Shaping a Qur'anic Worldview Scriptural Hermeneutics and the Rhetoric of Moral Reform in the Caliphate of al-Ma'ūn Routledge Studies in the Qur'an Series

Exploring the subjectivity of the Qur??n?s meaning in the world, this book analyses Qur??nic referencing in Muslim political rhetoric.

Informed by classical Arabic-Islamic rhetorical theory, the author examines Arabic documents attributed to the ?Abb?sid Caliph al-Ma?m?n (r. 813-833), whose rule coincided with the maturation of classical Islamic political thought and literary culture. She demonstrates how Qur??nic referencing functions as tropological exegesis, whereby verses in the Qur??n are reinterpreted through the lens of subjective experience. At the same time socio-historical experiences are understood in terms of the Qur??n?s moral typology, which consists of interrelated polarities that define good and bad moral characters in mutual orientation. Through strategic deployment of scriptural references within the logical scheme of rhetorical argument, the Caliph constructs moral analogies between paradigmatic characters in the Qur??n and people in his social milieu, and situates himself as moral reformer and guide, in order to persuade his audiences of the necessity of the Caliphate and the religio-moral imperative of obedience to his authority.

The Ma?m?nid case study is indicative of the nature and function of Qur??nic referencing across historical periods, and thus contributes to broader conversations about the impact of the Qur??n on the shaping of Islamic civilization. This book is an invaluable resource for those with an interest in Early Islamic History, Islam and the rhetoric of contemporary Middle East regional and global Islamic politics.

Introduction 1 Circumstances of Referencing 2 Techniques of Referencing 3 Civil War 4 Foreign Relations and Jihad 5 The Mihna Conclusion: The Qur’an’s Meaning in the World

Vanessa De Gifis earned her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of

Chicago(2008) and is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Wayne State University. Her research

focuses on Qurʾānic hermeneutics, the influence of the Qurʾān on Muslim intellectual traditions, and

Arabic-Islamic literary culture in the early ʿAbbāsid period.