The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studies Oxford Handbooks Series

The Qur'an is the foundational sacred text of the Islamic faith. Traditionally revered as the literal word of God, its pronouncements and discussions form the bedrock of Islamic beliefs and teachings. Notwithstanding its religious pre-eminence and the fact that it is the sacred text for over one billion of the world's Muslims, the Qur'an is also considered to be the matchless masterpiece of the Arabic language. Its historical impact as a text can be discerned in all aspects of the heritage of the Arabic literary tradition. Over recent decades, academic engagement with the Qur'an has produced an impressive array of scholarship, ranging from detailed studies of the text's unique language, style and structure, to meticulous surveys of its contents, concepts and historical contexts. The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studies is an essential reference and starting point for those with an academic interest in the Qur'an. It offers not only detailed reviews of influential subjects in the field, but also a critical overview of developments in the research discourse. It explores the tradition of Qur'anic exegesis and hermeneutics, making it a comprehensive academic resource for the study of the Qur'an. No single volume devoted to such a broad academic survey of the state of the field currently exists.

Mustafa Shahis a Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, where he completed his BA and PhD degrees. He research interests and teaching cover early Islamic literature, Arabic linguistic thought, classical exegesis, theologyand hadith studies. He has edited two major collections on the hadith and Quranic exegesis: The Hadith: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Routledge, (2009), and Tafsir: Interpreting the Qur'an. Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Routledge, (2013).He is also editing TheOxford Handbook of Hadith Studies. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem was born in Egypt and educated at al-Azhar, Cairo, and Cambridge Universities. He taught Arabic at Cambridge University and has been teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies in London University for many years. He is currently Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of the Centre of Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is editor of the Journal of Qur'anic Studies and the London Qur'an Studies Series. Among his published works are The Quran: A New Translation, Oxford: Oxford University Press, (2004); and The Qur'an: English translation with parallel Arabic text, Oxford University Press (2010); Understanding the Qur'an: themes and style. London: I B Tauris (1999); with Elsaid Badawi An Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage, Brill (2007). His latest work is entitled: Exploring the Qur'an: Images and Reality, I.B. Tauris (2017).