New perspectives on Qur'an research: Sources, methods and questions

The Qur'an occupies a central place in the Islamic intellectual and faith tradition. Revered by more than one billion people, it is considered by muslims as the unmitigated utterance of God, revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Since the mid-nineteenth century, instigated in part by the German schools of philology and developments in biblical criticism, the academy has turned its attention to this elusive text, raising new questions about its provenance, its history, its language and its structure. The present century has seen a resurgence of interest in the Qur'a n and its context of emergence. This movement towards tradition-critical study can be illustrated by a significant increase in the number of publications, dissertations, international seminars, and interdisciplinary working groups dedicated to the Qur'an. While diverse in their interests, sources, and methods, they share a common debate over Qur'anic hermeneutics, which has become poignant in light of the application of comparative and tradition-critical methodologies to the text. This article will outline the state of this wide range of contemporary Qur'anic studies. I shall highlight how these developments have renewed our way of reading the Qur'an. As mentioned, new readings have produced a fresh debate about how to read, namely the question of hermeneutic theory. After locating my previous and future research within this milieu, I will explain the underlying philosophy behind my contribution to the critical study of the Qur'an.

Jaar van publicatie:2015