Historical criticism and recent trends in western scholarship on the Qur’an : some hermeneutic reflections

Other Title(s)

النقد التاريخي و بعض النزعات المؤخرة في دراسة القرآن الكريم في الغرب : ملاحظات تأويلية

Author

Sinai, Nicolai

Source

Journal of College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies

Issue

Vol. 38, Issue 1 (31 Jul. 2020), pp.136-146, 11 p.

Publisher

Qatar University College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies (Previously) / Qatar University Qatar University Press (Currently)

Publication Date

2020-07-31

Country of Publication

Qatar

No. of Pages

11

Main Subjects

Islamic Studies

Abstract EN

The application of the historical-critical method to the Qur’an is sometimes viewed as an imperialist attempt to undermine Islamic belief.

This view, however, fails to sufficiently consider that the same method has also been applied to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

The historical-critical study of the Qur’an cannot, therefore, be accurately described as a targeted assault on Islam in particular.

There can, nonetheless, be no doubt that there are significant methodological differences between a historical-critical approach to the Qur’an and premodern Islamic approaches.

Additionally, the Western study of the Qur’an has yielded results that are apt to be of interest to scholars based in the Islamic world, even to those who might not be prepared to accept the historical-critical approach in its entirety.

These results include a close comparison between Qur’anic narrative, on the one hand, and ancient Jewish and Christian traditions in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, on the other.

Such a comparison permits a deepened understanding of the specificity of Qur’anic doctrine against its contemporary intellectual background.

Moreover, the last few decades have witnessed a strong interest among Western scholars in the literary and rhetorical structure of the Qur’an.

There is increasing awareness that the literary and rhetorical analysis of the Qur’an, even if practiced from a historical-critical perspective, can significantly benefit from Islamic scholarship.

American Psychological Association (APA)

Sinai, Nicolai. 2020. Historical criticism and recent trends in western scholarship on the Qur’an : some hermeneutic reflections. Journal of College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies،Vol. 38, no. 1, pp.136-146.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-965626

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Sinai, Nicolai. Historical criticism and recent trends in western scholarship on the Qur’an : some hermeneutic reflections. Journal of College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies Vol. 38, no. 1 (Jul. 2020), pp.136-146.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-965626

American Medical Association (AMA)

Sinai, Nicolai. Historical criticism and recent trends in western scholarship on the Qur’an : some hermeneutic reflections. Journal of College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies. 2020. Vol. 38, no. 1, pp.136-146.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-965626

Data Type

Journal Articles

Language

English

Notes

Includes bibliographical references : p. 146

Record ID

BIM-965626