2014-08-04
Reviewed by: Ml. Ashraf Dockrat on Radio Islam – 05 August 2014
No of pages: (160)
Price: (R330.00)
EBook: (None)
Genre: Commentary on approaches to the Holy Quran/Translations
Synopsis:
This book examines the way the Qur’an has been interpreted in the twenty and 21st centuries. Modern Qur’anic commentators may be grouped into a few categories. The author groups, who he identifies as prominent Qur’anic scholars, into one of these categories and then drawing on their works identifies the main features of the approach adopted by the exegete.
His introduction is titled “The Qur’an and Praxis”. Here he tries to identify some of the factors which have influenced modern Qur’anic interpretation such as secularism and the political situation in Muslim countries. The first chapter is devoted to Salafi commentary, traditionalist commentary and “Scientific” commentary. Salafi scholars are those who did not heed the importance of taqlid such as Rashid Rida and Muhammad Abdu. He identifies the Shi’i Allama Sayyid Muhammad Hussain Tabataba’i. and the Sunni Tunisian Muhammad Tahir Ibn Ashur as representative of traditionalist commentary. Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut can also be regarded as a traditionalist and so can Muhammad al-Ghazali although their methods differ considerably. “Scientific” commentary is controversial with many who reject any kind of connection between science and Qur’an.
Six other approaches to the Qur’an may be identified: those who regard the Qur’an as literature; scholars who question the classical approach to the historicity of the Qur’an; those who have embarked on a thematic study of the Qur’an; scholars who emphasized the concept of nazm; “Muslim” liberation theologians and radical exegetes. In an appendix this book looks briefly at trends in Indonesia and Turkey.
The author, Massimo Campanini is Professor of History of the Arab Countries at the Oriental University in Naples.
This book is important and essential reading for those interested in how Muslims have understood the Qur’an in the contemporary period and how reliable or not the broad range of interpretations in the genre of “Tafsir” (Qur’an exegesis) are.
Published by: Routledge (2010)
Available from: Most bookstores / Amazon
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