Books by Gabriel Said Reynolds
Dar Apkallu, 2022
Arabic translation (opening section) of "Allah: God in the Qur'an"
Arabic translation of "The Emergence of Islam"
Papers by Gabriel Said Reynolds
Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 2023
* I am grateful to Mehdi Azaiez and Devin Stewart for reading an earlier version of this article,... more * I am grateful to Mehdi Azaiez and Devin Stewart for reading an earlier version of this article, and to the anonymous JNES reviewers. All errors are my own. I benefited from the useful website Qurʾan Tools for the translation of A. Arberry and the transliterated Qurʾanic text for this article. 1 Azaiez (Le contre-discours coranique [2016]) distinguishes between the "counter-discourse" of Qurʾanic antagonists in the past (i.e., the opponents of pre-Muhammadan prophets), in the present (Muhammad's own opponents), and in the future (the damned on the Day of Judgment). Azaiez refers also to the earlier work of Gwynne, Logic, Rhetoric, and Legal Reasoning (2004). See also Mir, "Dialogue in The Qurʾan" (1992). 6 Trans. Arberry, Koran Interpreted (1955). 7 See also in this same issue of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies Devin Stewart's article, "Qurʾanic Periphrases for the Sake of Rhyme and Rhythm and the Periphrastic Use of Kull." 8 Clark and Gerrig, "Quotations as Demonstrations" (1990): 796; they refer to (among others) Isaacs, Mutual Memory for Conversation (1989) and Lehrer, "Remembering and Representing Prose" (1989). 9 Clark and Gerrig, "Quotations as Demonstrations" (1990), 796. 10 One of the cases noted by Stephen Shoemaker shows the difficulty of verbatim reproduction in cases where there is no written recording. Shoemaker discusses the research of Jack Goody among
Journal of the American Oriental Society, 2021
JIQSA, 2020
The present study involves a presentation and analysis of repeated phrases, or doublets, in the Q... more The present study involves a presentation and analysis of repeated phrases, or doublets, in the Qurʾān. I identify twenty-nine doublets of at least nine words (allowing for minor variation), the great majority of which are complete verses, found in different sūrahs. To provide a methodological framework for the analysis of these doublets I consider the history of scholarship on doublets in the Synoptic Gospels, distinguishing between harmonizing interpretations and the classifications of redactional and source doublets. With four exceptions (Meccan-Medinan doublets), the units making up qurʾānic doublets are both found within sūrahs traditionally identified as Meccan (Meccan-Meccan doublets) or both found within sūrahs traditionally identified as Medinan (Medinan-Medinan doublets). This distribution suggests the existence of pre-canonical texts, most likely one with Meccan material and one with Medinan material, which produced the doublets within each qurʾānic subcorpus. That Meccan-Medinan doublets are so rare suggests that repeated material in the Qurʾān is not always due to a process of repeating or re-composition (where an earlier qurʾānic phrase is redeployed, and possibly reshaped, for a later passage) but instead due to the redaction of discrete, pre-canonical texts.
In 1851 the French scholar Ernest Rénan wrote: "one can say without exaggeration that the problem... more In 1851 the French scholar Ernest Rénan wrote: "one can say without exaggeration that the problem of the origins of Islam has definitely now been completely resolved." In 2023, however, scholars are more divided than ever over the question of Islamic origins. Rénan's confidence stemmed from the appearance in his day of medieval Muslim biographies of Muhammad, which in their detailed descriptions of the Muslim prophet seemed to offer reliable historical data. Yet they are also late sources. The earliest Islamic biographies date from approximately 150 years after the traditional death date of Muhammad (632). Otherwise scholars work with the Qurʾān-a text marked by Biblical allusions and religious exhortation, not historical narratives-with the early Greek, Syriac and Armenian literature (primarily Christian) that alludes to the rise of a new religious movement in the Near East, and with the pre-Islamic and early Islamic rock inscriptions in and around the Arabian peninsula. All four sourcesclassical Islamic sources, the Qurʾān, early non-Muslim literature, and epigraphy-present particular interpretive challenges. In this seminar we will address the question of Islamic origins by appreciating the particular types and functions of these sources. At the same time we will examine the debate over these sources in recent scholarship, with particular attention to the theories of those who argue that the origins of Islam are closely related to the development of Christianity in the Late Antique Near East. In this regard, the present seminar is not a foray into Religious Studies as much as an examination of a movement (Islam) that is closely connected to Christianity, and of a text (the Qurʾān) that itself claims to present the proper interpretation of Biblical narratives. Students are not assumed to have any special background in Islamic Studies or Arabic. They will be asked, however, to read carefully and to engage in active class discussion. Course Structure and Logic The class is divided into four sections: A. The Qur'an B. Muhammad and the Hadith C. The Rightly Guided Caliphs (early Islam up to 661) D. Debates on Islamic Origins (or, how should one study Islamic Origins in 2023?) My hope with this class structure is to offer students a good introduction to the key primary sources and key secondary sources (offering a sense of the methodological divisions and debates in the field of Islamic Studies). Students in the class will have different backgrounds and levels of familiarity with Arabic and early Islam. The course is designed with everything in translation, and with basic sources first, so that all students can succeed and profit from this course. I am happy to organize an additional session for advanced students who would like to read sources in Arabic.
Religions, 2021
In this article it is argued that the Qur’an’s doctrine of divine mercy is best understood in
lig... more In this article it is argued that the Qur’an’s doctrine of divine mercy is best understood in
light of its pessimistic anthropology, an aspect of the text that is often underappreciated. The so-called
“primordial covenant” verse (Q 7:172) of the Qur’an holds humans responsible for submission to
God. The Qur’anic language on “signs” in the natural world suggests that humans should recognize
God (and be grateful to Him) by reflection on nature alone. Yet, according to the Qur’an they do
not. The Qur’an refers frequently to humans as “ungrateful” and “hasty”. It also makes divine
punishments a regular element of human history, suggesting that rebellion is endemic to human
nature. It is, I argue, precisely the rebelliousness of humans that makes God’s initiative in sending
prophets merciful. The ministry of prophets in the Qur’an is an unmerited manifestation of divine
compassion for a sinful humanity.
Journal of the American Oriental Society 141, 381-401, 2021
The Qur’an encourages believers to repent of their sins and presents repentance as an important ... more The Qur’an encourages believers to repent of their sins and presents repentance as an important element of piety. Quran 2:160 applies the root commonly associated with repentance (t.w.b.) to both God and humans. It has God declare that He will turn towards (atūbu ‘alā) those who repent (tābū). A number of earlier treatises are accordingly concerned with repentance including a works entitled K. al-Tawba attributed to Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (d. 281/894) and Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī (d. 386/996). In his K. al-Tawwābīn, edited in 1961 by George Makdisi, the Ḥanbalī scholar Ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī (d. 620/1223) draws on a wide range of akhbār (always adorned with an isnād) to present examples of repentance from angels, prophets, Companions of Muḥammad, pious mystics, and others including non-Muslims. Ibn Qudāma’s treatise stands out for his frequent citation of accounts (often on the authority of Wahb b. Munabbih) maligned by other scholars (especially within the Ḥanbalī school) as isrā’īliyyāt. In addition, his willingness to highlight the sins of prophets and companions challenges standard notions about prophetic impeccability and disrupts Sunnī narratives about the ethical qualities of the ṣaḥābā. In this article we will argue that Ibn Qudāma was willing to challenge these notions because of his vision of the construction of the pious self. We will argue that he saw human initiative in overcoming the self’s natural inclination to sinfulness was a necessary step in the path towards spiritual excellence (in this regard his spiritual vision was shaped by certain Ṣūfī notions). This led Ibn Qudāma to construct a mythical past in which many of the great spiritual figures were involved with a spiritual struggle with their own immoral or impious (or egotistical) instincts.
Islamochristiana 46, 197-218, 2020
The present article addresses the common view that the Qur’an has no doctrine of original sin. It... more The present article addresses the common view that the Qur’an has no doctrine of original sin. It begins by defining original sin with attention to the Bible and Christian tradition. Thereafter the author addresses Qur’anic language on “bearing the burden of another” and the Qur’an’s generally pessimistic anthropology. Finally the author examines the Qur’anic material on the fall of the devil, the permission which God grants the devil to lead humans astray, and the descent of Adam and his wife to the world with its adornments after their sin. The subsequent history of the humanity in the Qur’an is punctuated with punishment stories. All of this leads to the conclusion that humanity’s tendency to sin (and God’s tendency to punish humans for their sin) is connected to this proto-history. Accordingly, while is it right that the Qur’an does not embrace much of Christian teaching on original sin, it is nevertheless the case that in the Qur’an Adam’s sin has serious consequences for his progeny.
This study considers the position of the Hanafí jurist Abû Bakr b. Mas'ûd al-Kâsâní (d. 587/1191)... more This study considers the position of the Hanafí jurist Abû Bakr b. Mas'ûd al-Kâsâní (d. 587/1191) regarding the permissibility of reciting from the Bible in Islamic ritual prayer. This position distinguishes Kâsâní among Muslim jurists, including those from his own madhhab. Although Kâsâní claims the authority of Abû Hanífa (d. 150/767) for this position , there is no evidence to this effect. Indeed both Abû Yûsuf (d. 182/798) and al-Shaybâní (d. 189/804-5) are remembered as opposing this position. For Kâsâní, I argue, the permissibility of recitation from the Bible in ritual prayer follows necessarily from his distinctive understanding of the term qur'ân. Kâsâní, like Muüammad b. Ahmad al-Sarakhsí (d. c. 483/1090) before him and 'Uthmân b. 'Alí al-Zayla'í (d. 745/1342-43) after him, holds that the Qur'ân declares earlier revelation also to be " qur'ân. " Only Kâsâní, however, concludes therefrom that the requirement of reciting " qur'ân " in ritual prayer can be met by reciting from the Bible, as long as one is able to identify Biblical passages which are free from any falsification.
In Kor 11 (Hūd), 42-47 the Qurʾān has Noah address one of his sons and plead with him to enter th... more In Kor 11 (Hūd), 42-47 the Qurʾān has Noah address one of his sons and plead with him to enter the ark. Noah's son refuses to do so, explaining that he plans to seek refuge from the flood on a mountain. When the son is lost in the flood, Noah turns to God in order to ask that his son be forgiven. In the present article, I discuss the relationship of this Qurʾānic episode with larger themes in the Qurʾān—seen also in the material on Abraham and his father—regarding the believer's proper disposition towards unbe-lievers, and unbelieving family members in particular. After a study of earlier theories about this passage, I propose that the account of Noah's lost son (not found in the Bible) has a particular relationship to Ezekiel 14, a passage which speaks hypothetically of an unrighteous son of Noah. In conclusion, I argue that this passage is an important example of how the Qurʾān applies, and transforms, earlier traditions in order to advance its particular religious arguments.
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Books by Gabriel Said Reynolds
Papers by Gabriel Said Reynolds
light of its pessimistic anthropology, an aspect of the text that is often underappreciated. The so-called
“primordial covenant” verse (Q 7:172) of the Qur’an holds humans responsible for submission to
God. The Qur’anic language on “signs” in the natural world suggests that humans should recognize
God (and be grateful to Him) by reflection on nature alone. Yet, according to the Qur’an they do
not. The Qur’an refers frequently to humans as “ungrateful” and “hasty”. It also makes divine
punishments a regular element of human history, suggesting that rebellion is endemic to human
nature. It is, I argue, precisely the rebelliousness of humans that makes God’s initiative in sending
prophets merciful. The ministry of prophets in the Qur’an is an unmerited manifestation of divine
compassion for a sinful humanity.
light of its pessimistic anthropology, an aspect of the text that is often underappreciated. The so-called
“primordial covenant” verse (Q 7:172) of the Qur’an holds humans responsible for submission to
God. The Qur’anic language on “signs” in the natural world suggests that humans should recognize
God (and be grateful to Him) by reflection on nature alone. Yet, according to the Qur’an they do
not. The Qur’an refers frequently to humans as “ungrateful” and “hasty”. It also makes divine
punishments a regular element of human history, suggesting that rebellion is endemic to human
nature. It is, I argue, precisely the rebelliousness of humans that makes God’s initiative in sending
prophets merciful. The ministry of prophets in the Qur’an is an unmerited manifestation of divine
compassion for a sinful humanity.