010138 VU Qur'nic Exegesis II (tafsir) (2025W)

The seminar “Qurʾānic Exegesis II (tafsīr)” uses an interdisciplinary approach from a Sunni and Shiite perspective to examine the methods of interpreting the Qurʾān and Qurʾānic studies. The course focuses on advanced analysis of the text of the Qurʾān and the various hermeneutic-exegetical approaches. It is structured in such a way that students should first develop the ability to gain a historical and systematic insight into the origin and development of the Qurʾān. The aim is not only to deal with the chronology of the suras (micro-context), but also to shed light on the general historical context in which the Qurʾān emerged (macro-context). The interaction of the Qurʾān with Jewish and Christian traditions plays a central role in the macro-context. The development of exegetical approaches to the Qurʾān is also central to the writing of the Qurʾān. The course therefore examines early Islamic manuscripts. Based on this prior knowledge, the first step is to discuss classical exegesis and its methodological foundations using selected primary sources. Students are then given the opportunity to apply various approaches to Qurʾānic exegesis (e.g. historical-critical, Sufi, modernist) to selected topics of contemporary relevance. This should enable students not only to reflect theoretically on approaches to exegesis of the Qurʾān, but also to acquire practical skills to deal critically with difficult passages of the Qurʾān, to reappraise established opinions from a historical-critical perspective and to try out alternative approaches. The course will conclude with an innovative discussion of modern approaches to Qurʾānic research, such as digital humanities.

Overall, students should gain a deep and analytical knowledge of the Qurʾān and its methods of interpretation. They will be able to critically analyze the Qurʾān and established Qurʾānic exegetical views from the pre-modern era from a theological, historical and hermeneutical perspective, and to grasp its message in its full depth and complexity.

Seminar plan:

1 Introductory session: Understanding of revelation - differences and similarities in the understanding of revelation in the monotheistic faiths
2 Contextualization of revelation: Qurʾānic exegesis in the context of the environment and intertexts
3 The other in the Qurʾānic milieu? Jews and Christians in the context of revelation and the exegesis of the Qurʾān
4 Research into the early manuscripts of the Qurʾān
5 Limits and possibilities of Qurʾānic exegesis
6 Insights into the classical tafsir of Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 319/923) and Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭūsī (d. 460/1067)- The Creation of Adam and His Wife in the Qurʾān and in Sunni and Shi'ite Qurʾānic Exegesis
7 The Second Classical Phase of Tafsīr: Al-Biqāʿīs (d. 809–85/1407–80) Bible integration versus aṣ-Ṣuyūṭī (d. 911/1505) Hadith-centeredness in the context of the Jesus story in the Qur'an
8 Discussion/Questions
9 Female personalities in the Qurʾān and exegesis: Mary, the mother of Jesus
10 Sufi (mystical) exegesis of the Qurʾān using the example of al-Khidr and Q 18
11 Sorcery, magic and demons in the Qurʾān and exegesis
12 The relationship between humans and nature (animals and plants) in the Qurʾān and exegesis
13 Sexuality and marriage in the Qurʾān and exegesis
14 New approaches to Qurʾānic interpretation and research (digital humanities, AI and other innovations in the light of Qurʾānic studies)
15 Conclusion and feedback