Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur’ān

Description

In recent years, the Qur’ān has come to the forefront of scholarly investigations in Islamic studies. However, the traditional interpretation of the book, commonly termed tafsīr, remains a vast, virtually untapped field of investigation. Many Muslims tend to ignore the material, seeing it as a storehouse of traditional restraints, and scholars frequently gloss over its importance as a historical record of the Muslim community, not appreciating the depth and breadth of the literature. The essays gathered here expose and explore various aspects of the field of tafsīr, and their potential for scholarly research. PREFACE TO THE REPRINT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS ABBREVIATIONS Introduction PART I. FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TAFSIR 1. Origins and Early Development of the tafsir Tradition 2. The Value of the Hafs and Warsh Transmissions for the Textual History of the Qur'an 3. Quranic Hermeneutics: The Views of al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir 4. The Function of hadith as Commentary on the Qur'an, as Seen in the Six Authoritative Collections 5. Legends in tafsir and hadith Literature: The Creation of Adam and Related Stories PART II. GENRES OF TAFSIR 6. The Exegetical Genre nasikh al-Qur'an wa mansukhuhu 7. The Rhetorical Interpretation of the Qur'an: i'jaz and Related Topics 8. Lexicographical Texts and the Qur'an PART III. SECTARIAN DIMENSIONS OF INTERPRETATION 9. The Speaking Qur'an and the Silent Qur'an: A Study of the Principles and Development of Imami Shi'i tafsir 10. Isma'ili ta'wil of the Qur'an 11. Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur'an Commentary of Sayyid'All Muhammad Shlrazi, the Bab (1819-1850) PART IV. MODERN TRENDS IN TAFSIR 12. Quranic Exegesis in the Malay World: In Search of a Profile 13. Qur'an Recitation Training in Indonesia: A Survey of Contexts and Handbooks 14. Abu'l-A'la Mawdudi's Tafhim al-Qur'an GENERAL INDEX INDEX OF QURANIC CITATIONS