The Quran

Business stuff

• ID’s & Test format?• New Reading for Tues: Herodotus• Error!: Last class I messed up a

Quranic verse:Read in the name of thy Lord who createdCreated man from a clot of bloodRead for thy Lord is most bountifulWho taught by the penWho taught man what he did not know.

The History of the Text • A History told by Muslims• Revealed Piecemeal from 610-632• Compilation

– Written down or memorized by Muslims during the lifetime of Muhammad

– 632 Abu Bakr orders a comprehensive copy made, held by Hafsa, daughter of ‘Umar

– ‘Uthmanic text: disagreements lead ‘Uthman to order one consonantal text in 650 (on camel parchment). Oldest full test of Quran comes from the mid 900’s

• An Oral Text/ the Arabic Script: – Consonants not dotted example– Consonants not vowelled example– At least 10 well-known ‘readings’ of the Quran

Other Theories?

• Archaic Material, Later Compilation: the Quran addresses Near Eastern audience, so is it from the post-conquest period… how did it escape the civil wars?

Page from a Quran from the 1st Islamic century/

7th Century CE

Quran as a Book• Types of material:

– Hortatory/didactic: believe, do good deeds, fear God, beware the Day of Judgment, obey God and his Prophet

– Narrative: tales of Moses, Abraham, Noah, Salih– Predictive/Eschatological: fate of believers and

unbelievers, creation and end of the world– Polemical: claims of Muhammad’s opponents, the

failings of the ‘People of the Book’– Doctrinal: the nature of God– Legal: less than 500 verses deal with law and ritual

• Structure of Quran:– Not a continuous narrative– Contextual ‘azbab al-nuzul = occasions of revelation’– Ellipticalism: assumes audience knowledge – Person: God as beyond language… ‘He’, ‘I’ ‘We’ and ‘God’

• Good for all time?

Themes

•Tawhid: worship of God alone Vs. Shirk: assigning partners to God ex.

•Knowledge (‘ilm) vs. Speculation ex.

•History and Nature testify to the Message ex.

Quran as Source

• The Quran is the “first source (al-asl al-awwal)” of Islamic law and dogma.

• A Genre of Quranic Exegesis: Tafseer

Quran as Sacred Object

• ‘The Book/Kitab’: the “Preserved Tablet” with God, the Quran as earthly manifestation

• Ijaz of the Quran: inimitability c. 850• Sacred Art: calligraphic tradition• Recitation and Reading: the Holy

word brought to life• Talisman

Quran in Kufic script from the 700’s CE

Quran dated 641 AH / 1243 CE

Quran dated 1341 CE

Quran from Andalusia (Spain)

From the 1100’s CE

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Quran shirt from Mughal India (1500’s -1800’s)

For the rich only!

Quranic Recitation

• Saudi Style

• Shaykh al-Husary (Egypt)

• Woman reciter

• South Asian reciter

• Recitation session in Pakistan

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Friday Question

What is the nature of the Prophet’s authority during his

life, and how do people perceive it after his death?

Undotted Consonants

• house بيت• daughter بنت• strong ثبت

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Unvowelled Consonants

M-L-KMulk – dominionMilk – property

Malik – KingMalak – Angel

Malaka – he ownedMulika – it was owned

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Tawhid vs. Shirk• “Have you not seen those people who make

their fancies and desires their god…”

• “Say ‘Indeed my Lord had guided me to a straight path, the correct religion and way of Abraham the Hanif, he was not one of those who associated partners with God.’ Say, ‘Indeed my prayers, devotions, living and dying are for God, Lord of the all the worlds. He has no partner. This is what has been ordained for me, and I am the foremost of those who submit to God (muslim).” (6:161-62)

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Knowledge (‘Ilm) vs. Speculation

• “They say, ‘All there is is the life of this world, we die and we live, and all that destroys us is time (dahr).’ But they do not have any knowledge (‘ilm) of that, indeed they do but speculate.” (46:24)

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History and Reality Bear Witness

• “Have you not seen the ship running through the waters by the blessing of God to show you evidence from his signs, indeed in that there are signs for all those who persevere and are grateful.” 31:31-32

• “Will they not voyage across the earth and see the fate of those who came before?” (12:109)

• The Star back

By Time

• By time, indeed mankind is surely in loss…

• Except those who believe and do good deeds…

• And enjoin upon one another the truth…

• And enjoin one another to persevere.

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Chapter of Purity

•Say He is the One God.•The God ever sought after.•He does not beget, nor is he

begotten.•And there is nothing

comparable to Him.

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Abraham’s DiscoveryAnd so We showed Abraham the dominion of the

Heavens and the Earth so that he might be one of those possessed of certainty. And when night fell, he saw a heavenly body and said, “This is my Lord,” but when it set he said, “Verily I do not love things that disappear.” So when he saw the moon rising he said, “This is my Lord,” but when it set he said, “Verily, if my Lord does not guide me then I shall be one of those astray.” When the sun rose he said, “This is my Lord, this is most great,” and when it set he said, “O my people, indeed I am free of that which you associate as a partner with God, I have turned my face to Him that created the Heavens and the Earth in pure worship (hanifan), and I am not one of those who attributes partners to God.” 6:75-79 back

Dealing With Enemies

“God has not forbidden you from being goodly towards or dealing justly with those who have not driven you from your homes or fought you in your religion. Indeed God loves those who deal justly. Rather, God has only barred you from taking as friends those who have driven you from your homes, assisted in this, or fought you in your religion. And whoever takes them as friends, they surely are among the wrongdoers.” 60:8-9 back

Heaven and Hell

Indeed those who do not look towards meeting Us and are content with the earthy life, sure of it, those who are heedless of Our signs, their abode is Hellfire, recompense for what they earned. But those who believed and did good deeds, God guides them by their faith. Rivers will run beneath them in gardens of blessing. Their call there will be ‘Most glorious is God,’ and they will be greeted with ‘Peace!’, and they will finally call out ‘Indeed, praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds.” 10:7-10 back