Monthly Archives: December 2015

Happy New Year from IQSA!

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kull aam wa antum bi khayr cropped bannerIt’s been a banner year for IQSA. In 2015 we launched the Review of Qur’anic Research (RQR) and the Qur’an Seminar online forum and database, enjoyed excellent turnouts at our International Meeting in Yogyakarta and Annual Meeting in Atlanta, and have seen remarkable growth in visitor traffic on our blog. As the year winds to a close we reflect on our association’s achievements with gratitude to our members, contributors, and readers around the world. We also take this time to renew our dedication to providing valuable resources and opportunities for collaboration in Qur’anic studies in 2016.

The work of IQSA wouldn’t be possible without the active support of our members. So start your new year off right by joining or renewing your membership in IQSA! Membership for 2016 consists of three levels: Student/International, Mid-range Faculty/General, Full Professor. The Student/International level is US$25 (USD) for student and international (non-North American residents) scholars. The Mid-range Faculty/General level is $50 (USD) for all non-student scholars, professionals, and mid-range faculty. The Full Professor level is $75 (USD) for full professors. Your membership and support really make a difference!

To become a member, please click HERE, where you will be asked to fill out a membership form and pay the appropriate membership fees. After completing this process, you will receive login information to save for your records and use to access member benefits at any time. You can then create your own profile for our member directory.

Membership benefits for 2016 include:

We appreciate your membership!

U.S. taxpayers! Are you still looking to make an end-of-year tax deductible charitable donation? Consider supporting Qur’anic scholarship with a donation to IQSA. We are a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. You can donate to IQSA online by clicking HERE. Thanks for your support!

We wish you a very Happy New Year! كل عام وأنتم بخير

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015. All rights reserved.

Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Qur’an 5:109-120

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Photo by Habib M'henniThe Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 5: 109-120. The Qurʾan Seminar, organized by IQSA, is dedicated to collaborative study of selected passages that are significant for understanding major themes and structures of the Qur’anic text. Contributors are encouraged to address the Qur’an directly and to not rely on classical exegesis as a lens through which to view the text. Of particular interest to the discussion are the following questions:

  • The structure of the Qur’an (its logical, rhetorical, and literary qualities, or naẓm)
  • The Qur’an’s intertextual relationships (with both Biblical and other literary traditions)
  • The Qur’an’s historical context in Late Antiquity

Access to Qur’an Seminar is open to IQSA members only. To become a member, click HERE. Once you are a member, you can access the Qur’an Seminar website:

The Qur’an Seminar website has two principal elements. First, the website includes a database of passages of the Qur’an with commentaries from a range of scholars. This database is meant to be a resource for students and specialists of the Qur’an alike. The commentaries may be quoted and referenced by citing the corresponding URL.

Second, the website includes an active forum in which additional Qur’anic passages are discussed. At regular intervals the material on the forum will be saved and moved to the database, and new passages will be presented for discussion on the forum. As a rule, the passages selected for discussion are meant to be long enough to raise a variety of questions for discussion, but short enough to lend that discussion coherence.

If you have any questions, please write to mehdi.azaiez@theo.kuleuven.be

We hope you will enjoy the content and consider contributing!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015. All rights reserved.

IQSA Membership 2016 Now Open!

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IQSA Membership for 2016 is now open. Membership consists of three levels: Student/International, Mid-range Faculty/General, Full Professor. The Student/International level is $25 (USD) for student and international (non-North American residents) scholars. The Mid-range Faculty/General level is $50 (USD) for all non-student scholars, professionals, and mid-range faculty. The Full Professor level is $75 (USD) for full professors. Please join or renew online today!

To become a member, please click HERE, where you will be asked to fill out a membership form and pay the appropriate membership fees. After completing this process, you will receive login information to save for your records and use to access member benefits at anytime. You can then create your own profile for our member directory.

Membership benefits for 2016 include:

Other member benefits will include:

  • Job postings in Qur’anic Studies and related areas
  • Regular updates on IQSA member activities
  • Discounted registration/affiliate rate for the Annual Meeting held annually in November
  • Vote/governance
  • Special offers from publishers

We appreciate your membership and support!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015. All rights reserved.

Jesus and Islam (Jésus et l’islam) – NEW Documentary

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By Emran El-Badawi

Jésus et l'islam (arte.tv)

Jésus et l’islam (arte.tv)

Six hours and thirty minutes is the duration of the new seven part documentary series on Jesus and Islam. The film Jésus et l’islam / Jesus und der Islam is presented in three versions (French, German and English) and features twenty six academic specialists from around the world–including several current and former IQSA members. The specialists include historians, philologists, theologians, archeologists, experts on manuscripts and other subjects. The film was directed by Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat and is a production of Archipel 33, ARTE and in collaboration with the Centre National du Cinema and the Bibliothèque Nationale.

The documentary film was aired the week of December 8 and has been widely acclaimed in the French and German media. The film itself was in production for years, where directors Prieur and Mordillat methodically crafted a documentary exploring the role of Jesus in shaping Islam. The most important text for consideration, therefore, was the Qur’an–Islam’s holiest scripture and oldest historical document. In doing so the directors have asked the experts questions about the distinctly Islamic theological perspective on Christ and how and why it differs from Christianity. As the film demonstrates answering such questions can be complex and even controversial. Therefore, it also introduces viewers to the different academic schools (traditionalist, revisionist or otherwise) and their perspectives on the Qur’an, Jesus and Muhammad.

Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat (arte.tv)

Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat (arte.tv)

Each part of Jesus and Islam explores a major theme. The seven themes are:

  1. The crucifixion according to the Qur’an
  2. The origins of the text
  3. The son of Mary
  4. The prophet’s emigration
  5. The religion of Abraham
  6. The book of Islam
  7. Jesus according to Muhammad
Jésus selon Mahomet (seiul.com)

Jésus selon Mahomet (seiul.com)

The seventh part of the series also inspired a book, Jésus selon Mahomet,in which the directors discuss their own views and perspectives. Prieur and Mordillat are seasoned writers and film directors who, among other things, specialize in documentary films on the history and formation of the Abrahamic religions. Their earlier works include Corpus Christi, L’Origine du Christianisme and L’apocalypse.

There will be an exclusive, members only screening of Jesus and Islam at the next IQSA annual meeting on November 18-21, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. CLICK HERE  to renew your IQSA membership for 2016 NOW!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015.

Variant Readings of the Qur’an

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In the latest installment of the Review of Qur’anic Research 1, no. 9, Hamza M. Zafer reviews Shady Hekmat Nasser, The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Qurʾān: The Problem of Tawātur and the Emergence of Shawādhdh (Brill, 2013). This book lays out the processes whereby certain readings of the Qurʾan were deemed canonical while others were deemed deviant (shādhdh; pl. shawādhdh) by the early tradition. Nasser brings together an eclectic selection of traditional sources and uses a Motzkian hadith critical methodology to shed light on the development of Muslim scripturalism and its connections to wider ideological transformations in early Islamic thought.

Full access to the Review of Qur’anic Research (RQR) is available in the members-only area of our IQSA website. Not an IQSA member? Join today to enjoy RQR and additional member benefits!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015.

2015 Annual Meeting a Success

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The IQSA Annual Meeting held last week in Atlanta, Georgia, was a great success, thanks to cutting-edge research presentations and record-breaking attendance. Held in conjunction with the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)—the largest gathering of religious studies scholars in the world, our meeting brought together an international community of scholars to exchange fresh ideas on the interdisciplinary study of the Qur’an and to forge collaborations for advancing Qur’anic studies in the years to come.

AM 2015 program signThe 2015 meeting showcased the diversity of scholarly interests and approaches to the Qur’an, featuring papers on a variety of issues including rhyme in the Qur’anic text, violence in the Qur’anic milieu, and reader interactions with Qur’an manuscripts. In addition to the excellent research presentations and lively discussion, we also featured a roundtable discussion on “The Current State of Qur’anic Studies and Its Future,” in which leading experts addressed a range of key questions in the field, from sources and methods in Qur’anic scholarship to diversity and inclusion in the scholarly community. With over one hundred people in attendance, this discussion session truly reflected the importance and vitality of Qur’anic studies today.

IQSA is grateful to all the participants and attendees who contributed to the success of this year’s meeting. Please stay tuned for publication of the Presidential Address and Response papers, and keep an eye out for our Call for Papers for next year’s meeting in San Antonio!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2015. All rights reserved.

IQSA remains committed to providing resources and opportunities for continued collaboration among Qur’an scholars. To that end, we invite you to stay in touch with colleagues and friends by becoming a member of IQSA. Members enjoy a variety of benefits including access to the Review of Qur’anic Research, the Qur’an Seminar, and our member directory.