Qur'anic Hermeneutics: Between Science, History, and the Bible

Description

This book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Qur'anic Hermeneutics argues for the importance of understanding the polysemous nature of the words in the Qur'an and outlines a new method of Qur'anic exegesis called intertextual polysemy. By interweaving science, history and religious studies, Abdulla Galadari introduces a linguistic approach which draws on neuropsychology. This book features examples of intertextual polysemy within the Qur'an, as well as between the Qur'an and the Bible. It provides examples that intimately engage with Christological concepts of the Gospels, in addition to examples of allegorical interpretation through inner-Qur'anic allusions. Galadari reveals how new creative insights are possible, and argues that the Qur'an did not come to denounce the Gospel-which is one of the stumbling blocks between Islam and Christianity-but only to interpret it in its own words.

Abdulla Galadari is Assistant Professor at Khalifa University of Science & Technology, United Arab Emirates. He is also a Research Fellow at Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, Scotland.

Here is a Muslim voice that will surprise many with what it has to say about the Qur'an and the Bible. Displaying an impressive familiarity with a wide array of scholarship and sources, Abdulla Galadari proposes bold and provocative interpretations of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic texts that will delight some and disturb others. This book opens up exciting new ways of thinking about the relationships among the monotheistic traditions. * John Kaltner, Virginia Ballou McGehee Professor of Muslim-Christian Relations, Rhodes College, USA * This is a learned reading of the Qur'an in its Near Eastern environment. It is a welcome addition to the literature on the Qur'an. * Walid Ahmad Saleh, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, Canada * Galadari brings a unique voice to Qur'anic exegesis. He combines a thorough knowledge of the Arabic language with a mastery of the cognate language of Hebrew, which leads him to make less obvious and yet dramatic connections that provide a key to novel interpretations of familiar texts. His controversial views are sure to inspire fruitful debate. * David Penchansky, Professor of Hebrew Bible, University of St. Thomas, USA *