The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'ān

by Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe

• ISBN13: 9780521831604
• ISBN10: 0521831601
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-12-25
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

As the living scriptural heritage of more than a billion people, the Qur'an (Koran) speaks with a powerful voice. Just as other scriptural religions, Islam has produced a long tradition of interpretation for its holy book. Nevertheless, efforts to introduce the Qur'an and its intellectual heritage to English-speaking audiences have been hampered by the lack of available resources. The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an seeks to remedy that situation. In a discerning summation of the field, Jane McAuliffe brings together an international team of scholars to explain its complexities. Comprising fourteen chapters, each devoted to a topic of central importance, the book is rich in historical, linguistic and literary detail, while also reflecting the influence of other disciplines. For both the university student and the general reader, The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an provides a fascinating entrée to a text that has shaped the lives of millions for centuries.

Table of Contents

List of figures	p. xi
Notes on contributors	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Formation of the qur'anic text
The historical context	p. 23
Creation of a fixed text	p. 41
Alternative accounts of the Qur'an's formation	p. 59
Description and analysis
Themes and topics	p. 79
Structural, linguistic and literary features	p. 97
Recitation and aesthetic reception	p. 115
Transmission and dissemination
From palm leaves to the Internet	p. 145
Inscriptions in art and architecture	p. 163
Interpretations and intellectual traditions
The tasks and traditions of interpretation	p. 181
Multiple areas of influence	p. 211
Western scholarship and the Qur'an	p. 235
Contemporary readings
Women's readings of the Qur'an	p. 255
Political interpretation of the Qur'an	p. 273
The Qur'an and other religions	p. 291
Qur'an citation index	p. 310
General index	p. 318
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