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New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World
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New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 66578

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ismail Albayrak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Theology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia
Interests: Islamic studies; Qur'anic studies; interfaith dialogue; Muslims in modern world; Ibadi exegesis, Hizmet movement; Islamic mysticism
Dr. Hakan Coruh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University, Auburn, NSW 2144, Australia
Interests: medieval exegesis of the Qur’an (classical tafsīr); modern Qur’an exegesis (modern tafsīr); contemporary Islamic thought; Islamic legal theories (usul al-fiqh) and jurisprudence (fiqh); Hanafi-Maturidi theology and jurisprudence; Islamic law and practices in the modern period; radicalisation, theological ideologies, and counter-radicalisation; Islamic theology (Kalām); comparative theology and interfaith relations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Qur’an, as a basic Islamic source, and its exegesis have a special place under the broad umbrella of Islamic studies disciplines. In Qur’anic studies, contemporary approaches to Qur’anic exegesis are an area that needs constant updating with the participation of new actors. This Special Issue of the journal Religions (ISSN 2077-1444)—“New approaches to Qur’anic hermeneutics in the Muslim world”—will discuss the approaches that play defining roles in modern Qur’anic interpretation in the Islamic world. It will critically analyse the intellectual efforts to understand the Qur’an in modern times by contemporary Muslim thinkers from different linguistic and geographic backgrounds. The new Qur’an readings, initiated by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (d. 1898) and continued with the works of Muhammad ‘Abduh (d. 1905), have been further developed by important names such as the late Fazlur Rahman (d. 1988), Muhammad Arkoun (d. 2010) and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (d. 2010), along with contemporary approaches. The participation of feminist Muslim authors in the discussions on their reading of the Qur’an has further expanded the circle of these contemporary approaches. It is also possible to find similar examples of these approaches based on linguistic and historical hermeneutics in the Shi'ite world. This Special Issue discusses to what extent these and other leading figures represent approaches to the Qur’an in the Muslim world. Is there any study of Qur’an commentary that is suitable for the theoretical ground these new approaches put forward? Or are contemporary efforts in the Islamic world taking place within a framework that goes beyond the abovementioned names? If so, what are the important representatives and methods that have guided recent Qur’an interpretations? The subject will be covered from modern Salafi or literalist approaches to different philosophical readings. This issue will handle the representation and classification questions in contemporary approaches to the Qur’an in a way that includes the general Muslim world from different linguistic and geographic backgrounds.

Prof. Dr. Ismail Albayrak
Dr. Hakan Coruh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • the Qur’an
  • Qur’anic hermeneutics
  • exegesis
  • historicism
  • semantic
  • semiotic
  • Muslim feminism
  • Salafism
  • literalist
  • universalism
  • localism
  • scientific exegesis
  • contemporary
  • classical

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 283 KiB  
Article
A New Hermeneutical Approach to the Qur’an with Special Reference to the Narrative of Prophet Yaḥyā (John the Baptist) in the Qur’an and the Bible
by Hakan Çoruh
Religions 2022, 13(10), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13100982 - 18 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2158
Abstract
Prophet Yaḥyā (John the Baptist) is considered to be a bridge between Islam and Christianity. Both traditions emphasize that he is a ‘rightly-guided’ figure and among the company of ‘the righteous’ such as Abraham and Moses. The story of Yaḥyā is included in [...] Read more.
Prophet Yaḥyā (John the Baptist) is considered to be a bridge between Islam and Christianity. Both traditions emphasize that he is a ‘rightly-guided’ figure and among the company of ‘the righteous’ such as Abraham and Moses. The story of Yaḥyā is included in two chapters (Q. 3: 39 and Q. 19: 12–14) in the Qur’an. Canonical Gospels also provide various aspects of John the Baptist. Muslim commentators have used biblical and other sources in their interpretation of the Qur’an, elaborating some aspects of his life within the Qur’anic theological framework. Whereas various similarities may be seen in narratives of Islamic sources and the biblical sources regarding Prophet Yaḥyā, some differences are present. Therefore, this article seeks to provide an analysis on the story of Prophet Yaḥyā through Qur’anic narratives. It also investigates the classical exegetical approach to such a comparative reading (isrā’īliyyāt, biblical materials) and a modern tendency of direct citations from the Bible. Relying on the framework of comparative theology, considered as “welcoming wisdom wherever it exists” and “faith seeking understanding” in light of truth seen deeply in other religious tradition, such mutual close readings and interactions across religious traditions could be a good model for the Muslim world, instead of a fully rejectionist fundamentalist discourse against other traditions. Such a pluralist approach emphasizes a global raising of awareness and mutual understanding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
15 pages, 326 KiB  
Article
The Theoretical Foundations of Contextual Interpretation of the Qur’an in Islamic Theological Schools and Philosophical Sufism
by Halim Calis
Religions 2022, 13(2), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020188 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4207
Abstract
Contextual interpretation of the Qur’an has grown in popularity with the rise of Islamic modernism, mostly because of the need to reform Islamic thought and institutions. Although Qur’anic contextualism is a modern concept, this study argues that its theoretical origins can be traced [...] Read more.
Contextual interpretation of the Qur’an has grown in popularity with the rise of Islamic modernism, mostly because of the need to reform Islamic thought and institutions. Although Qur’anic contextualism is a modern concept, this study argues that its theoretical origins can be traced back to classical Islamic scholarship. Most of the Islamic theological schools, as well as the Akbarī School (the school of Ibn al-‘Arabī), a prominent representative of philosophical Sufism, acknowledged the contextuality of the Qur’an by distinguishing between transcendent divine speech and its limited manifestation in human language. Furthermore, Shams al-Dīn al-Fanārī of the Akbarī School developed a hermeneutical theory in which he questioned the authority and the nature of Qur’anic exegesis and emphasized the idea that the Qur’anic text can have multiple meanings, due to the multiplicity of perceptions in different human contexts. I propose that, of the thinking in pre-modern Islamic scholarship, Akbarian scriptural hermeneutics best accommodates the modern practice of reading the Qur’an contextually. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
9 pages, 264 KiB  
Article
Critique of Nasḫ in Contemporary Qur’ānic Hermeneutics Using the Example of Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd’s Works
by Michal Moch
Religions 2022, 13(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020187 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1948
Abstract
This article highlights the importance of the issue of nasḫ in the context of the thought and works of the acclaimed Egyptian thinker Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd (1943–2010) who, while often perceived as a liberal intellectual, was at the same time deeply [...] Read more.
This article highlights the importance of the issue of nasḫ in the context of the thought and works of the acclaimed Egyptian thinker Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd (1943–2010) who, while often perceived as a liberal intellectual, was at the same time deeply embedded in classical and modern Islamic thought and a hermeneutical approach to the Qur’ān. The practice of nasḫ is usually translated as “abrogation” and seems to be one of the most important procedures conducted by Muslim jurists within the frame of the Qur’ānic sciences. It is one of the deciding features of Islamic law as subsequently created and codified following the time of the Prophet Muḥammad and the Righteous Caliphs. For Abū Zayd, nasḫ was linked to a set of juridical approaches reducing the discursive aspect of the Qur’ān and turning it into a normative book of law. This article includes examples of Abū Zayd’s critique and analysis of the classical cases of nasḫ as contained in his most important books, Mafhūm an-naṣṣ and Naqd al-ḫiṭāb ad-dīnī, as well his English works published in the Netherlands after the so-called “Case of Abū Zayd” and his forced emigration to Europe. In the last part, the outcome of Abū Zayd’s approach will be assessed and his location among past and present Egyptian and Arab thinkers discussed and problematized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
12 pages, 233 KiB  
Article
Fādil Al-Samarra’ī’s Contribution to Literary and Rhetorical Exegesis of the Qur’an
by Abdul-Samad Abdullah
Religions 2022, 13(2), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020180 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1792
Abstract
This article explores and assesses Fādil al-Samarrā’ī’s contribution to literary and rhetorical Qur’anic exegesis, especially regarding the rhetorical inimitability of the Qur’an. The article looks at how al-Samarrā’ī approaches the Qur’anic text to reveal its miraculous expressional secrets and its rhetorical inimitability with [...] Read more.
This article explores and assesses Fādil al-Samarrā’ī’s contribution to literary and rhetorical Qur’anic exegesis, especially regarding the rhetorical inimitability of the Qur’an. The article looks at how al-Samarrā’ī approaches the Qur’anic text to reveal its miraculous expressional secrets and its rhetorical inimitability with mere Arabic linguistic tools while giving contexts high priority in his analyses and interpretations. Al-Samarrā’ī was able to reach the semantics and purposes of the Qur’an based on the Qur’anic language itself, relying on its sentence structure and order, as well as on the structures, significance, and special meanings of words (which distinguish them from their synonyms), and how all of it relates to the purposes and objectives of the Qur’an. Al-Samarrā’ī sought to use morphology, semantics, and syntax to reach the purposes of the Holy Qur’an and discover its miraculous and inimitable eloquence. To achieve this, al-Samarrā’ī relied on the rich and vast literature on the subject. Guided by the intellectual language and empirical questions of his time, his tremendous effort and contribution to the literature has helped to demystify this complex subject. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
14 pages, 283 KiB  
Article
Decolonizing Qurʾanic Studies
by Joseph E. B. Lumbard
Religions 2022, 13(2), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020176 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 13689
Abstract
The legacy of colonialism continues to influence the analysis of the Qurʾan in the Euro-American academy. While Muslim lands are no longer directly colonized, intellectual colonialism continues to prevail in the privileging of Eurocentric systems of knowledge production to the detriment and even [...] Read more.
The legacy of colonialism continues to influence the analysis of the Qurʾan in the Euro-American academy. While Muslim lands are no longer directly colonized, intellectual colonialism continues to prevail in the privileging of Eurocentric systems of knowledge production to the detriment and even exclusion of modes of analysis that developed in the Islamic world for over a thousand years. This form of intellectual hegemony often results in a multifaceted epistemological reductionism that denies efficacy to the analytical tools developed by the classical Islamic tradition. The presumed intellectual superiority of Euro-American analytical modes has become a constitutive and persistent feature of Qurʾanic Studies, influencing all aspects of the field. Its persistence prevents some scholars from encountering, let alone employing, the analytical tools of the classical Islamic tradition and presents obstacles to a broader discourse in the international community of Qurʾanic Studies scholars. Acknowledging the obstacles to which the coloniality of knowledge has given rise in Qurʾanic Studies can help us to develop more inclusive approaches in which multiple modes of analysis are incorporated and scholars from variegated intellectual backgrounds can engage in a more effective dialogue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
15 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Thematic Presentations in Indonesian Qur’anic Commentaries
by Jauhar Azizy, Mohammad Anwar Syarifuddin and Hani Hilyati Ubaidah
Religions 2022, 13(2), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020140 - 3 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2766
Abstract
The study of thematic interpretation (tafsīr mawḍū‘ī) in Indonesia focuses primarily on the products of interpretations written in the 2000s, with little attention paid to the origins of thematic interpretations in Indonesia. This article will look at different ways of [...] Read more.
The study of thematic interpretation (tafsīr mawḍū‘ī) in Indonesia focuses primarily on the products of interpretations written in the 2000s, with little attention paid to the origins of thematic interpretations in Indonesia. This article will look at different ways of presenting thematic interpretations in the Indonesian commentary literature prior to the 2000s. This article will also investigate whether the development of the form of interpretation in the Middle East, particularly Egypt, has had any impact on the form of Indonesian thematic interpretation. The methodology used in this study is a literature review based on thematic interpretations (mawḍū‘ī) of several Egyptian commentators, including Amīn al-Khūlī (d. 1966), Mahmūd Shaltut (d. 1963), Bint Shāti’ (d. 1998), ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Farmawī (d. 2017), Hassan Hanafī (d. 2021), and Mustafā Muslim (d. 2021). The authors also use content analysis to examine some of the Indonesian commentary literature. The conclusion of this article demonstrates that thematic interpretation discourse in Egypt had a significant influence on the development of thematic interpretation in Indonesia, particularly interpretation literature published in the 1990s. This influence can be seen in the presence of a glossary and an index of discussion topics, complete with Qur’anic verses and arranged alphabetically or chronologically. This is in keeping with the spirit of Amīn al-Khūlī (d. 1966), who emphasized the importance of thematic discussions in determining the Qur’anic viewpoint on specific issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
11 pages, 237 KiB  
Article
Rereading of the Quran in Light of Nursi’s Risale-i Nur Collection: Shuhudi Exegesis
by Salih Yucel
Religions 2021, 12(12), 1088; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12121088 - 9 Dec 2021
Viewed by 3229
Abstract
The concept of tafsiri şuhudi (transempirical exegesis) was coined for the first time by Said Nursi (d. 1960) and was reflected throughout his works. In his tafsiri şuhudi (pronounced shuhudi) methodology, Nursi views the Qur’an as an interpretation of the universe, that is [...] Read more.
The concept of tafsiri şuhudi (transempirical exegesis) was coined for the first time by Said Nursi (d. 1960) and was reflected throughout his works. In his tafsiri şuhudi (pronounced shuhudi) methodology, Nursi views the Qur’an as an interpretation of the universe, that is Kitab al-Kabir (a big book). According to Nursi, such an exegesis is needed to reach the degree of iman tahkiki (investigative belief), also known as authentic faith. As part of his methodology, Nursi uses spiritual experience (kashf) and secular sciences as evidence for gaining true faith. Tafsiri şuhudi is an offshoot of ishari (inner meaning) tafsir but one that is injected with rationalism. This tafsir type also injects witnessing (şuhudi) into the dry body of scientific and modern tafsir that emerged in the Muslim world after European enlightenment. This article first examines the original hermeneutical concept of tafsir şuhudi in Nursi’s works and then analyses the sound heart, an essential part of iman tahkiki, in light of Nursi’s transempirical experience. The article argues that Nursi injects rationalism into the ishari tafsir methodology and infuses şuhudi experience by making it not only an epistemic but also an existential understanding of modern tafsir methodology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
15 pages, 339 KiB  
Article
Hermeneutics in Contemporary Turkey: An Analysis of Turkish Historicists
by Gokhan Bacik
Religions 2021, 12(11), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111027 - 22 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3110
Abstract
The hermeneutical turn in Islamic studies has also affected Islamic scholarship in Turkey, a country where traditional Sunnism historically dominates. Historicism in Islamic studies became an influential intellectual and academic current in Turkey after the 1990s. This was mostly because the first generation [...] Read more.
The hermeneutical turn in Islamic studies has also affected Islamic scholarship in Turkey, a country where traditional Sunnism historically dominates. Historicism in Islamic studies became an influential intellectual and academic current in Turkey after the 1990s. This was mostly because the first generation of Turkish scholars, who associated themselves with historicism through complex engagement with Quranic hermeneutics in their studies, emerged in the 1990s. In this article, I analyze Mustafa Öztürk, İlhami Güler, and Ömer Özsoy, the architects of the historicist turn of the 1990s in Turkey who are still prominent. The article explains: (i) The Turkish historicists’ views on the nature of the Quran; (ii) Their hermeneutical approach in interpreting the Quran; and (iii) Illustrates how they apply the hermeneutical approach to the interpretation of the Quran by presenting how they interpret the Quran’s relevant verses on corporal punishment/chopping and divorce. The article aims to detail historicism in Turkey by studying its leading scholars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
17 pages, 608 KiB  
Article
Violence and Jihad in Islam: From the War of Words to the Clashes of Definitions
by Ali Mostfa
Religions 2021, 12(11), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110966 - 4 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 18392
Abstract
This article explores the phenomena of violence and jihad in three parts: their emergence and trajectory in the Qur’anic text, their meanings, and their entanglement with the religious cause. The objective was to examine the interactions between violence and jihad, highlighting the [...] Read more.
This article explores the phenomena of violence and jihad in three parts: their emergence and trajectory in the Qur’anic text, their meanings, and their entanglement with the religious cause. The objective was to examine the interactions between violence and jihad, highlighting the variations in their usage and interpretation. Based on intensive literal interpretations of the jihad verses, radical Islamist movements have distorted their historical memory by sanctifying and reducing them to an argument of war (harb, qital) and combat, thus seeking a military solution to their political agendas. This article also aimed to address the issue of the transition of Islam from a meta-narrative of emancipation and rationality to one of violence by examining the question of war in Islam, as well as its definition and legitimisation. In this rather complex transition, we draw in some sections on Ibn Khaldun’s modelling to highlight the political component related to violence. The aim was to attempt to disentangle the threads of violence, politics, and power within the Islamic tradition. This study will allow assessment of the tension—in the context of the Qur’an—between order (islah) and disorder/injustice (fasad). The transition from one to the other implies a legitimisation of violence; its appropriateness must, therefore, be studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
13 pages, 296 KiB  
Article
Ayatollah Yusuf Sanei’s Contribution to the Discourse of Women’s Rights
by Ali Akbar
Religions 2021, 12(7), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12070535 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3444
Abstract
Ayatollah Yusef Sanei was a prominent contemporary Shia scholar whose particular methodological approach led him to issue some of the most progressive Shia fatwas on the subject of women’s rights. However, the ideas he expressed in the last decades of his life have [...] Read more.
Ayatollah Yusef Sanei was a prominent contemporary Shia scholar whose particular methodological approach led him to issue some of the most progressive Shia fatwas on the subject of women’s rights. However, the ideas he expressed in the last decades of his life have scarcely been addressed in the English language scholarship. This article explores Sanei’s broader jurisprudential approach and how he applied it to analyzing and often challenging traditional Shia rulings related to gender issues. The article first differentiates Sanei’s approach towards jurisprudence from established methodologies, particularly in relation to his consideration of the Sunna as secondary to the Qurʾān, his rejection of the practice of using consensus as an independent basis of legal rulings, his idea that Sharia rulings may change over time, and his strong emphasis on the Qurʾān’s messages of justice and human dignity. The article illuminates how this combination led Sanei to challenge traditional ideas about men’s authority over women, a fixed socio-political role for women, and men’s superiority in the areas of divorce rights, testimony and worth in blood money (dīya), while concurring with earlier scholars on the unequal division of inheritance. Notwithstanding this latter exception, the article demonstrates that Sanei drew upon jurisprudential approaches in arguing in favor of equality between men and women in many areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
11 pages, 242 KiB  
Article
Search for the Theological Grounds to Develop Inclusive Islamic Interpretations: Some Insights from Rationalistic Islamic Maturidite Theology
by Galym Zhussipbek and Bakhytzhan Satershinov
Religions 2019, 10(11), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10110609 - 3 Nov 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6284
Abstract
Inclusive religious interpretations accept that a salvation beyond their teachings can be found. Whether Islam accepts inclusive religious interpretations or not, constitutes one of the most debated issues related to Islam in our days. In this paper it is argued that, although al-Maturidi’s [...] Read more.
Inclusive religious interpretations accept that a salvation beyond their teachings can be found. Whether Islam accepts inclusive religious interpretations or not, constitutes one of the most debated issues related to Islam in our days. In this paper it is argued that, although al-Maturidi’s views can hardly be described as inclusive, the dynamic rationalistic Maturidite theology (so-called Maturidite “software”) may help produce inclusive Islamic interpretations. In addition to the key two principles of rationalistic Maturidite theology, especially the Maturidite understanding of the fate of people not exposed to divine mission, may be understood as accepting that the people may reach faith which is similar to valid through their reason, and they may be saved hereafter, although they do not believe in Islamic teachings in a strict sense. This Maturidite position can also be used to justify the inclusive understanding of Quranic verses. By and large, Maturidite theological views analyzed in this article can be seen as factors laying the grounds to develop inclusive Islamic interpretations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to Qur'anic Hermeneutics in the Muslim World)
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