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Through an examination of the writings of Naṣr Ḥamid Abu Zayd (b. 1943), this dissertation attempts to study his theory and method of interpretation. Not only are these analyzed within the socio-political and historical contexts that tended to inform the development of his thought, but also in the light of hermeneutics and of modern approaches to the Qur'an. / Since his writings have led certain Egyptian Islamists to charge him with the crime of apostasy, the thesis also examines the main reasons for their objections. It argues that the crux of the problem lies not so much in the novelty of Abu Zayd's theories as it does in the theological opposition of the Islamists to the liberal Muslims.