Shaping a Qur'anic worldview : scriptural hermeneutics and the rhetoric of moral reform in the Caliphate of al-Ma'mūn / Vanessa De Gifis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Gifis, Vanessa, author.

Contributor:

John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

Series:

Routledge studies in the Qurʾān

Routledge studies in the Qur'an

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Qurʼan--Criticism, interpretation, etc--History.

Qurʼan.

History.

Maʼmūn, Caliph, 786-833.

Maʼmūn.

Qurʼan--Language, style.

Islam--Doctrines--History.

Islam.

Islam--Doctrines.

Arabic language--Rhetoric.

Arabic language.

Physical Description:

x, 130 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2014.

Summary:

"Exploring the subjectivity of the Qurʼān's meaning in the world, this book analyses Qurʼānic referencing in Muslim political rhetoric. Informed by classical Arabic-Islamic rhetorical theory, the author examines Arabic documents attributed to the ʻAbbāsid Caliph al-Maʼmūn (r. 813-833), whose rule coincided with the maturation of classical Islamic political thought and literary culture. She demonstrates how Qurʼānic referencing functions as tropological exegesis, whereby verses in the Qurʼān are reinterpreted through the lens of subjective experience. At the same time socio-historical experiences are understood in terms of the Qurʼān's moral typology, which consists of interrelated polarities that define good and bad moral characters in mutual orientation. Through strategic deployment of scriptural references within the logical scheme of rhetorical argument, the Caliph constructs moral analogies between paradigmatic characters in the Qurʼān and people in his social milieu, and situates himself as moral reformer and guide, in order to persuade his audiences of the necessity of the Caliphate and the religio-moral imperative of obedience to his authority. The Maʼmūnid case study is indicative of the nature and function of Qurʼānic referencing across historical periods, and thus contributes to broader conversations about the impact of the Qurʼān on the .shaping of Islamic civilization. This book is an invaluable resource for those with an interest in Early Islamic History, Islam and the rhetoric of contemporary Middle East regional and global Islamic politics. "-- Provided by publisher.

"Informed by classical Arabic-Islamic rhetorical theory, the author examines Arabic documents attributed to the ʻAbbāsid Caliph al-Maʼmūn."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

ISBN:

9780415735964

0415735963

OCLC:

863077742

Publisher Number:

99958365505