From the perspective of the Hebrew Bible the Egyptians represented the quintessential 'other' to the Israelites - lascivious, idolatrous, tyrannical, hostile and murderous. The biblical characterization of the Egyptians may be explained by the historical context in which early Israel emerged, a context in which Egypt represented a political, military and cultural threat to Israel's survival and distinctiveness, and in which the Israelites came to regard themselves as a covenanted people, in a unique and exclusive relationship with their God. This biblical perspective was inherited to some extent by the early Christian community, which according to the apostle Paul has been grafted into Israel's salvation history, and thus continued to associate the Egyptians with idolatry and base morality. The Islamic assessment of the ancient Egyptians, as presented particularly by the Qur'an, extra-canonical works and commentaries, and how it compares to biblical and extra-biblical views, is the subject of this study. Drawing on distinctions of covenanted and missionary identities as described in Anthony Smith's Chosen Peoples (2003), this thesis hypothesizes that the Qur'an and Islamic tradition with their pronounced missionary thrust present a rather different image of the 'other', particularly the Egyptians, given the historical context in which Islam emerged. This study presents a unique examination of the Egyptians in the Qur'an and extra-canonical texts as related through their encounters with the prophets Ibrahim, Yusuf, Musa and 'Isa. It combines a detailed exegetical and intertextual study of revelant Qur'anic verses with an analysis of extra-canonical texts such as the qisas al-anbiya' and traditions such as are found in al-Tabari's al-Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-muluk. Moreover, this thesis addresses historical, Egyptological and archaeological issues, and how the Qur'anic portrayals of the Egyptians in particular reflect the concerns and values of the early ummah, a community of believers which not only struggled to survive the hostilities of the Quraysh, but which sought to bring them and others to faith in the God of Ibrahim.

In the aftermath of the independence of Morocco and Algeria in the second half of the twentieth century, each sought to create one homogeneous nation-state, defining themselves as Arab, declaring Arabic language as the only official language and embarking on Arabisation campaign that attempted to eliminate any ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity. The Berber community which comprised 40% of the Moroccan population (Madani 2003, Silverstein and Crawford 2004, Maddy-Weitzman 2006) and 25% of the Algerian population (Ennaji 2009) appeared to be relegated to an inferior position and pushed back to the peripheries. This situation gave rise to what is generally referred to as ‘the Berber question’; the Berbers became increasingly aware of their minority status and began to demand certain linguistic and cultural rights. Translation, most importantly the translation of the Holy Quran, became an important means of asserting these rights and the identity of the Berber as a distinct nation. Drawing on paratext theory as proposed by Genette (1997) and framing theory as put forward by Goffman (1974) and elaborated by others (e.g. Entman 1993, Snow and Benford 1988, 2000 and Asimakoulas 2009), the study investigated the role that three Berber translations of the Holy Quran have played in renegotiating the political landscape of Berber communities in the past eighteen years (1999-2017). Analysis of the three translations have shown that the translators, while being faithful to the text, managed to signal their difference, foreground their language and culture and question, challenge and even undermine widespread official claims, through subtle, counter-hegemonic moves, using framing strategies and a toolbox of paratextual devices.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis is an analysis and interpretation of six chapters from al-Nabulusi's commentary. One of these is an account of his intentions for writing the commentary and the other five are commentaries on parts of the Fusus al-hikam. These chapters chosen from al-Nabulusi's commentary treat important subjects in the Fusus al-hikam which exemplify Ibn 'Arabi's thought particularly well. They are concerned with certain issues which were perceived to have a special importance in the Islamic religious tradition. One issue, for example, is that of Pharaoh's profession of faith which was a prominent subject of debate and discussion in Islamic literature. Ibn 'Arabi's position on this was severely criticised by many. The thesis argues that there are four ways in which to appreciate the commentary's intellectual and religious outlook: first, with respect to its approach to Ibn 'Arabi's ideas; second, with respect to its use of Qur'an and hadith in the specific context of developing an independence from Ibn 'Arabi's thought and in the general context of Qur'anic exegesis; third, in its use of language, narrative and metaphor, finally, in its legal approach towards the issue of Pharaoh's faith evincing arguments similar to those of Ibn 'Arabi, but not identical, and, like Ibn 'Arabi, adopting positions different from those of the wider Islamic religious tradition. The thesis demonstrates that the commentary's significance can be appreciated in two historical contexts: the anti-Ibn 'Arabi tendency manifest in late 17^th century Damascus; and the enduring tradition of polemics surrounding Ibn 'Arabi's thought.

The Qur'an has always been a medium through and upon which Islam and the Muslim faith are structured and built. It mediates the relationship between Muslims and God. Despite its alleged divine origin, the Qur'an as a scriptural and textual reality remains to be understood by Muslims. Many theories and principles have been developed out of the long Qur'anic interpretive tradition to address the Muslims' theological and legal needs. One of the most interesting, yet controversial, exegetical legal theories is the theory of naskh, a theory stipulating the abrogation of a verse of the Qur'an by another. The discourse of naskh raises many unsettling theological and legal questions. The present proposed research attempts to reassess the early Muslim understanding of the theory of Qur'anic abrogation. It raises fundamental questions about the accuracy of the assumptions of the early Muslim conception of textual annulment and the ongoing legal discourse of Islamic law in Muslim scholarship. It is the thesis of this proposed study that the theory of abrogation has been historically and traditionally conceived and discussed in a very rigid and dogmatic fashion as a result of the theological misconception of the immutability of both the divine will and revelation, and that the theory of naskh, as such, has failed to appropriate the legal contents of the law within the structures of juridical discourse. In other words, the rigidity and dogmatic nature of the theory of naskh has rendered the theory an inadequate conceptual framework to deal with an ever changing legal need of our time. Muslims to this day have struggled to preserve, adapt and redefine their social and legal norms in the face of changing situations. A central issue in this ongoing struggle has been the question of the nature, status, authority, and viability of the Qur'an and the Islamic law. The intellectual tradition of Islam has provided the underpinnings for adaptation, reform, and evolution. It is within this tradition of Islamic intellectualism that this proposed research intends to contribute. The theological component of this research will influence the way revelation is understood in Islam, while the legal component hopes to initiate a new Muslim attitude towards Islamic law. The exegetical consideration will hopefully create a reorientation of hermeneutical principle in Qur'anic exegesis. This study of naskh, for all its intent and purpose as outlined above, is primarily a study of naskh al-Qur'an as captured by the formative sources of `Sunni' Islam. It is therefore the case that this study should be strictly understood as one that does not pretend to include nor represent the views of Shi`ism on naskh in the Qur'an or the theory of naskh in itself. / Religion

This thesis challenges previous historiography and suggests an alternative explanation for the first appearance in writing of the ḥadīth relating the collection and codification of the Qur’ān. Rather than equating this “sudden” appearance with fabrication, I argue that the ḥadīth were already in oral circulation, and put in writing in Abū ʿUbayd’s Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān in order to serve the religio-political goals of the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma’mūn (r. 197/813-218/833). I argue that Abū ʿUbayd’s inclusion of the collection and codification accounts, which emphasize caliphal authority over the written Qur’ān, were intended to support al-Ma’mūn’s campaign to control religious authority as exemplified in the Miḥna. / text

No description available.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Arabic is the language of the Holy Qur'an, which was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who in turn dictates it to His companions. The Prophet's companions did not encounter any difficulty in the understanding and comprehension of the Qur‘anic verses simply because the Qur'an was revealed in a language variety with which they have been quite familiar. Yet, the companions of the prophet differ in their understanding of the Qur'an. Their understanding may vary according to their competencies and their closeness to the prophet. In addition, the Qur'an includes verses that appear to be contradictory. Some verses of the Qur'an, for instance, may imply that man is free to select either the path of faith or the path of blasphemy.

This study addresses the riddle of al-Baqara’s internal organization, utilizing new insights from literary theory and Biblical Studies to identify the sura’s structure and unifying themes. It also explores the possible added value in approaching al-Baqara as a whole compositional unit, as opposed to a conglomeration of isolated verse-groups. The dissertation begins with a historical overview of coherence-related approaches, commencing with the classical naẓm- and munāsaba-discourses as observed in the writings of Jāḥiẓ, Bāqillānī, Biqā῾ī and others, and extending to the modern period and the work of scholars such as Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, ῾Abd al-Muta῾āl al-Ṣa῾īdī, and Matthias Zahniser. This overview is followed by a discussion of methodology, locating this study within the reader-oriented, synchronic, intertextual approaches, and showing methodological parallels with Biblical Studies. A new reading framework for the sura is developed, utilizing in part some of the theories of the Russian literary theorist and philosopher, Mikhail Bakhtin. The sura’s structure is identified by means of analyzing its distinctive repetitions, a known structuring device in oral texts. Incremental inclusios, alternations and chiasms delineate al-Baqara’s compositional subunits. The overall structure of the sura emerges as chiastic, following the pattern ABC/B’C’A’/C’’B’’A’’, where A is a section having the character of a test, B a section containing instructions and C a story portraying primeval origins. The repetitions are of increasing length, the general escalating character of the devices focusing attention on the last panel (C’’B’’A’’). In a first reading, the central theme is identified by means of the sura’s Leitwort, a leading keyword distinguished by its special location, high concentration and even distribution within the sura. Reading the sura for what it reveals about the deity, the Leitwort, ‘guidance’, indicates a common theme of ‘God as guide’. In a second reading, the sura is read for its pedagogical content and the central theme becomes ‘first lesson in the new religion’. The added value in approaching the sura as a whole, as a totality, is in seeing how each theme is progressively developed and elaborated by every one of the sura’s various panels and how these themes hold the sura together as a unit.