Reform and its perils in contemporary Islam : the case of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd / Nadia Oweidat.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oweidat, Nadia, author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Abū Zayd, Naṣr Ḥāmid.

Qurʼan--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Qurʼan.

Islamic renewal.

Authority--Religious aspects--Islam.

Authority.

Social change--Religious aspects--Islam.

Social change.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (273 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]

Summary:

'Reform and Its Perils in Contemporary Islam' offers an intellectual history and critical analysis of Abu Zayd's work. Abu Zayd believed there could be a positive relationship between modernity and Islam. He sought to reinterpret central aspects of the Islamic tradition to render them more conducive to modern conceptions of religion, society, and politics. Nadia Oweidat situates this prominent Muslim scholar both within his modernist intellectual milieu and in opposition to his numerous critics, elucidating and providing summary translations of Arabic texts that, until now, have remained largely unknown to Western audiences. Abu Zayd's fate, Oweidat argues, illustrates the hostility faced by modernist intellectuals who attempt to subject the Islamic tradition to academic scrutiny.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Note On Transliteration and Translation

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Clarifications of Terms

Religious Discourse (al-Khiṭāb Al-Dīnī)

Nahḍa: Abu Zayd and the Second Wave of Modernist Intellectuals

The Importance of Abu Zayd

Structure of the Book

1 Abu Zayd's Intellectual Lineage

Personal Background

Intellectual Influences

Medieval Influences

Conclusion

2 The Missteps of the Nahḍa Intellectuals

Defining Turāth

The Wrong Answer to the Wrong Question

Europe's Influence

Oversimplifications

Science Without Thought

Lack of Courage

3 The Shackles of History

Instrumentalization and Selectivity

The Oppressive Presence of History

Modernity's Problematic Parent

Mixing Religion With History

4 Shariʿa and the Status of the Qurʾan

The Status of the Qurʾan

The Historical Versus the Eternal

Hadith and Sunna

Theologians' Input

5 Islamic Secularism

Historical Context

Defining Secularism in Abu Zayd's Work

Diversity Versus Uniformity

Freedom of Doctrinal Choice Versus Coercion

Piety Versus Politics

Secularism as Prerequisite to Modernity

The Response of the Religious Discourse and Its Ramifications

6 Women's Rights

Influences of Nahḍa Scholars

The Emergence of the Crisis Discourse

Blaming Theologians and the Religious Discourse

Defending Islam, as He Saw It

Centrality of the West

Visibly Absent

Women's Employment

The Issue of Polygamy

The Issue of Divorce

The Issue of Inheritance

Notes

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on March 26, 2024).

ISBN:

0-19-774410-9

0-19-774411-7

0-19-774412-5

OCLC:

1427966528