Preface
Prophets and Prophecy in the Qur'an - Narratives of Divine Intervention in the Story of Humankind - Anthony H Johns
Anthony H Johns [+]
Australian National University, (Emeritus)
Description
In this volume Qur’anic narratives and pericopes on Prophetic figures and personalities are examined with the aim of gauging not only the unique characteristics of the literary presentation of personages such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Job, Moses, Jesus, and others, but also the setting provided by their encounters and experiences for the broader religious message of the text. With a concern for both context and relevance, the survey extends its coverage to individuals who are notably exclusive to Qur’anic narratives. Although it is conventionally assumed that the materials relating to figures who feature in the Qur’an were ultimately distilled from a miscellany of traditional and apocryphal Biblical sources, or even conventionally viewed as digressions from a body of normative materials, the internal dynamic and imperatives which prefigure the Qur’anic treatment and characterisation of such personalities are probed for their distinctiveness and importance within Islamic exegetical discourses. Highlighting distinctions which separate scripture from its interpretation, attitudes towards the use of extra-Islamic sources for the elucidation of allusive narratives are assessed as is the wider paraenetic function of Qur’anic exempla. Moreover, specific attention is paid to the function of the literary character and framework of the Qur’an as a vehicle for the presentation of figures and personalities and the role of dialogue and ethics; while, dogmatic exigencies germane to the treatment of exempla are also probed. The legacy of exegetical literature is assessed. The book serves as a lucid introduction to the personalities and figures of the Qur’an, adumbrating the experiences and encounters through which the ethical, theological, and doctrinal teachings of the text are subtly defined and cogently animated.