An Introduction to Classical Study of the Qurʾān

Transcription

1 An Introduction to Classical Study of the Qurʾān Leo Baeck College Sheikh Dr Muhammad Al Hussaini The aim of the course is to introduce rabbis, rabbinical students and other students of Jewish studies to the vast body of classical Islamic scholarship which is marshalled in traditional Muslim interpretation of the Qurʾān, as God s sacred Scripture and as a source for all aspects of Islamic doctrine, morality, law and interreligious relations. There is a strong focus on Islamic texts relating to Jewish Muslim relations and Jewish influences on the Qurʾān and early Islam, and one principal aim of the course is to provide Jewish studies and rabbinical students with the tools to engage in text based dialogue with Muslims around issues concerning relations between the two communities. This course is taught in modules consisting of introductory lectures and interactive group text studies. All Qurʾānic texts, ḥadīth and classical commentaries are translated from the original Arabic by myself. All materials are provided, and typically at the end of each session the study texts for the next session are provided for advance reading. As a mature research environment, the sessions are encouraged as being a shared group inquiry together, where students learn from questioning, dialectic discussion and collegial disagreement. The aim is to create a safe environment where tough questions may be asked by students around the implications of Qurʾānic interpretation for Jewish Muslim relations and also controversial issues. Every effort is made to respect and accommodate the halakhic and religious observance of Orthodox students and a light kosher lunch is also provided. Read in the Name of Your Lord : How Does Classical Islamic Scholarship Interpret the Qurʾān? Tuesday 4 November pm Lecture with Powerpoint notes Be introduced to the importance for rabbis, rabbinical students and Jewish students of other disciplines of a knowledge of the Qurʾān and its interpretation, and Jewish Muslim relations Have been familiarised with the structure, compilation, recension and reception of the Qurʾānic text Have been introduced to the key hermeneutical concepts of tafsīr bi l maʾthūr, tafsīr bi l raʾy, and the role of Prophetic ḥadīth as the primary instrument of exegesis in ʾusul al fiqh Differing approaches to the status of the Qurʾān and the role of reason and religious authority in scriptural interpretation both Sunni, Muʾtazilite and Shiʿite tafsīr A brief history of a few of the most prominent authors of classical tafsīr literature and founders of the schools of Qurʾānic interpretation 1

2 We Believe in that which was Sent Down to Us and that which was Sent Down to You, and Our God and Your God are One : Continuity and Contrast with the People of the Book Tuesday 18 November pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint Have been introduced to the methodology and typical format of a Qurʾānic exegesis class in a Sunni Islamic academic institution grammatical and philological analysis, qiyās or analogical interpretation through apposition with other Qurʾānic verses, tafsīr interpretation through oral tradition of ḥadīth, and derivation of aḥkām and other legal rulings Be familiarised with the appearance and format of a typical medieval tafsīr in Islamic scholarship Be introduced to Qurʾānic discourse on the continuity of monotheistic belief with the Jewish prophets, Islam s self definition as the Abrahamic dispensation, and the Qurʾānic portrayal of the relationship between the new Muslim umma and extant Jewish and Christian communities and parallel ḥadīth concerning Islam s continuity and contrast with Judaism and relationship with the Jewish prophets We Did Reveal the Torah Wherein there is Guidance and Light : Biblical and Midrashic Narratives in the Qurʾān Tuesday 25 November pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint Have been introduced to the role of Jewish influences in the formative period of Islam and the contact of the Prophet and early Islam with Jewish communities in the Hijaz Explore the status of the foregoing revealed scriptures including the Torah and Psalms according to the Qurʾān, and the continuity of Jewish rabbinical tradition with God s Revelation Have been introduced to the concept of israʾīliyyāt and Jewish discourse as a determinant in Islamic interpretation of the Qur an and parallel ḥadīth of Biblical and Midrashic narratives which are found in the Qurʾān for example, the narratives on Joseph and Potiphar, and Abraham and the idols 2

3 Enjoining What is Right and Forbidding What is Wrong : God s Law, Justice and Jihād in Qurʾānic Exegesis Tuesday 2 December pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint Be introduced to the role of the Qurʾān as a primary source of Islamic law Be familiarised with the difference between sharīʿa and fiqh, the relationship between Qurʾānic exegesis and sacred law, and the setting out by al Shāfiʿī of the canons of ʾusūl al fiqh Be introduced to the primary schools of Sunni Islamic law, with reference also to Shiʿite schools Be introduced by way of example, to the Qurʾānic punishments or ḥadd in Islamic law, and their relation to qiṣaṣ or Qurʾānic tort for murder, and taʿzīr or discretionary punishment Be introduced by way of example, to the place of jihād in Islam as part of a juridical imperative to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and the separation of ḥalāl and ḥarām and parallel ḥadīth of texts on the lex talionis in the Qurʾān and a passage on jihād and sayr You Will Find the Strongest of People in Enmity to the Believers the Jews : The Determinants of Anti Semitism in Islamic Scripture and Tradition Tuesday 9 December pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint Be introduced to the representation of Jews and Judaism in the Qurʾān, the positive representations of God s Chosen People together with contrasting ambivalent hostility toward Jews in other passages Be familiarised with the historical context for the evolving relationships and conflicts between the nascent Islamic community and the Jewish tribes in Medina Be introduced to exegetical ḥadīth literature which has widely been used as a basis for anti Jewish and anti semitic discourse in the Islamic world Continuing the discussion on jihād in the previous session, be introduced to the role of jihād in the historical persecution of Jewish people 3

4 and parallel ḥadīth of texts on the theme of Jews and Judaism in the Qurʾān And We Said After That to the Children of Israel, Settle the Land : Is There a Qurʾānic Mandate for Eretz Israel? Tuesday 16 December pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint Be introduced to the status in classical Qurʾānic commentary of the Land of Israel Palestine and Jerusalem, and the corresponding status accorded to the Holy Land in modern Islamic exegesis and political theology and parallel ḥadīth of texts on the theme of the Holy Land and Jewish covenant with the Land in the Qurʾān In this session, students will be encouraged to apply the skills acquired in the previous sessions to discuss and interpret the Islamic texts on Eretz Israel from varying and opposing viewpoints There Are in Joseph and His Brothers Signs for those who Question : Qur nic Narratives from the Süra of Joseph Tuesday 17 February pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint and parallel ḥadīth of passages from Sürat Yüsuf And When We Took Your Covenant and Raised Above You the Mount : Qur nic Exodus Narratives Tuesday 24 February pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint and parallel ḥadīth of selected Exodus narrative passages in the Qurʾān God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth : Mystical and Esoteric Readings of the Qur n Tuesday 3 March pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint 4

5 and parallel ḥadīth of texts of Sufi, Shifiite and other mystical approaches to interpretation of the Qurʾān And Among His Signs are that He Created Spouses from Among Yourselves : Marriage Law in the Qur n Tuesday 24 March pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint and parallel ḥadīth and legal texts on the theme of Marriage Law in the Qurʾān But if they are Resolved Upon Divorce, God is Hearing, All knowing : Divorce Law in the Qur n Tuesday 31 March pm Brief Introductory Lecture with Powerpoint and parallel ḥadīth and legal texts on the theme of Divorce Law in the Qurʾān We have no knowledge except what You have taught us; truly are You the Knowledgeable, the Wise (Qurʾān 2:32) 5