The Study of the Qur’an

In the late Second and early Third Meccan periods we can notice the standardization of certain residually oral techniques which point towards the abstract but remain grounded in the sensory. These are signs (āyāt), parables (amthāl), and types. They are each gentle nods to the abstract: the literate mind’s inclination to think in generic terms. Using previous studies of Quranic typology in concert with the classical studies of orality and literary, this paper concludes that the developments in style in this Middle Quranic moment are tied to the three primary uses of writing in the Quran’s milieu: homily, coinage, and biblical lore.

In many books and manuals that teach the art of Qur’ānic recitation *tajwīd*, there is a section dedicated to *waqf* (lit. pause) and *ibtidā’* (beginning or resumption of recitation). The rules that govern where to pause in the recitation were first developed by grammarians and later incorporated into tajwīd books.

The paper provides a critical analysis of the traditional methodology of pausing within and between verses of the Qur’ān. This methodology is based on the degree of semantic and grammatical correlation between the phrase that precedes the intended pause and the one that follows. If the correlation is strong, pausing is not recommended. I explain in the paper how this methodology is presented in the symbols that are printed in today’s Qur’ans.     

I conclude that the Qur’ān’s own system of rhymed verse endings in each chapter defies the methodology of grammarians, since the latter does not consider the rhetorical purposes of pausing, which can greatly contribute to the contemplation of the meanings of verses.

This paper explores the question of what defines old age by examining the Qur’an and early Muslim sources. The Qur’an does not determine when old age begins, nor does it clarify whether it represents a natural progression in human development, a separate stage of life created by God, or a diseased aberration. Considering this ambiguity, my paper investigates how premodern Muslim physicians, exegetes, jurists, and others marked certain bodies as old, and attempted to address the uncertainties and traumas associated with this "vilest state of life" (Q 22:5). The study concludes that early Muslim sources promoted positive trajectories of aging by fashioning more stable bodies, ideal behaviors, and coherent selves to counter the abhorrent chaos and decline that accompanied old age. With no standard, collective support for the elderly, such efforts generated more expedient forms of care for those languishing in that liminal stage between maturity and death.

Many Muslim traditions interpret Q. 9:111 as sanctioning violence, speaking of a transaction: God purchases from the believers their selves and money in return for heaven, and claiming that this is sanctioned in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an. The verse is compared with rabbinic commentary on the *Shemaʿ*, which interprets ‘with all your soul (self)’ as ‘unto death and martyrdom’, and ‘with all your strength’ as ‘with all your money’. This is also echoed in the Gospels’ narratives that describe the cost of discipleship, in which Jesus’s followers need to deny themselves, carry their crosses, sell all their possessions to give to the poor, and lose their lives for Jesus’s sake. Understanding the possible subtexts the Qur’an attempts to allude to, it becomes more evident that the Qur’an is likely discussing a spiritual struggle or a submissive role in losing their lives for the sake of God.

This paper draws attention to striking similarities between Sūrat al-Māʾidah and the “Constitution of Medina,” a pact made between the Prophet’s followers (the Believers) and various Jewish groups of Yathrib. The parties to the Constitution were to pay towards the war effort against Quraysh, participate in the defense of Yathrib, renounce violence against each other, and exact revenge against murderers. Al-Māʾidah accuses many of the Jews of misdeeds that correspond to these “constitutional” commitments. These Jews have not lent God “a good loan” (v. 12), have not supported the Prophet (v. 12), have not shown due regard for the gravity of murder (vv. 27–32), and do not accept the law of retaliation (vv. 41–45). Al-Māʾidah proceeds to advise the Believers not to take Jews or Christians as allies (v. 51). Therefore, the surah could have served to end the alliance enshrined in the Constitution.