The basic intention of 河顎姻a稼ic exegesis (岳温韓壊朝姻) is to understand what the text of the Qur’an means. Before attempting to understand anything of the 河顎姻a稼ic worldview, its theology and ethical values, there is a need for exegetes to engage with the individual words found in the 河顎姻a稼Muslims believe that the Holy 河顎姻a稼 contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and Medina over a period of 23 years in the early 7th century CE. More itself. Yet, exegetes and translators, whether medieval or modern, have different theological perspectives, which influence how they do this. Many modern scholars have recognised that lexicology plays an important part in exegesis, but there are few studies of how exegetes use it to develop their interpretations of the 河顎姻a稼 or that address lexicology in 河顎姻a稼ic exegesis in any depth. This volume of essays addresses this gap in the scholarship.
The Meaning of the Word provides an overview of the development of lexicological analysis in the 岳温韓壊朝姻 tradition, and examines how exegetes interpreted words in the 河顎姻a稼. The contributions reflect on lexicology in 河顎姻a稼ic exegesis through studies of a wide range of subjects, from linguistics to literary criticism, and law and gender to mysticism; from examinations of the issue of lexicology in the Arab, Persian and Turkish worlds to its examination in the European world; and from studies of the earliest discussions of 河顎姻a稼ic lexica to those made in twentieth-century Turkey and recent English translations of the Qur’an. This volume will become a subject-specific reference volume for anyone working on the interpretation of the 河顎姻a稼, but also in Islamic Studies and the wider field of Religious Studies.
Notes on Contributors
Note on Transliteration, Conventions and Abbreviations
Preface
1. Introduction: Words, Hermeneutics, and the Construction of Meaning, S.R. Burge
Section I: Lexicology and the Formative Period of 河顎姻a稼ic Exegesis
2. In Search of Meaning: Lexical Explanation in Early 河顎姻a稼ic Commentaries, Kees Versteegh
3. Lexicological Hadith and the School of Ibn 平Abbs, Herbert Berg
4. The Interpretation of Three 河顎姻a稼ic Terms (皆庄霞偵鞄味温, 畍i一馨温 and 畊i糸糸朝援) of Special Interest to the Early Renunciants, Christopher Melchert
Section II: Lexical Methodologies in Action: Four Case Studies
5. The Use of Lexicography in the Great 河顎姻a稼ic Commentary of al-Wh味id朝 (d. 468/1076), Claude Gilliot
6. Authority and the Defence of Readings in Medieval 河顎姻a稼ic Exegesis: Lexicology and the Case of Falaq (Q. 113:1), S.R. Burge
7. Poetic Licence and the 河顎姻a稼ic Names of Hell: The Treatment of Cognate Substitution in al-Rghib al-I畊fahn朝s 河顎姻a稼ic Lexicon, Devin Stewart
8. Paradoxes in Shahrastn朝s Lexicological Methodology, Toby Mayer
Section III: Words, Interpretation and Legal Disputes
9. From 河顎姻a稼 to Fiqh: Sunni and Shii 意温韓壊朝姻 on the Inheritance Verses and the Named Cases (al-Mas幣il al-Mulaqqaba), Agostino Cilardo
10. Marital Discord in 河顎姻a稼ic Exegesis: A Lexical Analysis of Husbandly and Wifely 鰻顎壊鞄笛噛 in Q. 4:34 and Q. 4:128, Ayesha S. Chaudhry
11. The Optional Ramadan Fast: Debating Q. 2:184 in the Early Turkish Republic, M. Brett Wilson
Section IV: The Word in Translation: Medieval and Modern Disputes
12. The 酷偵岳庄畍a of Salmn al-Fris朝 and the Modern Controversy over Translating the 河顎姻a稼, Travis Zadeh
13. The 河顎姻a稼 Today: Translating the Translatable, Stefan Wild
Bibliography
Index of 河顎姻a稼ic Citations
Index of 河顎姻a稼ic Words and Phrases
General Index
In this volume, a fascinating array of subject areas, including theology, mysticism, the linguistic sciences, literary criticism, law and translation, provides the thematic backdrop against which key aspects of classical exegetical discourses are gauged and contextualized.
Mustafa Shah, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
This volume of essays, dealing with how Muslims have grappled with issues of meaning in the 河顎姻a稼 through lexicography and translation through the centuries, brings together some excellent research and penetrating analysis. It provides a valuable contribution to the discipline.
Andrew Rippin, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria, Canada
Stephen R. Burge is a Research Associate at 今叔利, London. He completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2009, and has since published this as Angels in Islam: Jall al-D朝n al-Suy笛畊朝s al-畍ab幣ik f朝 akhbr al-mal幣ik (London, 2012). More recently, he has focused his attention on 河顎姻a稼ic exegesis, particularly Suyu畊is main exegetical work, al-Durr al-manthur fil 岳温韓壊朝姻 bil-ma幣thur. He is also working on an edition of the Anthology of 河顎姻a稼ic Commentaries on the Pillars of Islam.