Contemporary Perspectives on Revelation and Qur'anic Hermeneutics : An Analysis of Four Discourses / Ali Akbar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Akbar, Ali, 1915- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Revelation--Islam.

Revelation.

Qurʼan--Hermeneutics.

Qurʼan.

Rahman, Fazlur, 1919-1988.

Rahman, Fazlur.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (200 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press Ltd, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Expounds the ideas of four modern Islamic scholars who challenge the traditional theory of revelationFocuses on three main themes: (1) Qur’anic socio-legal provisions (ahkām); (2) religious pluralism; and (3) political discourses, especially the concepts of governance, shūra (consultation) and democracyOn a theoretical level, it aims to identify whether there exist any larger hermeneutical tendencies that characterize the interpretive methods of the four scholarsOn a practical level, it examines specific themes drawn from each scholar’s work to discover how they fit with his larger hermeneutical principles and his account of revelationExamines how various aspects of each scholar’s theory correspond to pre-modern and modern Muslim and non-Muslim scholars’ accounts of revelationA number of innovative hermeneutical approaches emerged in Muslim exegetical discourse in the second half of the 20th century. Among these developments is a trend of systematic reform theology that emphasises a humanistic approach, whereby revelation is understood to be dependent not only upon its initiator, God, but also upon its recipient, Prophet Muhammad, who takes an active role in the process.Ali Akbar examines the works of four noted scholars of Islam: Fazlur Rahman (Pakistan), Abdolkarim Soroush (Iran), Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (Iran) and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (Egypt). His study shows that the consequences of taking a humanistic approach to understanding revelation are not confined to the realm of speculation about God–human relations, but also to interpreting Qur’anic socio-political precepts. And the four scholars emerge as a distinctive group of Muslim thinkers who open up a new horizon in contemporary Islamic discourse.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Notes on Transliteration and Other Conventions

1 Introduction

2 Traditional Understanding of Revelation

3 Fazlur Rahman: Revelation Historicised

4 Abdolkarim Soroush: The Prophet’s Revelatory Experiences

5 Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari: How the Prophet Saw the World

6 Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd: Revelation as a Linguistic Manifestation of the Communicative Interaction between God and the Prophet

7 Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2022)

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781474456180

1474456189

OCLC:

1312726394