Presentation

Qur’anic Studies is part of the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications. The IIS embarked on Qur’anic studies in 2000 with a view to promoting scholarship on the plurality of traditions inspired by the Holy Qur’an and developed throughout Muslim history, up to the present time. By conducting research into and teaching about these interpretive traditions, the Institute aims to advance knowledge about the entire spectrum of traditional sources and a general understanding of the plurality of interpretations that have been produced by Muslims throughout history as well as of the various contexts, and types of methodology that have shaped those interpretations.

Les objectifs

The objectives of Qur’anic Studies at the IIS are to :

• Promote scholarship and contribute to the academic field of Qur’anic studies, inviting scholars in the field to participate in academic projects and activities ;
• Produce publications and promote other scholarly activities, such as conferences, of the highest academic standard, based on the principles of academic rigour, objectivity and neutrality ;
• Explore the plurality of interpretations offered by Muslims as a means to understanding the complexities of Muslim intellectual history.
• Study the historical context of the Holy Qur’an and it’s interpretations with a view to understanding the intellectual, ethical, social and historical factors that gave rise to them.

Equipe

Research seminars and exploratory workshops are crucial tools for engaging the interest and skills of specialist scholars. They provide a forum in which topics of interest, within the field of Qur’anic studies, may be discussed and out of which new ideas and proposals for future research may emerge. Qur’anic Studies regularly organises workshops and seminars.

Currently, Qur’anic Studies has six full time researchers, each with wide-ranging interests.

Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga Research interests : Epistles of the Pure Brethren (Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa), for which a book is in progess ; interaction between philosophy and the interpretation of the Qur’an between the tenth and eleventh centuries.

Dr Nuha Al Sha’ar Research interests : Political Islamic thought and ethics, with particular focus on the fourth century AH under the Buyid period ; Contemporary Islamic thought.

Dr Karen Bauer Research interests : Islamic intellectual and social history, particularly gender studies and the interpretation of the Qur’an ; tracing, contextualizing, and historicising debates in Qur’an commentaries ; analysing how genre boundaries, audience, and context (both social and intellectual) affect the style and content of texts.

Dr Stephen Burge Research interests : The study of angels in Islam, focusing on their roles in the Qur’an and the Hadith ; the great fifteenth century polymath, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911/1505) ; popular religion ; the relationships between Judaism, Christianity and Islam ; comparative philology ; lexicography and codicology.

Dr Toby Mayer Research interests : Currently translating Sayyid Haydar Amuli’s al-Muhit al-A’zam, a remarkable, mystical commentary on the Qur’an which combines the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi with Twelver Shi’ism ; also working on the major Sufi commentary associated with the early masters of the Kubrawi order, the Ta’wilat Najmiyya.

Farhana Mayer Research interests : The understanding and application of the Qur’an, especially mystical and esoteric interpretations ; the Sufi recension of Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq’s tafsir ; contemporary legal issues of Shari`a and human rights ; the Qur’anic relationship between religion, faith and law and the vital role of peace/harmony as a hermeneutical tool.

Séminaires & colloques

• October 2010

The Meaning of the Word : Lexicology and Tafsir

The Institute of Ismaili Studies will sponsor a workshop on Lexicology and Tafsir in October 2010. This will be followed by a lecture series on the same subject at the Institute in the academic year 2010-2011.

• October 2009

Theories and Methods in Qur’an Commentaries : this seminar was held at the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

• October 2008

Qur’an commentaries : sources, methods and hermeneutics : this was a pre-conference workshop, held at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR). Conferences

• October 2006

The Esoteric interpretation of the Qur’an

• July 2003

The Word of God ; The Art of Man - The Qur’an and its Creative Expressions

Séminaires

Rethinking Qur’anic Studies Mohammed Arkoun Senior Research Fellow and Governor, The Institute of Ismaili Studies Tuesday October 1, 9:30 am

Reading, Writing and Religion : The Evolution of Arabic Calligraphy Mustafa Ja‘far Historian and practising calligrapher Tuesday March 25, 2003 2:00 pm

The Qur’an : Esoteric Interpretations in Ismaili and Ithna‘ashari Thought M. K. Shaker Director, Qur’anic Studies, Qom University and Visiting Scholar, University of Wales, Lampeter Wednesday June 4, 2:00 pm

(Source www.iis.ac.uk)