Qur'an and Hadith Studies Part A

Key information

Start date
End date
Year of study
Year 1 or Year 2
Duration
Term 1
Module code
15PNMH055
FHEQ Level
7
Credits
15

Module overview

The Qur’an serves not only as the foundational text of Islam, but also as the pre-eminent literary masterpiece of the Arabic language. With the aim of situating the text of the Qur’an within its historical and literary contexts, Part A of this module is aggregated around a percipient gauging of the discourses dominating the academic study of the Qur’an. Broaching the study of the text through a critical array of Arabic primary sources, the subjects and themes covered in the module include the Qur'an's language, structure, and composition; and thematic content. Additionally, a representative sample of the texts and treatises produced within the confines of the commentary tradition is also examined. The study of the materials of hadith features in Part B of this module.

Prerequisites

Given that this is essentially a text-based module, it is expected that students should be able to read and comprehend classical Arabic material.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

  1. Situate the Qur'an within its historical context and setting
  2. Identify and gauge the distinct compositional and thematic elements of the Qur'an
  3. Appreciate the Qur'an's dynamic impact as a literary text across a range of classical intellectual discourses
  4. Acquire a critical awareness of the scholarly debates and discussions which have informed the academic study of the Qur'an
  5. Develop critical tools for the advanced study of Arabic Islamic literary materials

Workload

Total of 10 weeks teaching with 2 hours classroom contact per week consisting of a 1 hour lecture and a 1 hour seminar.

Scope and syllabus

Selected topics include:

  1. Introducing scholarly discussions on the nature of the Qur'an with reference to the doctrine of the text's inimitability
  2. Thematic and stylistic features of the Qur'an: the application of Makkan and Madinan paradigms
  3. Juridical elements in the Qur'an: the interplay which defines non-legal materials in the Qur'an and the juridical elements contained therein
  4. The Concept of naskh and its historical development
  5. The Function of Qasas (stories) in the Qur'an; similarities and differences between Biblical sources and the Qur’an regarding the Story of Joseph
  6. Discourses surrounding the concept of coherence and its historical development

Method of assessment

  • 20% - PowerPoint presentation (10-12 minutes)
  • 80% - Essay (2500 words)
  • The exact assessment deadline dates are published on the relevant module Moodle/BLE page

Suggested reading

Bibliography

  • Archer, George Maria Massi Dakake, and Daniel A. Madigan. Routledge Companion to the Qur'an. New York: Routledge, 2021.
  • Badawi, El-Said, and M.A.S Abdel Haleem. Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage. Leiden: Brill, 2008. 
  • Blair, Sheila. Islamic Calligraphy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006.
  • Ernst, Carl W. How to Read the Qurʼan: A New Guide, With Select Translations. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2011.
  • Hamza, Feras, Sajjad H. Rizvi, and Farhana Mayer. An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries: On the Nature of the Divine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • McAuliffe, Jane (ed). Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, ed. Leiden : E.J. Brill, 2001. 6 vols.
  • McAuliffe, J  (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  • Nasser, Shady. Second Canonization Of The Qurʾān: Ibn Mujāhid And The Founding Of The Seven Readings. Brill, 2019.
  • Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (ed.) with C. Dagli, M. Dakake, J. Lumbard and M. Rustom, assistant
  • The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
  • New York : HarperOne 2015.
  • Neuwirth, Angelika, Nicolai Sinai, and Michael Marx. The Qur’an in Context: Historical and Literary Investigations into the Qur’anic Milieu. Edited by Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 2010.
  • Rippin, Andrew, and J. A. Mojaddedi. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an. Second edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2017.
  • Rippin, Andrew (ed.).  The Qur’an : Style and Contents. Aldershot : Variorum, 2001.           
  • Shah, Mustafa and M. A. Abdel Haleem. The Oxford Handbook of Qurʼanic Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
  • Sinai, Nicolai. The Qur'an: A Historical-critical Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017.
  • Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary. Princeton University Press, 2023.
  • Wansbrough, John. Quranic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation.
  • Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.
  • Watt, M., Introduction to the Qurʾān, R. Bell’s introduction Revised by Watt, W.M., Islamic Surveys. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1994.

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