Reviews:
“Parray
displays his knowledge to give a detailed and lively picture of Qur’anic
Studies and its leading figures in both the Muslim World and the West. A rich,
and welcome source of information that will be invaluable to scholars of Islam
in general, and of the Qur’an in particular”
—Dr.
Majid Daneshgar, University of Freiburg, Germany
“A
readable and accessible introduction to some of the key debates on the Qur’an
and its interpretation today”
—Professor
Abdullah Saeed, University of Melbourne, Australia
Description:
‘Qur’anic
Studies’ (al-Dirasat al-Qur’aniyya) is a remarkable and
noteworthy academic sub-genre in the area of Islamic studies to which Muslims
and non-Muslims have contributed extensively. Qur’anic scholarship has seen a
rapid and broad-ranging development, especially in the present century, as it is
seen as a vibrant and multidimensional scholarly pursuit to which scholars have
introduced a multiplicity of approaches. Keeping in view the academic study of
the Qur’an in its present scenario, it is not an exaggeration to claim that the
Qur’anic studies have emerged as a vibrant field of research globally. In this
context, the present work (consisting of 11 chapters) attempts to explore some
facets of and the recent trends in the 21st century Qur’anic studies
by: exploring some Qur’anic concepts and themes of socio-political and moral
significance vis-à-vis their contemporary relevance (such as Ihsan,
Shura, inter-connection of ‘Aql, Tafakkur and ‘Ilm, rise
and fall of societies/ nations and social ethics vis-à-vis the
institution of family); assessing and evaluating the scholarly contribution of
some prominent scholars of the 21st century in the field of Qur’anic
studies (including Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Abdullah Saeed, Ziauddin Sardar, Andrew
Rippin and Jane D. McAuliffe) and focusing on the teaching, research and recent
works in Qur’anic studies by providing a description of the activities of some
academies, journals and recent research carried on different aspects in this
field. Thus, blending the scholarship of the past and the present, it reflects
on some major trends and issues of diverse nature. The present work will prove
valuable and appealing to the students, general readers and the specialists
alike. It seeks to explore the relevance of the teachings of the noble Qur’an
to the readers of the 21st century.
Contents:
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part I: Qur’anic Concepts and Themes
Chapter 1. Concept of Ihsan (Excellence) as a Virtue: Text, Traditions
and Interpretations
Chapter 2. The Qur’anic Concept of Shura: Text, Tradition and Modern
(Varied) Interpretations
Chapter 3. Reasoning and Pondering as ‘Sources of Knowledge’:
Inter-connecting the Qur’anic Concepts of ‘Aql, Tafakkur and ‘Ilm
Chapter 4. Rise and Fall of Societies in the Qur’anic Perspective: The Views
of Some Contemporary Scholars
Chapter 5. Social Ethics vis-à-vis the Institution of Family: The
Contemporary Crisis and the Qur’anic Paradigm
Part II: 21st Century Qur’anic Scholarship
Chapter 6. Abdur Raheem Kidwai’s Contribution to the Qur’anic Studies: An
Evaluation of His Important Works
Chapter 7. Abdullah Saeed’s Contribution to the 21st Century
Qur’anic Scholarship: An Evaluation
Chapter 8. Ziauddin Sardar vis-à-vis Qur’anic Studies: A Critical
Evaluation of His ‘Reading the Qur’an’ (2015)
Chapter 9. 21st Century Western Scholarship in the Qur’anic
Studies: A Comparative Study of the Works of Jane D. McAuliff e and Andrew
Rippin
Part III: Recent Works and Research vis-à-vis Qur’anic
Studies
Chapter 10. A Critical Assessment of Some Recent Works on the Qur’anic Studies
(2010–2019)
Chapter 11. Teaching and Research on the Qur’anic Studies: Introducing Some
Exemplary Academies and Journals on the Qur’anic Studies
Appendix: List of My Writings on
the Qur’anic Studies
Bibliography
Index
About the Author:
Tauseef Ahmad Parray is presently working as Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies,
Govt. Degree College for Women, Pulwama, Higher Education Department, J&K
(India). He holds his masters, PhD and postdoctorate in Islamic studies from
the University of Kashmir (2008), Aligarh Muslim University (2014), Iqbal
International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD), International
Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan (2015),
respectively.
He
is the author of Towards Understanding Some Qur’anic Terms, Concepts, and
Themes (2017), Muslim Intellectual Deficit: Reasons and Remedies (2018),
Exploring the Qur’an: Concepts and Themes (2019) and Mediating Islam
and Modernity (2019). He has published in numerous reputed academic
journals, magazines and newspapers, from over a dozen countries, around the
world. He is on the editorial board (and is also a member) of various journals
based in Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and the UK. His major areas of interest
are: Islam and Democracy; Modernist/Reformist Thought in South Asia; and Recent
Trends and English Scholarship in Qur’anic Studies.
Target Audience:
This book is for students, general readers and the
specialists of Qur’anic studies.