Call for Papers International Meeting 2017 “Qur’anic Studies: Methods, Contexts and Interpretations”

Académie Tunisienne des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts Département des Sciences islamiques and International Quranic Studies Association (IQSA) are co-hosting the International Qur’an Conference on “Qur’anic Studies: Methods, Contexts, and Interpretations” at the Beit al-Hikma in Carthage, Tunisia on July 4-6, 2017.

Qurʾanic studies (`Ulum al-Qur’an), which developed between the 2nd/8th and 9th/15th centuries represents one of the cornerstones of the Islamic sciences. `Ulum al-Qurʾan can be defined as the science that analyses the themes, forms and purposes of the Qurʾanic text. This conference aims to examine the principles, methods and the nature of the knowledge stemming from Qurʾanic sciences. Thus, it is the epistemological status of Qurʾanic studies that will be discussed. To this end, we will be interested, for example, by the various interpretations of the famous verse 16:89: wa-nazzalnā ʿalayka l-kitāba tibyānan li-kulli šayˈin (« We have sent down the Book to you as a clarification of all things ») or the questions of the emergence, the categories and concepts or the evolutions of Qurʾanic sciences (medieval, modern and contemporary).

Alongside this epistemological reflection, the symposium will focus on methodologies of qurʾanic analysis from traditional Qurʾanic sciences or from the latest developments in qurʾanic studies. We will analyse their assumptions, their applications and their consequences for our current understanding of the text. Particular attention will be paid to the recent developments in Qurʾanic studies in Europe and North America. The context of the emergence of the Qurʾan and the formation of the canonical text will be discussed in light of new sources: Early Qurʾanic manuscripts, unpublished or little known arabic sources, or Arabian graffiti of the 7th century. The intertextual relationship between the Qurʾan and earlier scriptural traditions in the broader context of late antiquity will also be highlighted. Here we would like to emphasize the work of rewriting and re-appropriation of biblical and parabiblical texts by the Qurʾan and Islamic exegesis. Finally, using new tools of contemporary linguistics and methods from Biblical studies, we will will raise the question of the specificities of the text in terms of argumentation, polemics and composition.

A third complementary approach to epistemological and methodological reflections will focus on Qurʾanic themes and interpretive issues they raise. An overarching theme of quranic « polemics » in the Qurʾan will be chosen. Through classical and modern exegetical literature, we will consider the rhetorical forms borrowed, the historical development of interpretation, as well as conflicts in interpretation and their implications. We will pay particular attention to the critical contributions that attempt to contextualize polemic in terms of the narrow context of tribal Arabia or more generally Late Antiquity.

The meeting will therefore focus on the following three areas:

  1. Epistemology: The Place of the Qurʾanic Studies in Islamic sciences
  1. Methods and Tools (Presuppositions, Applications and Purposes)
    1. Classical
    2. Contemporary
  2. Themes and Interpretations: Qurʾanic polemics
    1. Classical
    2. Contemporary

The colloquium will be held on July 4-6, 2017. Venue: The Academy “Beït al-Hikma” at Carthage.

We have the honor and the pleasure to solicit our colleagues to collaborate and present papers related to these plan. They are kindly invited to submit an abstract (about 500 words) including name of the proponent, title, and description of the proposal, before December 31, 2016, to the following e-mail address: mehdi.azaiez@kuleuven.be. They will be informed of the acceptation of their proposals before March 31, 2017.


Colloque International
Les études coraniques : méthodes, contextes et interprétations
Beit al-Hikma, Carthage, 4-6 juillet 2017

Argument :
Les études coraniques (ʿulūm al-Qur’ān) développées entre le 2ème/8ème et le 9ème/15ème siècles représentent un des pivots des sciences islamiques. Elles peuvent se définir comme les sciences qui interrogent les thèmes, les formes et les finalités du texte coranique. Ce colloque vise à interroger les principes et fondements, les méthodes mais aussi la nature de la connaissance issue des sciences coraniques. C’est donc le statut épistémologique des études coraniques qui sera examiné.  A cet effet, on pourra s’intéresser, par exemple, aux interprétations du célèbre verset 16:89 : wa-nazzalnā ʿalayka l-kitāba tibyānan li-kulli šay’in (« Et Nous avons fait descendre sur toi le Livre, comme un exposé explicite de toute chose ») ou encore traiter des questions de l’émergence, des catégories et concepts ou encore des évolutions des sciences coraniques (médiévale, moderne et contemporaine).

Parallèlement à cette réflexion épistémologique, ce colloque se portera sur les méthodologies d’analyse du Coran issues des sciences coraniques traditionnelles ou des derniers développements de la recherche coranologique. On s’intéressera à leurs présupposés, leurs applications et leurs conséquences pour notre compréhension actuelle du texte. On s’informera particulièrement des récents développements des études coraniques en Europe et en Amérique du Nord. C’est d’abord le contexte d’émergence du Coran qu’il s’agira d’étudier ainsi que la formation du texte canonique à l’appui de sources (et de méthodes) inédites : manuscrits coraniques du 7ème siècle, sources inédites ou peu connues, ou graffitis de l’Arabie du 7ème siècle. C’est ensuite les relations intertextuelles entre le Coran et les traditions scripturaires antérieures dans le contexte large de l’Antiquité tardive qu’il s’agira d’examiner. On questionnera ici le travail de réécriture et de réappropriation de textes bibliques, et parabibliques par le Coran et l’exégèse islamique. Enfin, à partir de nouveaux outils de la linguistiquecontemporaine et de méthodes issues des études bibliques on interrogera les spécificités de ce texte en matière d’argumentation, de polémique et  de composition.

Une troisième approche complémentaire aux réflexions épistémologiques et méthodologiques s’intéressera aux thématiques coraniques et aux enjeux interprétatifs qu’elles soulèvent. On choisira ici un thème transversal autour de la « polémique » dans le Coran. A travers la littérature exégétique classique et moderne, on s’interrogera sur les formes rhétoriques empruntées, sur les significations et les conséquences liées aux interprétations successives et parfois contradictoires autour de ces deux thèmes. On portera une attention particulière aux contributions critiques qui tentent de contextualiser cette violence à l’aune du contexte restreint de l’Arabie tribale ou plus largement de l’Antiquité Tardive.

Cette rencontre s’articulera donc autour des trois axes suivants :

  1. Epistémologie : le statut des études coraniques dans les sciences islamiques
  1. Méthodes : les outils d’analyse (présupposés, applications et finalités)
    1. Classiques
    2. Contemporains
  1. Thèmes et Interprétations : autour de la polémique coranique
    1. Classiques
    2. Contemporains

Le colloque se tiendra les 4 et 6 juillet 2017 à l’Académie « Beït al-Hikma » à Carthage.
Les propositions d’article, en arabe, anglais ou en français doivent être transmis, avant le 31 décembre 2016 à mehdi.azaiez@kuleuven.be.

D’une longueur d’une page, les propositions devront inclure :
– le titre de l’article,
– un argumentaire (maxi 500 mots),
– toutes les données nécessaires à l’identification de l’auteur : nom, affiliation institutionnelle, adresse professionnelle, téléphone et e-mail.

Les propositions sélectionnées seront connues avant le 31 mars 2017.


ملتقى دولي

الدراسات القرآنية: المناهج، السياقات والتأويلات

بيت الحكمة، قرطاج 4-6 جويلية 2017

تمثّل الدراسات القرآنية (علوم القرآن)، والتي طُوِّرت بين القرنين 2 و8 هجري (9 و15 م)، إحدى الركائز الأساسية للعلوم الإسلامية. ويمكن تعريفها بأنها العلوم التي تُسائل موضوعات وأشكالَ وأيضا أغراضَ النص القرآني. يهدف هذا المؤتمر إلى مناقشة مبادئ وأُسس ومناهج وكذلك طبيعة المعرفة النابعة من علوم القرآن. وبالتالي فإن الوضع المعرفي للدراسات الإسلامية هو الذي سيتم تحليله. وفي هذا الصّدد، نستطيع، على سبيل المثال، تسليط الضوء على مختلف التفسيرات للآية الشهيرة من سورة النحل: “وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ” (89 :16)، أو أيضا تناول الأسئلة المتعلقة بظهور المقولات والمفاهيم بالإضافة إلى التطورات التي عرفتها العلوم القرآنية (في العصور الوسطى والحديثة والمعاصرة).

وإلى جانب هذه المقاربة المعرفيّة سيركِّز هذا المؤتمر على مناهج تحليل القرآن الكريم سواء كانت منبَثِقة عن العلوم القرآنيّة التقليدية أو عن أحدث التطورات التي تشهدها البحوث والدراسات القرآنية. ومن هنا سيقع التطرق إلى الافتراضات التي بُنيت عليها هذه المناهج، وإلى تطبيقاتها وتداعياتها على فهمنا الحالي للنّص. كما سيتم تسليط اهتمام خاص على التطورات الأخيرة للدراسات القرآنية في أوروبا وأمريكا الشمالية. قبل كلّ شيئ سيتعلّق الأمر بمناقشة السياق الذي ظهر فيه القرآن وأدّى إلى تَشكُّل النصّ القانوني (المقدّس) بالاعتماد على مصادر (ومناهج) مُبتَكرة: مخطوطات قرآنية من القرن 7 ميلادي، مصادر لم تكن معروفة أو معروفة بشكل محدود، أو نقوش من الجزيرة العربيّة تعود إلى القرن 7 ميلادي. ثمّ بعد هذا سيتمّ تسليط الضوء على علاقات التّناص بين القرآن والتقاليد الكتابيّة الدينيّة السابقة، وذلك في سياق أوسع يشمل أواخر العصور القديمة. وسوف نبحث هنا عمليّة إعادة كتابة النصوص البيبليّة (الكتاب المقدّس) وشبه البيبليّة والتّطابق معها التي اعتمدها القرآن الكريم والتفسير الإسلامي. وأخيرا، انطلاقا من الأدوات الجديدة لعلوم اللّسانيّات المعاصرة ومناهج مُنبَثقة عن الدراسات البيبليّة، سيقع طرح الأسئلة حول خصوصيات هذا النص فيما يتعلّق بالحِجاج، والجدل والتأليف.

هناك مقاربة ثالثة مُكمِّلة للمقاربات المعرفيّة والمنهجيّة ستهتمّ بدورها بالموضوعات القرآنية والرّهانات التفسيريّة التي تثيرها. وسيقع هنا اختيار موضوع محوري يدور حول الجدل في القرآن. كما سيقع، من خلال الأدب التفسيري الكلاسيكي والحديث، التِماس الأشكال البلاغيّة المتوخاة والدّلالات وكذلك النتائج المترتّبة على التفسيرات المتتالية والمتناقضة أحيانا حول هذين الموضوعين. كما أنّه سيقع إعطاء اهتمام خاصّ للمساهمات النقديّة التي تحاول تناول هذا العنف في ضوء السّياق القَبَلي الضيِّق داخل الجزيرة العربيّة أو في سياق العصور القديمة المتأخّرة بشكل أوسع.

سيتمحور هذا الملتقى حول المحاور الثلاثة التالية:

  • 1- نظريّة المعرفة: مكانة الدراسات القرآنيّة في العلوم الإسلاميّة
  • 2- المناهج: أدوات التحليل (الافتراضات، التطبيقات والأغراض)
  • أ- أدوات التحليل التقليديةة
  • ب- أدوات التحليل المعاصرة
  • 3- المواضيع والتفاسير: حول الجدل في القرآن
  • أ- التقليدية
  • ب- المعاصرة

IM2017

Les trois piliers de l’Islam: Une lecture anthropologique du Coran

chabbi-coverIn the latest installment of the Review of Qur’anic Research, Gabriel Said Reynolds reviews Jacqueline Chabbi’s Les trois piliers de l’Islam: Une lecture anthropologique du Coran. In this volume, Chabbi makes the case that Islam as we know it from medieval sources is not the same as Islam as it was in its original Arabian context. According to Chabbi, academic scholars and pious Muslims alike too often fail to recognize elements of Islam which were introduced in later centuries, and too often assume that medieval ideas about the Qurʾan reflect what the Qurʾan meant to its original, Arabian audience. Les trois piliers de l’Islam is her effort to set things straight, to recover Islam’s original message.

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!

Public Lecture Series: The Qurʾān between Judaism and Christianity

unnamedA Public Engagement Initiative funded by the British Academy

Hosted at the University of Nottingham, co-Sponsored by the Karimia Institute

What can the Qurʾān, the Holy Scripture of Islam, teach us about Judaism and Christianity? How does knowledge about Judaism and Christianity help us better to understand the Qurʾān? This public lecture series seeks to make cutting edge research in Islamic Studies accessible to the broader public. The speakers integrate literary and historical approaches in order to illustrate the intricate relationship between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. A better understanding of the past may in turn help us to reconsider the present in a more nuanced way, and to formulate answers to the challenges faced by the Muslim communities in the Western World and beyond. The talks will be followed by a response and a discussion. Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For the conference website, please click here, for registration, please see below.

September 17, 2016, 1 – 6  pm, A1 Highfield House, University Park

1:00 pm -1:10 pm: Welcome, Dr. Holger Zellentin, The University of Nottingham

  • How to Study the Qurʾān – ‘Traditional’ and ‘Academic’ Approaches

1:10 pm – 2:00 pm: Prof. Islam Dayeh, Free University, Berlin

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm: Prof. Mehdi Azaiez, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

2:50 pm – 3:20 pm: Response by Dr. Marianna Klar, School of Oriental and African Studies

3:20 pm – 3:50 pm: Coffee Break

  • The Qurʾān and the Bible

3:50 pm – 4:40 pm: Prof. Angelika Neuwirth, Free University, Berlin

4:40 pm – 5:30 pm: Prof. Gabriel Said Reynolds, Notre Dame University

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Response by Dr. Omar Ali-de-Unzaga, Ismaili Institute, London

REGISTER FOR LECTURE ONE

October 16, 2016, 1 – 6 pm, A48 Sir Clive Granger Building

1:00 pm – 1:05 pm: Welcome, Dr. Musharraf Hussain, OBE, DL, Karimia Institute

1:05 pm – 1:10 pm: The Lecture Series, Dr. Holger Zellentin, The University of Nottingham

  • The Qurʾān’s Arabian Background

1:10 pm – 2:00 pm: Prof. Devin Stewart, Emory University

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm: Dr. Nora K. Schmid, Free University of Berlin

2:50 pm – 3:20 pm: Response by Dr. Asma Hilali, Ismaili Institute, London

3:20 pm – 3:50 pm: Coffee Break

  • The Qurʾān and Christianity

 3:50 pm – 4:40 pm: Dr. Nicolai Sinai, University of Oxford

4:40 pm – 5:30 pm: Prof. Emran El-Badawi, University of Houston

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Response by Dr. Jon Hoover, The University of Nottingham

REGISTER FOR LECTURE TWO

December 4, 2016, 1 – 6 pm, A48 Sir Clive Granger Building

1:00 pm – 1:10 pm: Welcome, Dr. Jon Hoover, The University of Nottingham

  • The Qurʾān and Judaism

1:10 pm – 2:00 pm: Dirk Hartwig, Free University, Berlin

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm: Prof. Walid Saleh, University of Toronto

2:50 pm – 3:20 pm: Response by Dr. Harith bin Ramli, Cambridge Muslim College

3:20 pm – 3:50 pm: Coffee Break

  • Law from the Bible to the Qurʾān

3:50 pm – 4:40 pm: Dr. Holger Zellentin, The University of Nottingham

4:40 pm – 5:30 pm: Prof. Lena Salaymeh, University of Tel Aviv

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Response by Dr. Shuruq Naguib, University of Lancaster

REGISTER FOR LECTURE THREE

All lectures are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is mandatory, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-quran-between-judaism-and-christianity-tickets-27048519851/

For information on transportation and parking at the University, please visit

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/visitorinformation/information.aspx

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Quran.Lectures@nottingham.ac.uk

Les origines du Coran, le Coran des origines

In the latest installment of Review of Qur’anic Research 2 no. 6, W. S. Chahanovich reviews Les51eB39p7vaL origines du Coran, le Coran des origins, a volume edited by Francois Déroche, Christian Robin, and Michel Zink. Les origines is a testimony to the robust tradition of European qur’anic scholarship and provides the reader with focused contributions touching on several topics, including qur’anic philology, paleography, epigraphy, and codicology. Comprised of fourteen articles – nine French, one German, three English –Les origines is the result of a conference held in 2011 in France that honored the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Theodor Nöldeke’s groundbreaking work Die Geschichte des Qorâns (1860).

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!

Qur’anic Studies, a Political Philology?

neuwirth2

Cover of Koranforschung – eine politische philologie? (Walter de Gruyter, 2014)

In the latest installment of the Review of Qur’anic Research 2 no. 5, Mareike Koertner reviews Angelika Neuwirth’s Koranforschung – eine politische Philologie? (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014). In this book Neuwirth presents a concise work of her larger theories of contextualizing the qur’anic text within the intellectual framework of Late Antiquity. She suggests that the study of the reception of biblical materials in the Qurʾan must be analyzed by considering the cultural and religious context in which the Qurʾan emerged and evolved. The qur’anic text heavily interacted with its audiences and is a result of a process of cultural re-negotiation that included elements from the environment in Mecca, the living heirs of the biblical traditions who resided in Medina, and, Muhammad and his community. In answering her question of if the qur’anic studies is a political philology, Neuwirth explains the various meanings of “political.”

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!

Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Q Yūsuf 12: 1-111)

Photo by Habib M'henniThe Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 12: 1-111. 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!

Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Q Hûd 11:25-99

Photo by Habib M'henniThe Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 11: 25-99. 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!

Divine Encounter with the Qur’an

Cover of Qur'ans: Books of Divine Encounter (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2015)

Cover of Qur’ans: Books of Divine Encounter (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2015)

In the latest installment of the Review of Qur’anic Research 2, no. 4, Yasin Dutton reviews Keith E. Small’s Qurʾāns: Books of Divine Encounter (Oxford: Bodleian Library, Oxford University Press, 2015). In this book, Keith Small presents the Qurʾan collection at the Bodleian Library, Ashmolean Museum, and the David Collection in Copenhagen. The book presents a visual display of the manuscripts in a mainly chronological arrangement. It highlights the theme of the Qurʾan being the point of contact with the Divine. The first two chapters present the earliest manuscripts in the collection. The next two chapters presents the art of manuscript illumination. The final three chapters emphasizes the European encounter with the Qurʾan, global dissemination, and talismanic copies of the Qurʾan.

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!

Read, Write, and Share Commentaries on Q Tawbah 9:111-119

Photo by Habib M'henniThe Qurʾan Seminar invites you to add your own commentaries on a new selected passage of the Qur’an: Q. 9: 111-119. 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!