Translation and commentary from Juzʿ 30 of the Quran with notes regarding aḥādīth cited in the co... more Translation and commentary from Juzʿ 30 of the Quran with notes regarding aḥādīth cited in the commentary.
The first edition of Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition
was published in 2004. ... more The first edition of Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition was published in 2004. Since that time many individuals and organizations have continued the effort to alleviate misunderstandings between Islam and the West. But for every book that seeks to clarify the teachings of traditional Islam, many more are published that seek to distort Islam and to demonize Muslims. The majority of the best sellers on Islamic topics continue to be those that present Islam as a violent and irrational religion bent on the destruction of Western civilization. And to be anti-Muslim or anti-Arab remains the only accepted form of bigotry in the United States.
This reflects the continuation of a deep divide between Islam and the West, one that is not inherent to their common heritage.1 This collection of essays has had some small effect in stemming the tide of misinformation and disinformation, and the authors of these essays have been heartened by the reception they have received. Nonetheless, a long road remains ahead. The “war on terror” has brought more fear than security, and the war in Iraq has created extreme distrust. Given the positive reception the first edition received, we believe it can continue to play a small role in helping those who wish to overcome such obstacles. We have thus decided to update several of the essays and add a new essay that provides readers with a better understanding of gender relations in classical Islam. We hope that this and other works of its kind will continue to aid those who seek to establish better relations between Islam and the West.
103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Qurays... more 103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Quraysh 107 Small Kindnesses, al-Mā ūn 108 Abundant Good, al-Kawthar 109 e Disbelievers, al-Kā rūn 110 Help, al-Na r 111 e Palm Fiber, al-Masad 112 Sincerity, al-Ikhlā 113 e Daybreak, al-Falaq
The teachings of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī changed the course of Persian Sufism forever, paving the way fo... more The teachings of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī changed the course of Persian Sufism forever, paving the way for luminaries such as Rūmī, Aṭṭār, and Ḥāfiẓ. Yet he remains a poorly understood thinker, with many treatises incorrectly attributed to him and conflicting accounts in the historiographical literature. This work provides the first examination of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī and his work in Western scholarly literature. This monograph seeks to ascertain the authenticity of works attributed to al-Ghazālī, trace the development of the dominant trends in the biographical literature, and reconstruct the life and times of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī with particular attention to his relationship with his more famous brother, Abū Hamid al-Ghazālī. Its findings revolutionize our understanding of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī's writings, allowing for focus on his central teachings regarding Divine Love and the Remembrance of God.
103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Qurays... more 103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Quraysh 107 Small Kindnesses, al-Mā ūn 108 Abundant Good, al-Kawthar 109 e Disbelievers, al-Kā rūn 110 Help, al-Na r 111 e Palm Fiber, al-Masad 112 Sincerity, al-Ikhlā 113 e Daybreak, al-Falaq
The search for knowledge has been central to the Islamic tradition from its inception in the Qura... more The search for knowledge has been central to the Islamic tradition from its inception in the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. The injunctions to obtain knowledge and contemplate the signs of God in all things undergird a culture of ultimate questions in which there was an underlying epistemic unity among all fields of knowledge, from the religious sciences to the intellectual sciences to the natural sciences. Having lost sight of the underlying metaphysic that provides this epistemic unity, many thinkers in the modern period read the classical Islamic texts independently of the cognitive cartography and hierarchy of which they are a part. This approach leads to further misunderstandings and thus to a sense of hermeneutical gloom and epistemic subordination characteristic of coloniality. Postcolonial theory provides effective tools for diagnosing the process by which this epistemic erosion produces ideologically and epistemically conscripted subjects. But as it, too, arises from within a secular frame, it is only by understanding the cognitive cartography of the sciences within Islam that epistemic confidence and sovereignty can be reinstated.
he burgeoning field of Quranic studies has at last found the criterion by which to gauge all futu... more he burgeoning field of Quranic studies has at last found the criterion by which to gauge all future endeavors at translating and commenting on the lodestone of Muslim belief and devotion, the Quran. Rather than a single scholarly translator, The Study Quran is a collaborative effort involving five scholars and requiring their coordinated labor for nearly a decade. In its Chief Editor's words, it is a collective endeavor "to produce the best translation possible" (p. xliii) of the Quran into English, along with extensive commentary, annotation, maps, and supplementary essays. (The essays, fifteen in all numbering over 250 pages, warrant a further review but they will be excluded from what follows in order to stress major features of the translation with commentary, the core element of The Study Quran.) There have been several efforts in the past to collaborate on Quran translations into English. Some have come from two individuals working in tandem.
The question of the covenant in the Old and New Testaments was among the most fertile topics for ... more The question of the covenant in the Old and New Testaments was among the most fertile topics for critically engaged Jewish-Christian dialogue in the twentieth century and has given rise to more pluralistic readings of both the Old and New Testaments. But such developments have not occurred in the field of Qur'anic Studies. Nonetheless, the idea of the covenant is central to the Qur'anic conception of humanity and of religious history. Discussions of the covenant are prevalent in the text itself and in the commentary tradition, in which many issues and concepts central to Islam are linked to it. This paper examines the various ways in which the covenant has been treated in the Qur'an and examines how the commentary tradition treats the idea of the covenant (ʿahd or mīthāq), with particular focus on Q. 7:172 and Q. 30:30. It demonstrates how the Qur'anic presentation of the covenant is central to the Qur'anic understanding of human history, the human condition, and...
The legacy of colonialism continues to influence the analysis of the Qurʾan in the Euro-American ... 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
Translation and commentary from Juzʿ 30 of the Quran with notes regarding aḥādīth cited in the co... more Translation and commentary from Juzʿ 30 of the Quran with notes regarding aḥādīth cited in the commentary.
The first edition of Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition
was published in 2004. ... more The first edition of Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition was published in 2004. Since that time many individuals and organizations have continued the effort to alleviate misunderstandings between Islam and the West. But for every book that seeks to clarify the teachings of traditional Islam, many more are published that seek to distort Islam and to demonize Muslims. The majority of the best sellers on Islamic topics continue to be those that present Islam as a violent and irrational religion bent on the destruction of Western civilization. And to be anti-Muslim or anti-Arab remains the only accepted form of bigotry in the United States.
This reflects the continuation of a deep divide between Islam and the West, one that is not inherent to their common heritage.1 This collection of essays has had some small effect in stemming the tide of misinformation and disinformation, and the authors of these essays have been heartened by the reception they have received. Nonetheless, a long road remains ahead. The “war on terror” has brought more fear than security, and the war in Iraq has created extreme distrust. Given the positive reception the first edition received, we believe it can continue to play a small role in helping those who wish to overcome such obstacles. We have thus decided to update several of the essays and add a new essay that provides readers with a better understanding of gender relations in classical Islam. We hope that this and other works of its kind will continue to aid those who seek to establish better relations between Islam and the West.
103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Qurays... more 103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Quraysh 107 Small Kindnesses, al-Mā ūn 108 Abundant Good, al-Kawthar 109 e Disbelievers, al-Kā rūn 110 Help, al-Na r 111 e Palm Fiber, al-Masad 112 Sincerity, al-Ikhlā 113 e Daybreak, al-Falaq
The teachings of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī changed the course of Persian Sufism forever, paving the way fo... more The teachings of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī changed the course of Persian Sufism forever, paving the way for luminaries such as Rūmī, Aṭṭār, and Ḥāfiẓ. Yet he remains a poorly understood thinker, with many treatises incorrectly attributed to him and conflicting accounts in the historiographical literature. This work provides the first examination of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī and his work in Western scholarly literature. This monograph seeks to ascertain the authenticity of works attributed to al-Ghazālī, trace the development of the dominant trends in the biographical literature, and reconstruct the life and times of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī with particular attention to his relationship with his more famous brother, Abū Hamid al-Ghazālī. Its findings revolutionize our understanding of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī's writings, allowing for focus on his central teachings regarding Divine Love and the Remembrance of God.
103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Qurays... more 103 e Declining Day, al-A r 104 e Slanderer, al-Humazah 105 e Elephant, al-Fīl 106 uraysh, Quraysh 107 Small Kindnesses, al-Mā ūn 108 Abundant Good, al-Kawthar 109 e Disbelievers, al-Kā rūn 110 Help, al-Na r 111 e Palm Fiber, al-Masad 112 Sincerity, al-Ikhlā 113 e Daybreak, al-Falaq
The search for knowledge has been central to the Islamic tradition from its inception in the Qura... more The search for knowledge has been central to the Islamic tradition from its inception in the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. The injunctions to obtain knowledge and contemplate the signs of God in all things undergird a culture of ultimate questions in which there was an underlying epistemic unity among all fields of knowledge, from the religious sciences to the intellectual sciences to the natural sciences. Having lost sight of the underlying metaphysic that provides this epistemic unity, many thinkers in the modern period read the classical Islamic texts independently of the cognitive cartography and hierarchy of which they are a part. This approach leads to further misunderstandings and thus to a sense of hermeneutical gloom and epistemic subordination characteristic of coloniality. Postcolonial theory provides effective tools for diagnosing the process by which this epistemic erosion produces ideologically and epistemically conscripted subjects. But as it, too, arises from within a secular frame, it is only by understanding the cognitive cartography of the sciences within Islam that epistemic confidence and sovereignty can be reinstated.
he burgeoning field of Quranic studies has at last found the criterion by which to gauge all futu... more he burgeoning field of Quranic studies has at last found the criterion by which to gauge all future endeavors at translating and commenting on the lodestone of Muslim belief and devotion, the Quran. Rather than a single scholarly translator, The Study Quran is a collaborative effort involving five scholars and requiring their coordinated labor for nearly a decade. In its Chief Editor's words, it is a collective endeavor "to produce the best translation possible" (p. xliii) of the Quran into English, along with extensive commentary, annotation, maps, and supplementary essays. (The essays, fifteen in all numbering over 250 pages, warrant a further review but they will be excluded from what follows in order to stress major features of the translation with commentary, the core element of The Study Quran.) There have been several efforts in the past to collaborate on Quran translations into English. Some have come from two individuals working in tandem.
The question of the covenant in the Old and New Testaments was among the most fertile topics for ... more The question of the covenant in the Old and New Testaments was among the most fertile topics for critically engaged Jewish-Christian dialogue in the twentieth century and has given rise to more pluralistic readings of both the Old and New Testaments. But such developments have not occurred in the field of Qur'anic Studies. Nonetheless, the idea of the covenant is central to the Qur'anic conception of humanity and of religious history. Discussions of the covenant are prevalent in the text itself and in the commentary tradition, in which many issues and concepts central to Islam are linked to it. This paper examines the various ways in which the covenant has been treated in the Qur'an and examines how the commentary tradition treats the idea of the covenant (ʿahd or mīthāq), with particular focus on Q. 7:172 and Q. 30:30. It demonstrates how the Qur'anic presentation of the covenant is central to the Qur'anic understanding of human history, the human condition, and...
The legacy of colonialism continues to influence the analysis of the Qurʾan in the Euro-American ... 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
In her review of The Study Quran in AJISS (34:4), Karen Bauer makes anumber of broad claims about... more In her review of The Study Quran in AJISS (34:4), Karen Bauer makes anumber of broad claims about the authors’ ideology and methodology, particularlyin producing the commentary that accompanies the translation.Her claims regarding the commentary, however, seem to be based on alimited reading of the text, which has led her to make a number of otherwiseinexplicable factual errors. For example, in assessing the SQ authors’selection, use, and representation of Islamic tafsīr sources in the commentary,she overlooks the note in the front matter entitled, “Understanding theCitations in the Commentary”—which makes it clear that, in the interest ofsaving space, the citation of various commentaries as sources for the opinionsmentioned in the Study Quran commentary is done through a systemof abbreviations, for which a key is provided on pages lvii-lix ...
Since the publication of Toshihiko Izutsu's The Structure of Ethical Terms in the Qurʾan in 1959,... more Since the publication of Toshihiko Izutsu's The Structure of Ethical Terms in the Qurʾan in 1959, scholars of Islam have recognized that gratitude (shukr) is central to the ethicoreligious worldview conveyed by the Qurʾān. Izutsu further developed this analysis in God and Man in the Qurʾan and Ethico-Religious concepts in the Qurʾan. Ida Zilio-Grade enhances our understanding by providing linguistic analysis of shukr, and Atif Khalil examines the understanding of shukr in Sufi texts. This paper draws the connections between these three approaches. It expands upon Zilio-Grade's linguistic analysis by examining the root sh-k-r and analyzing the differences between the uses of shākir (thankful) and shakūr (ever-grateful) when used in relation to the human being and when used in relation to God. It then demonstrates that expanding the analysis of contextual semantic fields employed by Izutsu to include intertextual semantic fields reveals how shukr is related to the cognitive faculties of the human being. The paper concludes by examining how authors such as a-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), al-Tilimsānī (d. 773/1291), and Aḥmad al-Tijānī (d. 1230/1815) addressed the paradoxes to which this Qurʾānic presentation of shukr gives rise.
The Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion, 2021
Among the Qur'ān's central themes are the multiplicity of revelation, the phenomena of prophethoo... more Among the Qur'ān's central themes are the multiplicity of revelation, the phenomena of prophethood, the nature of death, and the reality of the afterlife, among other issues central to the philosophy of religion. Nonetheless, the Qur'ān remains understudied in the field. Since the mid-nineteenth century, Western scholars have sought to establish approaches to the Qur'ānic text that eschew the Qur'ān's account of its own origins, history, and nature and circumvent a millennium of Muslim scholarship. This has resulted in contradictory approaches that render the field of Qur'ānic Studies in a state of disarray. Confusion most often arises regarding ongoing debates about the Qur'ān's origins. Misunderstandings also prevail in philosophical and theological evaluations of the Qur'ān due to the imposition of foreign philosophical categories without first seeking to analyze Qur'ānic teachings on their own terms. Given the foundation the Qur'ān provides for discussions germane to the philosophy of religion and the paucity of material addressing Qur'ānic teachings, the first step in this field must be to outline the manner in which the Qur'ān addresses issues central to the philosophy of religion.
In the Qur’an, the covenant is etiological. As Tariq Jaffer writes, “from the perspective of the ... more In the Qur’an, the covenant is etiological. As Tariq Jaffer writes, “from the perspective of the Qur’an the event in cosmic history is one that establishes and binds together the monotheistic worldview and an ethos or program of conduct on earth for humanity”. In addition to the covenant of lordship and servitude to which all human beings bear witness, there is another covenant particular to the prophets, which is made after the covenant with all of humanity and which states that the prophets worship god, call others to worship god, and affirm the prophetic missions of one another. Some commentators propose that the reference to all of humanity as “a single community” alludes to the time when all human beings made the covenant with God, then followed a single religion and a single creed. The Qur’anic evaluation of Jews and Christians revolves around the extent to which they adhere to the covenant or break it.
The Prophet Muhammad is considered the first commentator on the Qur’an and the exemplar whose act... more The Prophet Muhammad is considered the first commentator on the Qur’an and the exemplar whose actions teach Muslims how live and act in accordance with the Qur’an. Whereas the Qur’an provides accounts of the trials that previous messengers such as Moses and Abraham faced before their prophetic missions began, there are only a few allusions to the life of the Prophet Muhammad before the onset of his prophetic mission. The function of Muhammad as a messenger of god, a spiritual guide, and a temporal leader unfolds gradually through the process of the Qur’anic revelation. Some of the earliest revelations reflect Muhammad’s hesitancy and even doubt regarding his prophetic mission, others allude to god steeling the Prophet for his mission, and others to God amending the prophet’s behavior. Verses from the Meccan period also allude to the Prophet’s developing relationship with the Qur’anic revelation, gradually becoming more accustomed to the manner in which he should receive it and work with it.
Autor u ovom tekstu govori o učincima ḏikra na dušu čovječiju, o njezinom postepenom odgajanju - ... more Autor u ovom tekstu govori o učincima ḏikra na dušu čovječiju, o njezinom postepenom odgajanju - ta’dīb, te vraćanju njezinoj primordijalnoj naravi - fiṭrah. Naravno, budući da su duše različite, potrebno im je ponuditi ono što će na njih adekvatno djelovati, što znači da formalni uvjeti - arkān participiranja u ḏikru mogu biti različiti, no, njihova suština je posve identična a sastoji se u snaženju sjećanja na Boga, te svakovrsne borbe i nastojanja - mujāhadah da se savez sklopljen s Bogom - ʿahd odnosno mīṯāq sačuva čistotom i njegovanošću duše. Autor upotrebljava kur’ānske pojmove za stepenovanje odnosno nijansiranje položajā - maqāmāt duše, tako postoji al-nafs al-ammārah bi-s-sū’ - duša sklona zlu, al-nafs al-lawwāmah - prijekorna duša te al-nafs al-muṭma’innah - smirena duša, kojima odgovaraju ḏikr al-lisān - zazivanje jezikom, ḏikr al-qalb - zazivanje srcem, te ḏikr al-sirr - zazivanje najdubljim bićem. Naravno, da bi sve ono čime čovjek in potentia raspolaže bilo aktualizirano, nužno je da duhovni organi spoznaje ḏikrom budu probuđeni iz usnulosti, čime u konačnici obzorja mnogih svjetova neće biti reducirana na onaj čulima perceptibilan.
Love and beauty have been defining elements of Islam from its inception. While Sufism provides th... more Love and beauty have been defining elements of Islam from its inception. While Sufism provides the most extensive discourse on love in the Islamic world, such discussions are but one dimension of an extensive love tradition. Many of the themes associated with the Sufi love tradition find direct reflections in the secular literary traditions of the Muslim world, particularly udhri ghazal poetry, where the beloved becomes the personification of the ideal and the lover is condemned to die in love. The heart is transformed by perceiving and contemplating God’s Beauty, being drawn to God’s Beauty, and conforming to or manifesting God’s Beauty. The relationship between the lover and the beloved is defined by beauty and love. As love pertains to the realm of eternity and lies beyond the realm of form and matter, it is an expression of the eternal relationship between the Divine and the human and thus extends beyond any one religion.
Light upon Light: Essays in Islamic Thought and History in Honor of Gerhard Bowering, 2019
This paper examines the nexus between philosophy and Sufism in the epistemology and noetics of Ab... more This paper examines the nexus between philosophy and Sufism in the epistemology and noetics of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī. The focus is upon the contributions of philosophy, dialectical theology, and Sufism to his understanding of the relationship between the soul and the intellect and the acquisition of knowledge. These three disciplines are in constant tension throughout his corpus, with philosophy presented as the highest form of ‘acquired knowledge,’ surpassing dialectical theology. This presentation of philosophy has led scholars such as Alexander Treiger and Julles Jansens to argue that al-Ghazālī maintained philosophy to be the highest level of certainty. Building upon Aḥmad Dallal’s critique of Richard Frank, this paper argues that a complete reading of al-Ghazālī’s corpus reveals a more subtle epistemology wherein ‘knowledge from on high’ (al-ʿilm al-ladunī) and knowledge attained through philosophical deduction are both able to achieve the highest level of understanding. But in several books of Iḥyāʾ, as well as al-Munqidh and Jawāhir al-Qurʾān, ‘knowledge from on high’ is presented as surpassing philosophical investigation. According to al-Ghazālī, the latter remains a mode of ‘acquired knowledge’ that derives from syllogistic processes developed by building upon the observations of sensory perception and can thus be corrupted by our baser proclivities. Therefore, the only means of gaining complete certainty is through the pure perception of the heart, and the only way to attain such perception, as outlined in Book XXI of the Iḥyāʿ, is through spiritual exercises that close the heart to outside influences. Through analysis of passages from the Iḥyāʿ, Mishkāt al-Anwār, al-Munqidh min al-Dalāl and al-Risāla al-Laduniyya, among other texts, this paper argues that al-Ghazālī gave supremacy to philosophy for demonstrative proof in the field of acquired knowledge, but maintained that ‘knowledge from on high’ provides the ‘supreme way of knowing.’
This is the write up of a paper delivered at the Annual Academy of the AAR in 2001. It was subseq... more This is the write up of a paper delivered at the Annual Academy of the AAR in 2001. It was subsequently published in "The Religious Other: Towards a Muslim Theology of the Other in a Post-Prophetic Age" ed. by Suheyl Umar
5ooth Anniversary of Mawlanā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī Istanbul, Turkey, May 14-18, 2007, 2007
This paper exams the complexities of Rumis statements regarding the Quran, both his subtle use of... more This paper exams the complexities of Rumis statements regarding the Quran, both his subtle use of Quranic themes and structures and his criticism of those who fixate upon the outer aspects of the text.
Employing the tools of postcolonial studies, this paper examines the manner in which the legacy o... more Employing the tools of postcolonial studies, this paper examines the manner in which the legacy of colonialism continues to influence the analysis of the Quran 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 results in 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 Quranic 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 Quranic Studies scholars. Acknowledging the obstacles to which the coloniality of knowledge has given rise in Quranic Studies can help us to develop more inclusive approaches in which multiple modes of analysis are incorporated and scholars from variegated intellectual backgrounds can build a more transnational field of Quranic Studies.
Response the review of The Study Quran published in The Muslim World Book Review (36:3, 2016, pp.... more Response the review of The Study Quran published in The Muslim World Book Review (36:3, 2016, pp. 20-25), demonstrating the misrepresentations of the review by providing full citations of the passages in question from The Study Quran.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Response by Maria Dakake and Joseph Lumbard to Karen Bauer's review of The Study Quran, published... more Response by Maria Dakake and Joseph Lumbard to Karen Bauer's review of The Study Quran, published in AJISS.
The Study Quran is a new English translation of and commentary upon Islam's Holy Book the Quran. ... more The Study Quran is a new English translation of and commentary upon Islam's Holy Book the Quran. It is the culmination of nearly a decade of conscientious work carried out by a group of Muslim Quranic studies scholars led by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
Dobie's work proves to be a rare accomplishment in comparative mysticism. He demonstrates command... more Dobie's work proves to be a rare accomplishment in comparative mysticism. He demonstrates command of a broad range of mystical analysis, from Gershem Scholem to Rudolf Otto, from Vladimir Lossky to Steven Katz. He is even informed by the observations of such academic outcasts as Frithjof Schuon. His ability to assimilate these many modes of analysis results in a subtle and refined approach that acknowledges the manner in which the mystical philosophies of Ibn Arabi and Mesiter Eckhart are both products of their distinct particular religious matrices, yet also "analogous manifestations that refer to a single and absolute divine origin" (15). In doing so Dobie provides a persuasive phenomenological refutation of Katz's hyper-contextualist approach to comparative mysticism.
The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (HarperOne, 2015) represents years of effort fr... more The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (HarperOne, 2015) represents years of effort from a team of dedicated translators and editors (Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Joseph Lumbard, Maria Dakake, Caner Dagli, and Mohammad Rustom). The book is a remarkable achievement. The text features a complete new translation of the Quran as well as multiple complementary essays written by leading scholars of Quranic studies. The tome also includes over a million words of running commentary from Muslim exegetes across the centuries including contributions from Sunni, Shii, and Sufi schools of thought among others. This feature, in particular, showcases its encompassing and truly oceanic scope. The text proves noteworthy as well, given its intersection between confessional scholarship and Western academic approaches to Islamic studies. The text has already begun to make waves across North America and beyond and has set a new precedent as not only a translation but also a reference work on Quran. Its user-friendly organization, moreover, will make the text accessible to just about anyone as it offers levels of depth according to what the reader seeks.
The Study Quran is a historic and groundbreaking translation and commentary of the Quran, produce... more The Study Quran is a historic and groundbreaking translation and commentary of the Quran, produced by a distinguished team of Islamic studies scholars, led by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. The Study Quran provides a scholarly yet accessible resource where one can quickly and easily explore how Muslims have interpreted the Quran through the centuries to the present day. The Study Quran is a much-needed project in a time when confusion about the Quran and Islam is so prevalent. Nieuwwij.nl spoke with one of the editors of The Study Quran, professor Joseph Lumbard: " The fact that the The Study Quran has received opposition from extremist sects and from alt-right advocates indicates to me that they realize that a broader understanding of the Quran DEC '16 19
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Books by Joseph Lumbard
was published in 2004. Since that time many individuals and organizations have continued the effort to alleviate misunderstandings between Islam and the West. But for every book that seeks to clarify the teachings of traditional Islam, many more are published that seek to distort Islam and to demonize Muslims. The majority of the best sellers on Islamic topics continue to be those that present Islam as a violent and irrational religion bent on the destruction of Western civilization. And to be anti-Muslim or anti-Arab remains the only accepted form of bigotry in the United States.
This reflects the continuation of a deep divide between Islam and the West, one that is not inherent to their common heritage.1 This collection of essays has had some small effect in stemming the tide of misinformation and disinformation, and the authors of these essays have been heartened by the reception they have received. Nonetheless, a long road remains ahead. The “war on terror” has brought more fear than security, and the war in Iraq has created extreme distrust. Given the positive reception the first edition received, we believe it can continue to play a small role in helping those who wish to overcome such obstacles. We have thus decided to update several of the essays and add a new essay that provides readers with a better understanding of gender relations in classical Islam. We hope that this and other works of its kind will continue to aid those who seek to establish better relations between Islam and the West.
Papers by Joseph Lumbard
the process by which this epistemic erosion produces ideologically and epistemically conscripted subjects. But as it, too, arises from within a secular frame, it is only by understanding the cognitive cartography of the sciences within Islam that epistemic confidence and sovereignty can be reinstated.
was published in 2004. Since that time many individuals and organizations have continued the effort to alleviate misunderstandings between Islam and the West. But for every book that seeks to clarify the teachings of traditional Islam, many more are published that seek to distort Islam and to demonize Muslims. The majority of the best sellers on Islamic topics continue to be those that present Islam as a violent and irrational religion bent on the destruction of Western civilization. And to be anti-Muslim or anti-Arab remains the only accepted form of bigotry in the United States.
This reflects the continuation of a deep divide between Islam and the West, one that is not inherent to their common heritage.1 This collection of essays has had some small effect in stemming the tide of misinformation and disinformation, and the authors of these essays have been heartened by the reception they have received. Nonetheless, a long road remains ahead. The “war on terror” has brought more fear than security, and the war in Iraq has created extreme distrust. Given the positive reception the first edition received, we believe it can continue to play a small role in helping those who wish to overcome such obstacles. We have thus decided to update several of the essays and add a new essay that provides readers with a better understanding of gender relations in classical Islam. We hope that this and other works of its kind will continue to aid those who seek to establish better relations between Islam and the West.
the process by which this epistemic erosion produces ideologically and epistemically conscripted subjects. But as it, too, arises from within a secular frame, it is only by understanding the cognitive cartography of the sciences within Islam that epistemic confidence and sovereignty can be reinstated.
budući da su duše različite, potrebno im je ponuditi ono što će na njih adekvatno djelovati, što znači da formalni uvjeti - arkān participiranja u ḏikru mogu biti različiti,
no, njihova suština je posve identična a sastoji se u snaženju sjećanja na Boga, te svakovrsne borbe i nastojanja - mujāhadah da se savez sklopljen s Bogom - ʿahd odnosno
mīṯāq sačuva čistotom i njegovanošću duše. Autor upotrebljava kur’ānske pojmove za
stepenovanje odnosno nijansiranje položajā - maqāmāt duše, tako postoji al-nafs al-ammārah bi-s-sū’ - duša sklona zlu, al-nafs al-lawwāmah - prijekorna duša te al-nafs
al-muṭma’innah - smirena duša, kojima odgovaraju ḏikr al-lisān - zazivanje jezikom,
ḏikr al-qalb - zazivanje srcem, te ḏikr al-sirr - zazivanje najdubljim bićem. Naravno, da
bi sve ono čime čovjek in potentia raspolaže bilo aktualizirano, nužno je da duhovni organi spoznaje ḏikrom budu probuđeni iz usnulosti, čime u konačnici obzorja mnogih
svjetova neće biti reducirana na onaj čulima perceptibilan.