The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an

Andrew Rippin, Jawid Mojaddedi

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781118964835
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

Fully revised and updated, the second edition of The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Qur'?n offers an ideal resource for anyone who wishes to read and understand the Qur'?n as a text and as a vital component of Muslim life. While retaining the literary approach to the subject, this new edition extends both the theological and philosophical approaches to the Qur'?n.

Edited by the noted authority on the Qur'?n, Andrew Rippin, and Islamic Studies scholar Jawid Mojaddedi, and with contributions from other internationally renowned scholars, the book is comprehensive in scope and written in clear and accessible language. New to this edition is material on modern exegesis, the study of the Qur'?n in the West, the relationship between the Qur'?n and religions prior to Islam, and much more.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Qur'?n is a rich and wide-ranging resource, exploring the Qur'?n as both a religious text and as a work of literature.

PART I
Orientation

1. 1 Introducing
   Tamara Sonn
2. 2 Discovering
   Christopher Buck
3. 3 Contextualizing
   Abdullah Saeed

CHAPTER 1
Introducing

Tamara Sonn

The Qurʾān (“Koran” in archaic spelling) is the sacred scripture of Islam. The term qurʾān means “recitation” or “reading,” reflecting the Muslim belief that it is the word of God, not of the prophet who delivered it. Although the Qurʾān was revealed (or “sent down,” munzal, as the Arabic term has it) in the first/seventh century, Muslims believe that it is nonetheless timeless, the word of God, revealed word for word in the Arabic language through God’s final messenger, Muḥammad (d. 11/632). Sunnī Muslims (approximately 85 percent of the world’s Muslim population) believe the Qurʾān is therefore uncreated; like God, whose speech it is, it has always existed. The Qurʾān says that its words reflect a divine archetype of revelation, which it calls “the preserved tablet” (al‐lawḥ al‐maḥfūẓ, Q 85:22). This allows for interpretation of the term qurʾān as “reading,” even though Muḥammad is described by the Qurʾān as unlettered or illiterate (Q 7:157; 62:2). Rather than “reading” a message, Muḥammad is described as delivering a message that God had imprinted upon his heart (e.g., Q 26:194). At one point the Qurʾān refers to Gabriel (Jibrīl) as the one “who has brought it [revelation] down upon your heart” (Q 2:97). As a result, traditional interpreters claim that Gabriel was the medium through whom Muḥammad received God’s revelation.

The Qurʾān uses the term qurʾān seventy times, sometimes generically referring to “recitation” but usually referring to revelation. The Qurʾān also refers to itself, as it does to the Torah and the Gospels, as simply “the book” (al‐kitāb), a term used hundreds of times to refer to recorded revelation. Muslims therefore frequently refer to the Qurʾān as “The Book.” Muslims also commonly use terms such as “noble” (al‐Qurʾān al‐karīm), “glorious” (al‐Qurʾān al‐majīd), and other terms of respect for the Qurʾān. They commemorate annually the beginning of its revelation on the “night of power” (or “destiny,” laylat al‐qadr), during the last ten days of Ramaḍān, the month of fasting. So important is the revelation of the Qurʾān that the Qurʾān describes laylat al‐qadr as “better than a thousand months” (Q 97:3).

Muslims’ respect for the Qurʾān is demonstrated by the fact that only those who are in a state of spiritual purity are allowed to touch it. It is the miracle of Islam; Muḥammad brought no other. The Qurʾān tells us that when people asked Muḥammad to demonstrate the authenticity of his prophecy by performing miracles, as other prophets had done, he offered them the Qurʾān. The beauty of its language is believed to be beyond compare, and impossible to imitate. (This belief is conveyed in the doctrine of the inimitability of the Qurʾān, iʿjāz.) Whereas Jesus’ life was miraculous and forms the basis of Christianity, the Qurʾān itself is the basis of Islamic life. It forms the core of Islamic ritual and practice, learning, and law.

Structure of the Text

The Qurʾān consists of 114 chapters, called sūras (plural: suwar). The verses of the chapters are called āyāt (singular: āya). The chapters range in length from 3 to 287 verses. The first sūra is very short, but the remaining sūras are arranged roughly in descending order of length, that is, from longest to shortest, rather than in chronological order.

The chronological order in which the chapters were delivered is determined based on both internal evidence and traditional literature concerning the circumstances of revelation (asbāb al‐nuzūl). Although not all scholars agree on the precise dating of all the verses of the Qurʾān, there is general agreement that approximately ninety of the chapters were delivered during the earlier period of revelation, while Muḥammad and his community lived in Mecca. The remaining chapters were delivered after the emigration (hijra) to Medina (1/622). Accordingly, scholars often refer to chapters as being Meccan or Medinan. The former tend to be shorter (and therefore placed at the end of the Qurʾān), poetic in form, passionate in tone, and characterized by general references to monotheism; the glory, power, mercy, and justice of God (Allāh, from the Arabic al‐ilāh: the [one] god); and the need for submission (islām) to the will of God in order to achieve the great rewards promised in the afterlife and avoid divine retribution. The Medinan sūras tend to be longer (and therefore found at the beginning of the Qurʾān), more prosaic in form, and deal with more practical issues such as marriage and inheritance.

Each chapter of the Qurʾān has a name, such as “Opening” (Q 1), “Women” (Q 4), and “Repentance” (Q 9). These names were ascribed after the Qurʾān was canonized (established in its authoritative form) and typically derive from major references in the chapters. All but one chapter (Q 9) begins with the phrase “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” Twenty‐nine chapters of the Qurʾān are also preceded by a letter or brief series of Arabic letters, whose meaning is unclear. Some scholars believe they refer to elements within the chapter itself, some believe they refer to early organizational components of the chapters, while others believe they have mystical or spiritual meanings. Whatever their significance, these letters are considered to be part of revelation itself.

Voice and Audience

The Qurʾān often speaks in the first person (“I” or “We,” used interchangeably), indicating that it is the voice of God. For example, as in the verse about the first night of revelation (laylat al‐qadr) cited above, the Qurʾān says, “Surely We sent it [revelation] down on the night of power” (Q 97:1–2). In this voice, the Qurʾān frequently addresses itself to Muḥammad, instructing him to “say” or “tell” people certain things, sometimes in response to specific issues. For example, when people were doubting Muḥammad’s role as prophet, the Qurʾān instructs him: “Say, ‘O people, indeed I am a clear warner to you. Those who believe and do good works, for them is forgiveness and generous blessing’” (Q 22:49–50). The Qurʾān also offers advice to Muḥammad. When people accused him of being a mere poet or even a fortune‐teller, the Qurʾān says, “Do they say that you have forged [the Qurʾān]? Say, ‘If I have forged it, my crimes are my own; but I am innocent of what you do’” (Q 11:35). The Qurʾān also offers encouragement to Muḥammad when his efforts seem futile: “Have we not opened your heart and relieved you of the burden that was breaking your back?” (Q 94:1–2). At other times, the Qurʾān speaks directly to the people about Muḥammad. Concerning the issue of the authenticity of his message, the Qurʾān addresses the community, saying, “The heart [of the prophet] was not deceived. Will you then dispute with him about what he saw?” (Q 53:11–12). The Qurʾān is the word of God throughout, but many of the longer verses appear in the voice of Muḥammad, addressing the community with the word of God and referring to God in the third person. For instance, we are told, “There is no compulsion in religion. Right has been distinguished from wrong. Whoever rejects idols and believes in God has surely grasped the strongest, unbreakable bond. And God hears and knows” (Q 2:256).

The audience addressed by the Qurʾān is assumed to be the community of seventh‐century Arabia, where Muḥammad lived, although its message is meant for all times and places. Interestingly, and uniquely among monotheistic scriptures, the Qurʾān assumes both males and females among its audience, and frequently addresses the concerns of both. For example, it tells us that God is prepared to forgive and richly reward all good people, both male and female:

Men who submit [to God] and women who submit [to God],
Men who believe and women who believe,
Men who obey and women who obey,
Men who are honest and women who are honest,
Men who are steadfast and women who are steadfast,
Men who are humble and women who are humble,
Men who give charity and women who give charity,
Men who fast and women who fast,
Men who are modest and women who are modest,
Men and women who remember God often. (Q 33:35)

History of the Text

Unlike earlier scriptures, the history of the Qurʾān is well known. The Qurʾān was delivered by Muḥammad to his community in Arabia in various contexts over a period of twenty‐two years, 610 to 632 CE. According to tradition, Muḥammad’s followers sometimes recorded his pronouncements, while others of his followers memorized and transmitted them orally during his lifetime. After the death of Muḥammad (11/632), and with the deaths of some of those who memorized the Qurʾān (ḥuffāẓ), the prophet’s companions decided to establish a written version of the Qurʾān so that it could be preserved accurately for posterity. This process was begun by a close companion of Muḥammad, Zayd b. Thābit (d. 35/655), who collected written records of Qurʾānic verses soon after the death of Muḥammad. The third successor (caliph) to the prophet, ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān (d. 36/656), is credited with commissioning Zayd and other respected scholars to establish the authoritative written version of the Qurʾān based upon the written and oral records. Thus, within twenty years of Muḥammad’s death, the Qurʾān was committed to written form. That text became the model from which copies were made and promulgated throughout the urban centers of the Muslim world, and other versions are believed to have been destroyed. Because of the existence of various dialects, slight variations in the reading of the authoritative versions were possible. To this day seven slightly variant readings remain acceptable, traditionally believed to be of divine origin.

In the modern era, scholarly efforts to critically analyze the history of the text beyond this accepted narrative are highly controversial. This is due to European colonialism throughout the Muslim world, which was often accompanied by critiques of Islam and missionary efforts to convert Muslims into Christians.

The Qurʾān was copied and transmitted by hand until the modern era. Early Arabic lacked vowel markers; in order to avoid confusion, markers indicating specific vowel sounds were introduced into the language by the end of the third/ninth century.

The first printed version was produced in Rome in 1530 CE; a second printed version was produced in Hamburg in 1694. Th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• Introduction
• PART I: Orientation
• PART II: Text
• PART III: Content
• PART IV: Interpretation
• PART V: Application
• Bibliography
• Index of People, Places and Topics
• Index
• End User License Agreement