Islamic Intellectual History: Scriptural Exegesis in the Classical Period (SuTerm 2022)

This course will introduce students to important themes in classical Islamic thought via the multifaceted interpretive histories of selected passages from the Quran. The texts and commentaries range chronologically, geographically, and thematically (from the exegetical, theological, and legal to philosophical and mystical). The first part of the course offers a historical survey of major and marginal theories and trends of Muslim scriptural exegesis. The second part explores how these theories have been applied to several Quranic themes such as God, creation, faith, law, gender relations, morality, suffering, and esoteric knowledge. The readings are a mix of primary and secondary sources; all are in English.