Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Qurʼan interpretation'

This thesis is an analysis and interpretation of six chapters from al-Nabulusi's commentary. One of these is an account of his intentions for writing the commentary and the other five are commentaries on parts of the Fusus al-hikam. These chapters chosen from al-Nabulusi's commentary treat important subjects in the Fusus al-hikam which exemplify Ibn 'Arabi's thought particularly well. They are concerned with certain issues which were perceived to have a special importance in the Islamic religious tradition. One issue, for example, is that of Pharaoh's profession of faith which was a prominent subject of debate and discussion in Islamic literature. Ibn 'Arabi's position on this was severely criticised by many. The thesis argues that there are four ways in which to appreciate the commentary's intellectual and religious outlook: first, with respect to its approach to Ibn 'Arabi's ideas; second, with respect to its use of Qur'an and hadith in the specific context of developing an independence from Ibn 'Arabi's thought and in the general context of Qur'anic exegesis; third, in its use of language, narrative and metaphor, finally, in its legal approach towards the issue of Pharaoh's faith evincing arguments similar to those of Ibn 'Arabi, but not identical, and, like Ibn 'Arabi, adopting positions different from those of the wider Islamic religious tradition. The thesis demonstrates that the commentary's significance can be appreciated in two historical contexts: the anti-Ibn 'Arabi tendency manifest in late 17^th century Damascus; and the enduring tradition of polemics surrounding Ibn 'Arabi's thought.

This study looks at Laleh Bakhtiar´s ambitions when it comes to The Sublime Quran, her English translation of the Quran. It also contains a look at how it was received in English and American media, and how Bakhtiar and her like-minded defend her interpretation and translation against critics, focusing on verse 4:34.

Thesis (MTh (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
This study is an attempt to gain an understanding of the al-ruh (Holy Spirit) from a Muslim perspective and a comparison with the Christian perspective. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 and 3 are textual study; the meaning and usage of the al-ruh (Holy Spirit) in the Qur’an will be examined, especially in Muslim Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias and Commentaries as compared with the meaning and usage in the Biblical and Jewish scriptures. Obviously, the Holy Spirit plays an active role with humankind in creation and in revelation; the al-ruh has evidently inspired all the prophets and even believers according to the Qur’an. The experience of Muhammad with respect to the al-ruh is also mentioned in the Qur’an even when he was not yet aware of the work of Holy Spirit as well as the person of the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity in Christianity. Chapter 3 carries on the findings from the Qur’an, and furthermore give explanations as well as evaluate exegeses and various commentators’ opinions regarding al-ruh. Moreover, there are some disagreements among various Muslim commentators as manifested in their interpretations. Such disagreement is discernable with respect to the doctrine of Holy Spirit as a Person in the Trinity. In addition to this, various issues are investigated like: ‘Where did the divisions and disunity come from?’ Is it possible to find a satisfactory answer? ‘Is al-ruh the angel Gabriel?’ since the angel Gabriel is only mentioned once (66:4). Nevertheless, most of the commentators indicate that the Holy Spirit and the Spirit as the angel Gabriel are the same. Is there a gap in understanding between Muhammad and commentators? Is there a gap between classical and contemporary commentators? Chapter 4 presents a report of the empirical fieldwork carried out through interviews. Questionnaires are designed based on findings in the Qur’an and what commentators have said. A cross section of Muslims in the Western Cape of South Africa as well as Muslims from other African countries presently in Stellenbosch is selected for interviews. Several Islamic sects (i.e. Sunni, Sufis) who are found in South Africa are included in these interviews along with relevant information obtained from Internet sources. An analysis of data provides the basic thoughts for the assessment and response from the Christian point of view in Chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 5 is a comparative study. The aim is to find out similarities in both Christian and Muslim religious concepts, thereby attempting to build up on common grounds; and to find out the differences in understanding about the Holy Spirit and to restore an agreeable understanding of the concept of the Holy Spirit. The ultimate goal is to use the idea of the al-ruh from Qur’anic and Islamic concepts in order to build a bridge to the understanding of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. Some concepts are common to both Christianity and Islam, i.e. spirit (ruh), soul (nafs) and conscience (fitrah). Some fundamental doctrines are essential for both religions. For instance, The Oneness of God is understood in Islam as Tahwid (i.e. Oneness of Allah), and in Christianity, as Trinity, the Godhead or Triune God. Besides, both religions in terms of this doctrine contain elements of the transcendence and immanence of God in relation to creation. The key issue investigated further is ‘whether the Spirit is created or eternal’ and ‘Is al-ruh the created Spirit or the creator Spirit’? The question of how a Christian explains to a Muslim that Jesus is ultimately the Ruh Allah (the Spirit of God) introduced in the next chapter. Chapter 6 is a Missiological approach which is based on the fundamental knowledge of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity in Systematic theology and Missiology. Certain topics are examined from a comparative religious point of view; firstly, a comparison of the natural human with the spiritual human to find out the function of the conscience and of spirituality from a Biblical point of view. Secondly, a comparison of Jesus with Adam and an angel in terms of the purpose for which God created the whole world is made with a focus on Jesus in humanity. Thirdly, a definition of the divinity of Jesus in terms of two aspects: Jesus as the first-born Son of God and Jesus as Messiah (the anointed one and saviour of the world), using a historical, traditional and Christological understanding. Fourthly, a Pneumatological approach is applied as an innovation to this study. Its endeavours generally explore the human religious experience, in order to initiate a ‘dialectical dialogue’; and subsequently to focus on the Trinitarian experience in Islam. An interesting example of martyrdom as an imitation of Christ on the cross can be found among Sufi Sunni Muslims. This is an evidence of the freedom of the Holy Spirit working wherever he wills. In brief, although the Person and the work of the Holy Spirit are not very obvious in the Qur’an, a careful study makes it increasingly apparent. Finally, the work of the Holy Spirit is still alive in all religions, not least in Islam, as the resulting evidence of my research suggests.

Magister Artium - MA
The main focus of this dissertation is a critical study of the Arabic text, titled: Lubāb al ‘Ilm Fī Sūrah al-Najm (The Kernel of Knowledge in the Chapter of the Star) by Shaykh Ahmad bin Muṣṭafā’ al-‘Alāwī. Due to the lack of research on esoteric commentaries of the Qurʾān in the English language, there is a need to embark upon an in-depth study of such texts. An important work on Shaykh al-‘Alāwī in English is Martin Lings’ A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century. This book is an excellent introduction to the life, works and thought of Shaykh al-‘Alāwī, but it does not deal with a specific text in any detail. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to examine closely the above-mentioned text of Shaykh al-‘Alāwī as a sample of his esoteric interpretation of the Qurʾān. For the purpose of this thesis, I shall undertake a translation of his exegesis (tafsīr) on Sūrah al-Najm (the Chapter of the Star). I will include with it explanatory notes and identification of key quotations and sources. This sample from Shaykh al-‘Alāwī’s work will form the basis of my critical analyses. It will also provide a means for comparison with some of his other works, and with Qurʾānic commentaries of the same genre by other Sufi scholars, both classical and modern. In this dissertation, I also seek to offer some answers and proofs concerning the validity of the existence of esoteric tafsīr and why it is needed. I will do this by examining key verses in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet Muḥammad). The distinction between esoteric and exoteric interpretations of the Qurʾān will also be dealt with in this dissertation. Although the emphasis will be on the esoteric dimension, neither the esoteric nor the exoteric dimension will be treated in a mutually exclusive way. Most Arabic commentaries on the Qurʾān tend towards the exoteric and literal meanings of the text, but the exoteric form also has an inner dimension which Shaykh al-‘Alāwī demonstrates in his commentary on Sūrah al-Najm.

Violence has long been endemic to Pakistan. In the presence of continued political instability, extremism and terrorism, the Government of Pakistan has paid little attention to the role of women in violent extremism and in the radicalisation of society. Policymakers and academics have failed to identify linkages between either the types of education available to women, the lack of justice available to a woman or the grievances woman have against the state and their role in the rise of extremism. The aim of this study is to identify women’s attitudes as either supporters or opponents of violent extremism in Pakistan. These broad themes will lead this study towards a more focused approach to identifying which types of women and which types of education contribute to the radicalisation of society. This study will investigate: How do rigid interpretations of the verses of the Quran affect the role of women in society? Does the difference between formal and informal education aid our understanding of extremism and radicalisation? What is the role of education in understanding women’s support for or opposition to extremism in Pakistan? How far does the dysfunctional judicial system in The Federally Administered Tribal Areas and in The Provincially Administered Tribal Areas help explain extremism? What influences the attitude of women towards extremism? The above questions will be examined through the lens of Feminist Securitisation theory. It will use 120 semi-structured qualitative research interviews with the GOP, key institutions, academics, formal and informal education system and the local population.

Having been influenced by the Muslim reformist ideas championed by Muhammad 'Abduh and his colleagues, Hamka attempted to disseminate and ameliorate the reform ideas in his country, Indonesia, through the means available to him; that is by preaching and writing. He was among the most prolific contemporary authors, having written 113 books including his monumental Tafsir al-Azhar. In this commentary, Hamka has probably included the sum of his ideas particularly those pertaining to religious aspects. With regards to the religious aspects, he mostly discusses the problems of theology, sufism and law. Hamka's conception of the law portrays his challenge and struggle towards the abolishment of taqlid (uncritical acceptance of the decisions made by the predecessors) and the implementation of ijtihad (personal opinion). In addition, his legal comments and interpretations are quite different from many of the comments made by sectarian commentators, who saw in tafsir a forum for defending their schools of thought. However, Hamka steered away from any school of thought and tried to be as objective as possible in his work, an attempt reflected in his method of interpreting the problematic legal verses. Moreover, he did not limit himself to a single method of interpretation. On the contrary, he availed himself of both the tafsir bi al-ma'thur method (interpretation derived from the Prophet, the Companions and the Successors) and the tafsir bi al-ra'y method (interpretation based on reason).

The Female Voices of Islam is arguing for feminism to be regarded as a theory instead of an ideology so that the voices of contemporary female Muslims can be heard. This paper reviews the arguments of four such women: Amina Wadud, Fatima Mernissi, Asra Q. Nomani, and finally Zainab al-Ghazali. Collectively their discourses support equality for men and women within the Islamic tradition, while their individual ways of approaching the subject differ dramatically. Wadud and Nomani support the theory that an egalitarian ethic can be found in the roots of the Islamic tradition, in both text and ritual. Mernissi investigates how economic evolution of Islamic society stimulates a shift in spatial boundaries for Muslim women. Al-Ghazali does not address female inequality within the tradition, but advocates an egalitarian ethic through the example she sets in Egyptian society. She is concerned with a world wide observance of “true” Islam.

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the depiction of women in Quran from an Islamic feminist perspective. The questions that my study is based on are: How is the woman accounted in the Quran according to Islamic feminists? How do Muslim feminists argue and what do they base their reasoning on? My study is based on analyzes of the feminists’ works and statements. The results were analyzed with the help of different theories including Miriam Cookes “multiple critique”, Jan Hjärpes “The Islamic basket”, Jonathan Potters “methodological relativism” and Luckman & Bergers “social construction of reality”. The main result of this study is that it highlights how different Islamic feminists interpret the Quran in relation to the present and how their interpretations have created debates internationally. I also discuss the importance of new interpretations and the globalization for Muslim women.

Our knowledge of tropical interpretation of anthropomorphic verses in the Qur'ān by Muslim theologians is very limited. We are mostly in the dark with regard to history, development and methods of tropical interpretation of these verses. The research shows that the process of interpreting anthropomorphic verses in the Qur'ān (from the 2nd /8th to the 7th/13th century focusing on the Mu'tazilites and the Ash'arites schools) is not a mere exegetical practice, rather it is a result of interaction of three disciplines: Islamic theology, Qur'ānic hermeneutics and theory of majāz. The thesis has demonstrated the importance and impact of the development of the theory of majāz on the interpretation of anthropomorphic verses given the parallel developments in Islamic theology and Qur'ānic hermeneutics. For each author studied I examined, where possible, his theological views, Qur'ānic hermeneutics and theory of majāz before analysing his interpretation of anthropomorphic verses. The development of theory of majāz from the 2nd/7th century to the time of Al-Khaṭīb al-Qazwīnī (d.739AH/1338CE) serves as a background for the subsequent chapters. In the first three centuries of Islam, the awareness of the phenomenon of majāz in its early stage provided our authors with the tool to interpret anthropomorphic verses. The Mu'tazilites emphasised the role of reason in their theology and hermeneutics. They employed and developed a theory of majāz as an effective tool in their interpretation of anthropomorphic verses and it was in the writing of al-Zamakhsharī that their interpretation reached its maturity by his use of both tropes: majāz based on kināya and takhyīl. Ash'arites's tropical interpretation of anthropomorphic verses involves a complex web of the three disciplines especially in the writings of al-Rāzī. The impact of the development of the theory of majāz can be seen in the writings of all authors discussed.

This research sets out to investigate translations of the mutashaabih (semantically indefinite), muhkam (semantically definite) and ambiguous Quranic verses, with special attention to the first category, as it is the most sensitive and controversial part of the Quran. More specifically, this thesis investigates how the uniqueness and sensitivity of mutashaabih verses are reflected in translation. The study scrutinises the distinctive features of the three verse categories to find out how these distinctive features are manifested in translational aspects such as translation problems, strategies and quality assessment. The study uses a contrastive method of analysis: It analyses and compares 25 English translations of 30 mutashaabih, 30 muhkam and 30 ambiguous verses. These three separate analyses constitute three sub-studies. The fourth and last part of the study compares and analyses these three sub-studies altogether to determine the translation problems encountered and the strategies used in each category. In addition, this fourth part also evaluates translations of each category to determine the most appropriate translation strategy for each verse category. The study shows that the verse categories under study vary significantly in their semantic features. It proves that muhkam is semantically determinate and independent, while mutashaabih is semantically indeterminate, muhkam-dependent, uncertain and encompasses a multiplicity of meanings. Between these two opposites, ambiguity stands as relatively indeterminate, muhkam-dependent, relatively uncertain and denoting a limited multiplicity of meaning. As a result, muhkam is found to fall under the unmarked category, while mutashaabih is the most marked and ambiguity is positioned between the two. In terms of theory and practice, this markedness continuum manifests itself in translation problems, strategies and quality assessment. Hence, it is concluded that muhkam is the least problematic and demanding, with the highest success rates among the translations studied; mutashaabih is the most problematic and demanding, with the lowest rates of successful translation outcomes; and ambiguous Quranic verses occupy a middle position between mutashaabih and muhkam.

Arabic text. Arabic summary and keywords cannot be copied into meta data fields
The importance of this research is evident from the field related to it; namely, that of reports about circumstances for Qur’anic revelations. Without a comprehensive knowledge of it, many of the subtleties and nuances of Qur’anic discourse remain concealed from us. For this purpose, I used al-Suyuti’s "Lubab al-Nuqul fi Asbab al-Nuzul" for the pivotal and comprehensive role it occupies among works dealing with this discipline. Briefly, my methodology was the following: I first presented a summary of the author’s biography. Secondly, I edited the manuscript I had obtained of this book from the King Faisal Library in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Thirdly, I made comparisons between this version and numerous printed versions of this book in order to verify the authenticity of textual information I presented in this thesis by categorising Prophetic and other reports at the levels of their soundness and weakness so that the reader may obtain a firm insight into their status levels. Fourthly, I amended reports that al-Suyuti had omitted in relation to verses he had cited. Fifthly, I graded different reports on a topic according to established criteria in this subject; often reconciling them where it was possible. I interpreted verses in their general purport by indicating that the report/s relating to the circumstances for revelation was/were already embodied in their signification. I only deviated from this norm where I found that a body of reliable scholars had given preference to a particular report vis-à-vis a certain verse; in which case I adopted their opinion. Sixthly, I attached brief commentaries to relevant verses to enable the reader to gain a more comprehensive grasp of text within its context. Finally, I defined some peculiar terminology found in this book for the benefit of unfamiliar researchers.
Religious Studies and Arabic
D. Litt. et Phil. (Islamic Studies)

The importance of the Qur'an can be gauged from the fact that it was the first book which Muslim scholars concerned themselves with and by virtue of the belief of Muslims in general that it is the verbatim Word of Alllih culminated in their associating utmost reverence to the Qur'an in its written form and oral recitation. Thus, it is for this very reason that great concern was directed to the correct reading and pronunciation of the Arabic Qur'anic text Moreover, in view of the fact that there were several Arabic dialects and no declensions were at that time assigned to the text of the Qur'an, scholars of the Qur'an found it imperative to assign correct reading and recitation of the Arabic text of the Qur'an. Scholars before al-JazarI's time assigned several rules for the correct rendering of the Qur' anic recitation. This was necessary because incorrect reading, recitation and pronunciation of the text of the Qur'an could result in changing the meaning of the text thus nullifying what was originally intended. , lmiim lbn al-Jazari's main contribution in this field is that after surveying the previous works on the subject, further refined and articulated the discipline of reading and recitation of the Qur'an. Hence, lmiim lbn al-Jazarf's works on this important discipline made an everlasting impact ,on the later history of discipline of the recitation of the Qur'an. Several of Imdm lbn al-Jazarf's works were published and there are still several of them which have been preserved in manuscript forms in various libraries throughout the 2 Muslim world, suchas in Turkey, Syria, Iran andEgypt Thesemanuscripts are not easily accessible to the general publicin our present times. The objectives of this studyare to: 1. trace the origin and development of 'ilm al-Qirli'at (the Science of Qur'anic Recitation); 2. give an account of the life ofImam Ibn al-Jazarf; 3. survey the worksImdm Ibn al-Jazari; and 4. to examine and evaluate the contributions of lmiim Ibn al-Jazari on later scholars/works.
Thesis (Ph.D)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The present study covers the causes of victory and defeat in the light of chapter eight of the Holy Qur'an. It has been prompted by the current situation facing Muslims in many parts of the world, which is characterized by despair, reversals and loss, This study is thus reflexive in nature. In order to obtain a satisfactory response to this predicament, the relevant text in addition to several of its commentaries were scrutinized. The latter search remained unsatisfactory since their focus of inquiry was merely exegetical and failed to reveal any didactic element, which is crucial for obtaining guidance. This work has successfully managed to deduce this aspect from the text which amplifies the importance of extensive sacrifice for gaining glory.
Religious Studies and Arabic
M.A. (Islamic studies)