Contemporary Perspectives on Revelation and Qu’ranic Hermeneutics : An Analysis of Four Discourses

Abstract

Expounds the ideas of four modern Islamic scholars who challenge the traditional theory of revelation

• Focuses on three main themes: (1) Qur’anic socio-legal provisions ( ahkām); (2) religious pluralism; and (3) political discourses, especially the concepts of governance, shūra (consultation) and democracy

• On a theoretical level, it aims to identify whether there exist any larger hermeneutical tendencies that characterize the interpretive methods of the four scholars

• On a practical level, it examines specific themes drawn from each scholar’s work to discover how they fit with his larger hermeneutical principles and his account of revelation

• Examines how various aspects of each scholar’s theory correspond to pre-modern and modern Muslim and non-Muslim scholars’ accounts of revelation

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’anic 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.