The Qur'an in South Asia: Hermeneutics, Qur'an Projects, and Imaginings of Islamic Tradition in British India

The book investigates modern Quran commentaries in South Asia and challenges the assumption of an all-pervasive reform and revivalism underlying the academic study of Islam. It emphasizes the study of modern Quran commentaries in local and cosmopolitan contexts and discovers how Muslim scholars viewed themselves in relation to the Islamic tradition.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book delves into the examination of modern Quran commentaries in South Asia, engaging with the ways in which Muslim scholars have envisioned and evaluated their intellectual heritage. With a specific focus on British India from the Mutiny of 1857 to the Partition of united India in 1947, the research aims to provide a critical analysis of Muslim exegesis of the Quran in North India. It particularly emphasizes the Quranic thought of prominent figures such as Sayyid Ahmed Khan (d. 1989), Ashraf Ali Thanawi (d. 1943), and Hamid al-Din Farahi (d. 1930). The volume challenges prevalent notions of an overarching reform and revivalism underlying the academic study of Islam. Instead of seeking revivalism and reform as epistemological foundations, it emphasizes the study of modern Quran commentaries, particularly in local and cosmopolitan contexts. Moving beyond the oft-repeated explanations of Muslim scholarship and modern Islam through the lenses of traditionalism and modernism, the book uncovers how Muslim scholars perceived themselves in relation to the Islamic tradition and how they imagined and assessed their past intellectual heritage.

Studying the historical interpretation of the Quran in the diverse contexts of nineteenth and early twentieth-century British India, the book holds appeal to readers interested in Quranic studies, modern Islam, and South Asian studies.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032027913