises questions and treats issues that are important. Over and over again I found myself drawn in to the papers because of their interest. * Gerald R. Hawting, Emeritus Professor, Department of History, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London *
A valuable contribution to the study of tafsīr. Reading the book from beginning to end has the effect of immersing the readers in the commentarial tradition and educating them in the aims and methods of Qur'anic exegesis. * Daniel A. Madigan, Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Georgetown University *
[T]his is a highly valuable contribution to the field which stakes out the frontiers in tafsir studies. In doing so it shows the need to at reconstructing the exegetes' hermeneutics. It also shows that early dating of sources and concepts appears to be becoming more plausible, possibly indicating that linguistics has functioned as the necessary sustenance of tafsir * Ulrika Martensson, Journal of Qur'anic Studies *
ISBN: 9780199670642
Dimensions: 223mm x 151mm x 44mm
Weight: 918g
503 pages