Contemporary Perspectives On Revelation And Qur'anic Hermeneutics: An Analysis Of Four Discourses

Description

A number of innovative hermeneutical approaches emerged in Muslim exegetical discourse in the second half of the 20th century. Among these developments is a trend of systematic reform theology that emphasises a humanistic approach, whereby revelation is understood to be dependent not only upon its initiator, God, but also upon its recipient, Prophet Muhammad, who takes an active role in the process. Ali Akbar examines the works of four noted scholars of Islam: Fazlur Rahman (Pakistan), Abdolkarim Soroush (Iran), Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (Iran) and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (Egypt). His study shows that the consequences of taking a humanistic approach to understanding revelation are not confined to the realm of speculation about God human relations, but also to interpreting Qur ?nic socio-political precepts. And the four scholars emerge as a distinctive group of Muslim thinkers who open up a new horizon in contemporary Islamic discourse.

About the Author

Ali Akbar is a Research Fellow at Deakin University and at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include Middle Eastern and Iranian Politics, Modern Islamic Thought, classical and contemporary Qur anic hermeneutics and Islamic Feminism. His work appeared in a number of key journals, including Middle Eastern Studies, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, and Islamic Quarterly. He is the author The Political Discourse of Decline and Backwardness among Contemporary Iranian Intellectuals (Farzan-e Rooz, 2017), written and published in Persian, and co-author of Contemporary Approaches to the Qur?an and Its Interpretation in Iran (Routledge, 2019).