Description
Book SynopsisIslam is frequently characterized as a 'religion of the book,' and yet Muslims take an almost entirely oral approach to their scripture. This book presents a semantic analysis of its self-awareness, arguing that the Qur'an understands itself not so much as a completed book, but as an ongoing process of divine 'writing' and 're-writing'.
Trade Review"Madigan presents a welcome overview of modern Qur'an scholarship."--Choice "This is a well-researched and carefully thought out book on the highly complex issue of the Qur'an's self-referential terms to its own status as Scripture. Particularly illuminating are Daniel Madigan's clear and profound engagements with the semantic content of key Qur'anic words... [T]here is much food for thought here."--Ama Afsaruddin, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences
Table of ContentsList of Figures ix List of Tables ix Preface xi A Note for the Non-Arabist xiii Table of Transliterations and Abbreviations xv Introduction 3 1.The Qur'an as a Book 13 2.The Qur'an's Rejection of Some Common Conceptions of Kitab 53 3.Semantic Analysis and the Understanding of Kitab 79 4.The Semantic Field Kitab I: Verbal Uses of the Root K-T-B 107 5.The Semantic Field of Kitab II: Titles and Process 125 6.The Semantic Field of Kitab III: Synonyms and Attributes 145 7.The Elusiveness of the Kitab: Plurals, Partitives, and Indefinites 167 8.The Continuing Life of the Kitab in Muslim Tradition 181 Appendix: The People of the Kitab 193 Index of Qur'anic Quotations 229 General Index 235
