When God Demands War: The Aesthetics of Violence in the Qurʾān

My paper explores the aesthetic dimensions of Qurʾānic passages that describe, sanction, or call for violence. Seen as problematic today, such passages are often ignored, explained away, or reduced to their historical contingency. The idea that they bear any aesthetic value seems ineffable, which conflicts, however, with the Islamic tenet of iʿjāz (the Qurʾān’s inimitability) that has mostly been defined in aesthetic terms. Scrutinizing our preconceived notions regarding religion and violence, on the other hand, helps shed new light on these passages. Reading violence-related verses diachronically with an open mind reveals their hermeneutic depth and aesthetic value. A non-teleological approach that embeds those passages in the greater narrative of the emerging Muslim community without presupposing their victory opens new avenues to appreciating them aesthetically and theologically. I argue that violence in the Qurʾān serves a particular aesthetic-ethical purpose, that is, to urge believers to critical self-reflection and God-consciousness.