ABSTRACTS OF ARTICLES

The Cosmogonic Word in al-Shahrastns Exegesis of Srat al-Baqara

Toby Mayer
INSTITUTE OF ISMAILI STUDIES
The higher thought of al-Shahrastn (d. 548/1153) is revealed in all its idiosyncrasy and richness in his
last work, the incomplete Quran commentary, Maft al-asrr. Despite his fame as a neo-Ashar thinker,
his commentarys interpretive system strongly incorporates Isml features, along with vital Ashar and
Avicennan inuences. This article focuses on discussions within his commentary on Srat al-Baqara,
which are related to the theme of Gods Command (al-amr) simultaneously the authors cosmological
and epistemological linchpin. Initially, his response to the key questions in the theology of the Quran is
presented, namely, (1) how might the scriptures inimitability for human beings be established, thus its
transcendental origin, and (2) what is the scriptures precise relation with that transcendental origin, i.e., the
problem of inlibration, and whether the Quranic text is to be viewed as a historical entity or as above
time? It emerges that, notwithstanding his keen interest in historical inquiries into the texts canonisation
and language, he takes it to be a substantial portal to the entire Realm of the Command (lam al-amr),
which is a kind of pre-geometry for the cosmos (lam al-khalq). With this premise, al-Shahrastn
invokes a highly systematic lettric cosmogonic theory. In this theory, the instrument by which the universe
enters existence is taken to be a kind of hyper-language, thought of on the model of the 28 Arabic
letters. The details of this system are demonstrably Isml, such as its allusion to a heptadic paradigm of
hiero-history. Lastly, the vital cosmological function of translating the graphemic and verbal realities of the
Realm of the Command into creational entities and events is attributed to the angelic hierarchies.

All Animals Are Equal, or Are They? The Ikhwn al-afs Animal Epistle
and its Unhappy End
Sarra Tlili
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
The Ikhwn al-afs animal epistle is an intriguing work. Although in the body of the narrative the
authors challenge anthropocentric preconceptions and present nonhuman animals in a more favourable
light than human beings, inexplicably, the narrative ends by reconrming the privileged status of humans.
The aim of this paper is to propose an explanation for this discrepancy. I argue that the egalitarian
message reected in the body of the narrative is traceable back to the Quran, the main text with

Journal of Quranic Studies 16.2 (2014): iiiv

Edinburgh University Press
DOI: 10.3366/jqs.2014.0146
# Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS
www.euppublishing.com/jqs

iv
which the authors engage in the fable, whereas the nal outcome is due to the Ikhwns hierarchical
worldview.

Quranic Manuscripts from Late Muslim Spain:

The Collection of Almonacid de la Sierra
Nuria Martnez-de-Castilla-Muoz
COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY, MADRID
In spite of a widespread ignorance of Arabic among the Moriscos (the last Muslims of the Iberian
Peninsula, expelled in 101823/160914), and the prohibition of the possession of books in Arabic script,
the Moriscos continued transcribing and transmitting the Quran. These copies exhibit various peculiarities
related either to their physical presentation, or to their cultural signicance. The materials which are part
of the Almonacid de la Sierra collection (today in the Toms Navarro Toms library (CCHS-CSIC),
Madrid) that means, 37 fragmentary copies of the Quran provide us with an idea of the kind of
Quranic texts the Moriscos were using by the end of the tenth/sixteenth century in spite of the religious and
linguistic restraints which were imposed on them. There are complete mahif, usually divided into four
volumes. In addition, we nd Quranic extracts, the contents of which are almost always the same; this
probably implies some ritual use. Finally, there are family prayer books containing some suras and verses
which can be recited according to the moment. The diversity of these manuscripts gives us an idea of the
knowledge of the Quran among the Moriscos and the strength of Islam in tenth/sixteenth-century Aragon.

Memorisation of the Quran: Opening the Research Agenda

Faris Keblawi
AL-QASEMI ACADEMY, AL-QASEMI SCHOOL
Muslims around the world devote considerable effort to memorising the Quran, as this is deemed to be
a highly meritorious endeavour that brings them closer to God. Memorisation of the Quran was one of the
rst, and most important, means by which the Quran was preserved by the early Muslim community.
Interest in memorisation has continued over the centuries, but it has not evolved into a distinct eld of
study as has been the case with various sciences particular to the Quran, such as, for example, the sciences
of qirt and tajwd. This paper seeks to establish a distinct, interdisciplinary, academic sub-discipline
for the study of issues related to the characteristics and particularities of Quran memorisation. The
potential contribution to this emerging discipline of other academic elds, such as applied linguistics,
psycholinguistics, and educational psychology, will also be discussed.

Chinese Scholarship and the Interpretation and Translation of the Quran

Ma Zhan Ming
NINGXIA UNIVERSITY
The Quran has, for obvious reasons, been of the greatest interest to Chinese Muslims from the arrival of
Islam on the shores of China to the current day. Over 20 Chinese translations of the Quran have been
produced throughout the history of Chinese Islam, some with simple marginalia to help non-Arabic
speaking Chinese Muslims interpret the meanings of the verses. Furthermore, Chinese translations of some
Arabic tafsr have recently appeared, such as the Mukhtasar tafsr Ibn Kathr, and for the rst time in the
history of China, a tafsr mjiz lil-Qurn in Chinese has been prepared by a group of Muslim scholars.
This article aims to present an introduction to the work of Chinese scholars in commentating on the Quran
in general, and to discuss the aforementioned tafsr mjiz lil-Qurn in some detail, focussing on the
methodological aspects that distinguish it from other translations. The introduction presents a brief history
of the translation of the Quran in China. Part One discusses the efforts of Chinese scholars to provide
commentary on the meanings of the Quran, and gives examples of their strengths and weaknesses. Part
Two presents the authors of the tafsr and discusses the reasons for its production, and its methodology,
giving examples which illustrate its strengths. Finally, the conclusion summarises the major points
discussed in the article, and its recommendations.