The Qur'an and Its Study by Zarzour, Adnan -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Copyright Contents Introduction to the English Edition Transliteration Table Section One: The Qur’an and Arabic

Chapter 1 The Language of the Qur’an

1. The Arabic Tongue 2. The Arabs and the Qur’an

Chapter 2 The Impact of the Qur’an on Arabic

1. The Historical Impact 2. The Lingustic Impact

Chapter 3 The Impact of the Qur’an on Islamic Culture and Civilisation

Section Two: The Authenticity of the Qur’anic Text and the Date of its Finalisation

Chapter 4 The Qur’an and Earlier Divine Books

1. Definition of the Qur’an and How it Differs from the Hadith 2. A Brief Comparison with Earlier Divine Books 3. Other Names of the Qur’an and Another Form of its Preservation

Chapter 5 Revelation: The Source of the Qur’an

1. The Revelation Phenomenon 2. Erroneous Views of the Phenomenon of Revelation 3. The True Phenomenon of Revelation

Chapter 6 The Revelation of the Qur’an and Why it was Revealed in Parts

1. Revelation and Sending Down 2. The Duration of Sending Down the Qur’an: The First and the Last Revelations 3. Why was the Qur’an Revealed in Parts? 4. Other Purposes for Revelation over a Period 5. Revelation and Reality

Chapter 7 The Collation and Writing of the Qur’an

1. The Preservation and Writing of the Qur’an During the Prophet’s Lifetime 2. The Collation of the Qur’an During Abū Bakr’s Reign in Year 12AH 3. The Copying of the Qur’an During ʿUthmān’s Reign in year 26 AH, 646 CE 4. ʿUthmān’s Rule on the Copies of the Qur’an. Features of the ʿUthmāni Standard Copies 5. The Burning of Other Scrolls and Documents: Misconceptions and Refutation 6. The ʿUthmāni Character Design of the Qur’anic Writing 7. Diacritics, Letter Dotting and other Markers in the Qur’an 8. The Printing of the Qur’an in Modern Times

Chapter 8 Verses, Surahs and their Arrangement

1. Names and Methods of Reading 2. Definition of Āyah and Surah 3. The Number of Surahs, their Names and Different Lengths 4. The Order of Verses 5. The Order of Surahs 6. The ruling on Disregarding the Order Folllowed in the Muṣḥaf 7. Relationships Between Verses and Surahs

Chapter 9 The Seven Pronunciations or Ḥarfs

1. Some Reports Confirming the Revelation of the Qur’an in Seven Pronunciations or Ḥarfs 2. What these Reports Tell Us 3. What are these Seven Pronunciations or Ḥarfs? 4. The Seven Pronunciations: A Temporary Concession or Permanent? 5. What these Pronunciations Give Us

Section Three: The Qur’anic Disciplines

Chapter 10 What is Meant by Qur’anic Disciplines Chapter 11 Reasons for Revelation

1. Definition 2. Its Importance 3. How to Know the Reasons for Revelation 4. Reasons for Revelation, Life and the Qur’an in General 5. Comment

Chapter 12 Makkan and Madinan

1. The Established Basis for Distinguishing Makkan and Madinan Revelations 2. The Criteria of Makkan and Madinan Revelations 3. Misconceptions about these Distinctions

Chapter 13 Openings of the Surahs

1. Types of Openings of Qur’anic Surahs 2. Patterns of Openings with Separate Letters 3. Best Known Views Explaining the Separate Letters

Chapter 14 Precise and Equivocal

1. Wording Similarity 2. Similar and Problematic

Chapter 15 The Variant Recitals of the Qur’an

1. How the Discipline of Variant Recitals Started 2. The Definition and Number of Variant Recitals 3. The Criteria for Acceptability of Variants 4. The Irregular Recitals 5. The Status of the Discipline of Variant Recitals

Chapter 16 Abrogation

1. Definition 2. The Concept of Abrogation and its Validity 3. Abrogation or Re-Initiation 4. The Abrogation of Earlier Codes of Law, but No Abrogation in the Qur’an 5. Abrogation as a Means of Education 6. The Special Status of the Generation that Received Revelation 7. Reasons for the Special Status 8. When a Latter Revelation does not Abrogate an Earlier One

Section Four Features of Old and New Commentaries

Chapter 17 The Start and Development of Qur’anic Commentary

1. Commentary and Ultimate Meaning 2. Interpretation on the Basis of Authentic Reports 3. Interpretation Based on Personal Views and Conditions of Interpretation 4. The Age of Difference: Reasons for Adopting New Methodologies

Chapter 18 Methodologies

1. The Methodology of Scholastic Theology 2. The Methodology of Sufism 3. The Methodology, or Rather the Confused Medley, of Esotericism 4. A Refutation of Esoteric Interpretation 5. Introductions to the Methodologies of Qur’anic Commentary 6. Thematic Interpretation 7. Broad Interpretation and Comparative Interpretation 8. The Obscure in the Qur’an

Chapter 19 Translation of the Qur’an

1. Arabicisation, Translation and Interpretation 2. The History of the Qur’an’s Translation 3. What is Required? 4. Literal Translation 5. Explanatory Translation and its Conditions

Chapter 20 Scientific Interpretations of Verses on Nature and the Universe

1. The Meaning of Scientific Interpretation and the Reasons Behind it 2. Scientific Interpretation is No Miracle 3. Scientific Interpretation and Scientific Methodology 4. Stages of Scientific Methodology in the Qur’an 5. Conditions for Scientific Interpretation

Chapter 21 In the Shade of the Qur’an: An Introduction

1. The Prophet’s Companions and Interpretation of the Qur’an 2. Commentators and the Qur’an’s Main Objective 3. Conditions to be Met by Contemporary Commentators 4. Sayyid Qutb’s Method and the Status of His Work

Chapter 22 Some Types of Commentary

1. The Surah’s Overall Meaning 2. The Surah’s Sections and Main Theme 3. Characteristics of the Surah’s Text 4. Presentation 5. Language Structure 6. Tone and Rhythm

Section Five The Inimitability of the Qur’an: General Features

Chapter 23 Inimitability: How it Happens and What it Means

1. The Two Sides of Inmitiability: Introduction and Notes 2. The Inimitability of the Qur’an: An Historical Fact 3. Inimitability as the Subject of the Challenge

Chapter 24 Inimitability: Views and Theories

1. The Concept of Turning Away: A Critical View 2. The Structural Flow of the Qur’an: The History 3. Al-Jurjānī’s Theory of Structural Flow 4. Artistic Imagery 5. The Musical Structure 6. Yet Another Aspect of Inimitability 7. Concluding Comments: Expression and Man

Chapter 25 Characteristics of the Qur’anic Style

1. Characteristics of the Qur’anic Style 2. General Features of Style

Chapter 26 Verse Endings and Rhyme in the Qur’an

1. Definition 2. The Role and Place of the End Word 3. Types of End Words 4. End Words, Assonance and Poetry 5. Assonance in the Qur’an

Chapter 27 The Literary Status of the Qur’an: Content and Style

1. The Challenge 2. Characteristic of the Qur’an’s Meaning 3. The Effect of the Meanings on the Presentation 4. A Comprehensive Balanced Address

Section Six The Inimitability of the Qur’an: Unique Artistic Features

Chapter 28 The Use of Simile

1. An Historical Outlook 2. The Simile: Definition and Function Words 3. The Role of the Simile and its Artistic Purposes 4. Types of Simile in the Qur’an 5. Characteristics of the Simile in the Qur’an

Chapter 29 The Oath in the Qur’an

1. The Oath Formula 2. By What are Oaths Sworn in the Qur’an? 3. The Oath: Glorification and Evidence 4. What is Confirmed by Oath? 5. The Oath Starting with a Negative 6. The Relationship Between the Two Parts of the Oath 7. The Eloquence Dimension of Qur’anic Oaths

Chapter 30 Stories in the Qur’an

1. The Story as Art Form 2. The True Status of the Story: A Response to al-Aqqad 3. The Distinctive Features of the Qur’anic Story 4. The Qur’anic Story as a True Historical Account 5. The Qur’anic Story: The History of Man 6. The General Purpose of the Qur’anic Story 7. Presentation and Artistic Features

Conclusion Bibliography Index

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