Cette rubrique informe les lecteurs des derniers événements qui marquent la recherche consacrée au Coran. Augmentée très régulièrement au gré des nouvelles informations collectées, la rubrique se décline en cinq parties qui présentent :

 les dernières publications en langue latine (anglais, francais, allemand),

 les colloques passés et à venir (avec leurs liens internet),

 les séminaires et les thèmes étudiés,

 les programmes de recherche,

 les nouveaux sites internet.

Tafsîr. The Evolution of a Genre in the Framework of Islamic Intellectual History (15-17 September 2010, Berlin)

Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Islamwissenschaft

The study of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr) has long been primarily considered to be an auxiliary science to the study of the Qur’an. Exegetical works have for a long time been utilized in Islamic stud-ies to understand the Qur’anic text and to study how Muslims at different times understood it. However, the study of the methods and premises of tafsir, its history and changes in the course of time, and its place in the framework of Islamic intellectual history has so far largely been neglected. The conference aims at filling this gap and at establishing the study of Qur’anic exegesis as a discrete and independent field of study. To this end, the conference brings together renowned scholars of Qur’anic exegesis from different countries of the Middle East, Europe and America, and young scholars who have worked on different aspects of tafsīr. The conference wishes to stimulate discussion, debate and research on all aspects of the study of Qur’anic exegesis. It also aims at initiating exchange and cooperation between scholars to outline the framework of this field of study. The conference will include papers on a variety of topics, including, among others, exegetical methods, the study of individual exegetes and their works, the problems of classification of different genres within tafsīr, and the formation and evolution of Qur’anic exegesis from its beginning to modern times. The conference papers will be published in an anthology.

Programme "Tafsîr. The Evolution of a Genre in the Framework of Islamic Intellectual History" (15-17 Septembre 2010)

Programme

Opening Ceremony 9.00 h

Opening of the Conference

9.15 h

Presentation of the Corpus Coranicum Project

Unit I : The Genesis of Tafsir 09.45 h

Claude Gilliot (Aix-en-Provence) : Mujāhid’s exegesis. Beginnings, ways of transmission and development of a Meccan exegetical tradition in its human, spiritual and theological environment

10.30 h

Roberto Tottoli (Naples) : The tafsir of Mālik ibn Anas : Exegesis from the Muwatta’ to Qur’ānic commentaries

11.15 h

Coffee break

11.45 h

Nicolai Sinai (Potsdam) : The Qur’anic Commentary of Muqātil b. Sulaimān and the Evolution of Early Tafsīr Literature

12.30 h

Catherine Bronson (Chicago) : The Eve of Islamic Exegesis : Imagining the First Woman in Formative Tafsīr

13.15 h

Lunch break

Unit II : Methods and Aims of Tafsir works 14.45 h

Karen Bauer (London) : The Means Justify the Ends : Introductions to works of tafsīr in the 10th – 12th centuries

15.30 h

Rebecca Sauer (Köln) : The development of the term buġāt (Q 49:9) from Ṭabarī (d. 923) to Ibn Kaṯīr (d.1373) – an analysis of classical Qurʾān commentaries

20.00 h

Dinner

Thursday, Sept 16

Venue :

Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Jägerstraße 22/23

10117 Berlin

9.15 h

Bruce Fudge (Columbus, Ohio) : Words, Meaning and Method in the Majmaʿ al-bayān of al-Ṭabrisī

10.00 h

Rotraud Wielandt (Bamberg) : [A New Rationality in Exegesis ? The Qur’anic Commentary of Muḥammad ʿĀbid al-Jābirī]

10.45 h

Coffee break

11.15 h

Kathrin Eith (Halle) : Yaşar Nuri Öztürk – a contemporary Turkish tafsīr theorist

Unit III : Localisation and Globalisation of Tafsir

12.00 h

Andreas Görke (Kiel) : The Expansion of a Genre : Scholarly exegesis, lay exegesis, and the internet

12.45 h

Lunch break

14.00 h

Andrew Rippin (Victoria/Canada) : The translation of tafsīr : Techniques, aims and audience

14.45. h

Andrea Brigaglia (Cape Town) : Tafsir Studies and the Intellectual History of Islam in West Africa

15.30 h

Coffee break

Unit IV : Debating Categories and Premises of Tafsir Scholarship I : Mystical Exegesis as a Sub-Genre ? 16.00 h

Jamal S. Elias (Philadelphia) : Sufi Tafsir and the Qur’an as a Colony Text 16.45 h

Feras Hamza (Dubai) : Feras Hamza (Dubai) : [Kāshānī, Sufi tafsir and the taxonomy of tafsir]

Friday, Sept 17

Venue :

Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Jägerstraße 22/23

10117 Berlin

Unit V : Reflection of Theological and Sectarian Concerns in Qur’anic Commentaries 9.15 h

İsmail Albayrak (Melbourne) : The other among us : A general evaluation of Kharijite (and Ibadite) perception in Muslim exegetical tradition

10.00 h

Nader Hammami (Tunis) : The Qur’ānic commentary of al-Qummī (d. 919 or later) and the emergence of early Imamite identity

10.45 h

Coffee break

11.15 h

Abdessamad Belhaj (Budapest) : Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar’s “Great Commentary” (al-Tafsir al-kabir)

12.00 h

Tariq Jaffer (Amherst, MA) : Mu‘tazilite aspects of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s (d. 1210) Qur’ān commentary

12.45 h

Lunch break

14.15 h

Johanna Pink (Berlin) : What constitutes a Salafī tafsīr ? Reflections on ideological trajectories and the role of tradition

Unit VI : Debating Categories and Premises of Tafsir Scholarship II 15.00 h

Walid Saleh (Toronto) : “The Famous Unknown.” Al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) and his Qur’an Commentary “Ta’wīlāt ahl al-Sunnah”

15.45 h

Coffee break

16.15 h

Final discussion

(Je remercie vivement Omar Ali-de-Unzaga de nous avoir signalés cette conférence)

Contact : Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Islamwissenschaft, PD Dr. Johanna Pink, Altensteinstr. 40, 14195 Berlin, Germany, phone : +49 (0)30-600-57291, fax : +49 (0)30-838- 52830,

(Source : http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e…)

(Je remercie vivement le Professeur Omar Ali-de-Unzaga de nous avoir signalés cette conférence)

THE MEANING OF THE WORD : LEXICOLOGY AND TAFSIR

The Institute of Ismaili Studies

October 2010

Overview

Building on the successful Tafsir Workshop run by Karen Bauer at the American Academy of Religion conference in Chicago 2008, this workshop will explore how exegetes approach the meanings of individual words in the Qur’an, and debate how religious beliefs are informed by discussions of lexicology. It will bring a number of scholars together with wide-ranging expertise and is open for all to attend. The workshop is part of the Institute’s commitment to promote scholarship in Qur’anic and Tafsir Studies.

Workshop Objectives

One of the most common exegetical tools in the interpretation of the Qur’an is the explanation of single words (i.e. lexicology, lugha, ‘ilm al-lugha). The basic intention of tafsir is to understand what the text actually means. Whilst lexicology is frequently regarded as playing a crucial part in the interpretation of the Qur’an, there are few studies of how exegetes approach these questions. The workshop will focus on two particular areas of lexicology in exegesis. Firstly, it will explore the interplay between the development of theological, legal and mystical ideas and the interpretation of individual words. Secondly, the workshop will also consider the methodologies that exegetes employ when dealing with questions of lexicology. A further aim is to understand the relationship between the ways in which words are interpreted in and outside of tafsir.

Qur’anic Studies has benefited from a great number of studies discussing what the words in Qur’anic text mean, particularly in the field of comparative Semitic philology and such studies have been a staple of Western scholarship on the Qur’an. Yet, there have been very few considerations of how the interpretive tradition engaged with lexicological problems themselves. Is there an established methodology in the way in which exegetes deal with lexicology ? To what extent did Arabic linguistics and lexicography influence exegesis ? How are discussions of individual words used in theological debates ? Issues of kalam, Sunni-Shi’i disputes, jurisprudence, gender issues and mysticism often rely on words in the Qur’an, their meaning and their interpretation. Comparative philologists often focus entirely on the meaning of words in the Qur’an in its own historical context – such studies are of great benefit to studies of the Qur’an, but it is just as important and interesting to explore how Muslim exegetes engaged with these same words, and how words were interpreted by different people, schools and faith communities.

Many scholars recognise that lexicology plays an important part in exegesis and this workshop, bringing together scholars in the field of tafsir, will enable these ideas to be discussed and debated in detail.

Themes for Disussion

The workshop will have two panels, one looking at how exegetes approach questions of lexicology and the other exploring the way in which lexicology informs, or is informed by, religious beliefs and hermeneutics such as law, kalam, philosophy, gender and mysticism. Each panel will have four/five speakers, with speakers presenting short conference papers, followed by wider discussion by all present.

Panel 1 : Lexicology and Doctrine

The first theme of the workshop will explore the role of lexicology in specific reflections on the Qur’anic text. The aim is to understand how exegetes use the meanings and interpretations of words to support theological worldviews. Areas for discussion include : Case studies of individual exegetes Comparative approaches with individual schools or disciplines Comparative of approaches to lexicology in a specific field in and outside tafsir Law, theology, philosophy, Sufism and Shi‘ism are areas that would benefit from an understanding of how the language of the Qur’an and the use of lexicology is used to inform these debates.

Panel 2 : Approaching Lexicology : Questions of Methodology

The second theme of the workshop will be a discussion of how exegetes approach the interpretation of words from a methodological perspective. The aim of this panel is to understand the methodologies of different exegetes, consider questions that arise from these methodologies and to place discussions of lexicology in a wider context. Areas for discussion include : Methods of lexicology in and outside of exegesis Lexicography, Linguistics and Exegesis The use of Poetry in Exegesis Individual Case Studies

Programme

Atlanta, Friday 29 October 2010

9.30am – 2.00pm

Venue : Marriot Marquis – International 5

9.20 Opening Remarks

9.30 Panel 1 : Word, Meanings and Interpretation (Chair : TBA)

* Jamal Ali (Hunter College, City University of New York)

The Word ‘Word’ : Abu Hatim al-Razi and a Never-Ending Debate about Kalima

* Ayesha S. Chaudhry (Colgate University)

Lexical Definitions of Nushuz in Qurʾanic Exegesis

* Brett Wilson (Macalester College)

Lexicography and Turkish Renderings of the Qurʾan 11.00 Coffee Break

11.15 Panel 2 : Hermeneutics and the Development of Lexicology (Chair : Shakwat Toorawa)

* Herbert Berg (University of North Carolina, Wilmington)

The “School of Ibn ʿAbbas”

* Michael Pregill (Elon University)

Storytellers versus Lexicographers : Tafsir’s Takeover of Qur’anic Commentary in the 10th Century

* Travis Zadeh (Haverford College)

Hermeneutic Polyvalence in Persian Rhyming Translations of the Qur’an

* Devin Stewart (Emory University)

Cognate Substitution and the Interpretation of Qur’anic Terms

13.15 Lunch with Closing Remarks

14.00 Close

(Source http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.a…)

CONFERENCE MESA (18-21 novembre 2010)

Presentation de la Conférence

The MESA 2010 program includes 228 sessions that are scheduled in 12 panel time slots, beginning Thursday, November 18 at 5:00pm and ending on Sunday, November 21 at 3:30pm. The Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony will be held Friday, November 19 beginning at 7:00pm. The online, searchable program is always the most up-to-date and reflects changes to the program as they are made in the system. The preliminary program documents below are static documents that reflect the program/meeting as of July 29, 2010. The final printed program and addendum will be circulated at the meeting.

(Source http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/)

PROGRAMME : intitulés des 3 panels consacrés au Coran

1. [P2379] Qur’an Studies : Between Text and Interpretation (Sunday, 11/21/10 01:30pm)

This panel seeks to explore recent developments concerning two dimensions of Qur’an Studies : Text and Interpretation. Text refers to the examination of the Qur’an’s manuscript tradition and Interpretation refers to the context of the Qur’an and its exegetical commentaries. Two papers will be delivered exploring the first dimension and three papers for the second.

The first paper of this panel is a textual criticism of Q 14:35-41, which is examined in 17 Qur’an manuscripts spanning the first four centuries of Islam. The paper surveys the different variants found in these sources. The second paper examines an early Qur’an manuscript from the Sana’a collection where there appears to be an omission in Q 9:80. After a textual examination of this omission, it is subjected to an hermeneutical and intertextual inquiry with Jewish and Christian literature. The third paper of this panel defines the term "islam" in the Qur’an as "prophetic tradition" and situates it in the sectarian world of the Late Antique Near East. By adducing evidence from mainly the Hebrew Bible and Syriac Christian literature, the paper argues that prophetic tradition in the Qur’an represents the religious revival and re-consolidation much sought by Syriac speaking churches in the 6th century CE. The fourth paper explores Qurtubi’s tafsir and its use of "qisas al-anbiya’" in the Qur’an. The fifth paper explores the role of Eve in Qur’anic Exegesis and its Judeo-Christian and Mediterranean context.

The panel aims to bring together the two otherwise disparate subfields of textual criticism and Qur’an manuscripts on the one hand and qur’anic exegeses on the other. The link between the two is principally achieved through the transition from the second paper to the third, both of which look to Jewish and Christian literature to answer questions about the Qur’an’s text and interpretation respectively. This makes the panel relevant to a wider audience including scholars and students of Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Late Antique Studies.

2. [P2555] Qur’anic Hermeneutics (Sunday, 11/21/10 08:30am)

Pas de résumé

3. [P2434] The Qur’an and the Other : Soteriological Debates and Their Global Implications (Saturday, 11/20/10 11:00am)

"What does the Qur’an say about the soteriological status of Others, those who do not affirm the Shahadah ? This, in its various forms, is an oft-asked question, and one that has frequently evoked one-dimensional responses. While it may initially be framed in theological terms, how this question is answered has profound practical implications for some of our most pressing international, and indeed, global challenges. It is therefore hardly trivial that recent years have witnessed an increasing number of popular works that present the matter in black and white.

Complicating matters for the serious inquirer is the fact that there is a lacuna in the Western study of Islam when it comes to soteriology. Yet, nearly fourteen centuries since Islam’s inception, this remains a topic over which Muslim scholars spill considerable ink. And rightfully so : salvation is arguably the major theme of the Qur’an. While there has long been a general agreement among Muslim theologians and exegetes that some will rejoice in Paradise while others will suffer in Hell, Islamic history has witnessed intense debates over who exactly will rejoice and who will suffer. And these debates have often spilled over into the realm of politics.

As such, we are arranging a long overdue panel that addresses the pressing topic at hand from an academic standpoint. Our panelists represent a diversity of scholarly viewpoints and approaches. The first paper examines how a "hermeneutics of moderation" that emphasizes deeds over religious affiliation - as articulated by certain exegetes - serves as an alternative to the popular view that salvation in a post-Muhammadan world is available only to Muslims (with a capital M). The second paper looks at how classical Islamic thought has downplayed the Qur’an’s ostensibly pluralistic passages for the sake of affirming Islamic supersession. The third paper surveys classical soteriological doctrines regarding the fate of Others, and assesses whether the contemporary pluralist project has misrepresented Islamic scripture for the sake of promoting interfaith harmony. The fourth paper examines how an emerging "Muslima [with an a] theology of religious pluralism" problematizes the often monolithic assessments of the Qur’an’s portrayal of Others, and how this approach might lead to new readings. The fifth paper explores medieval and modern theological and exegetical views on praying for Others after death, and their implications for pluralistic understandings of soteriology. It is our hope that these papers will inspire fruitful discussion and debate.

(Source : http://mymesa.arizona.edu/meeting_p…)