Separating worldviews from lexicology and exegesis

Source: OUP.

The Meaning of the Word: Lexicology and Qur'anic Exegesis is part of Oxford University Press' Qur'anic Studies Series. The 480-page hardback is expected to be available by February 2015, and priced at £70.

The book provides what the publishers say is the first in-depth discussion focusing on the relationship between the interpretation of the Quran and the meanings of words, from the beginnings of Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) to the contemporary period.

Stephen R. Burge, Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London and the editor of the book, believes that the different theological perspectives of exegetes and translators, whether medieval or modern, influence how they understand the Quranic worldview, its theology and ethical values.
"Many modern scholars have recognised that lexicology plays an important part in exegesis, but there are few studies of how exegetes use it to develop their interpretations of the Quran or that address lexicology in Quranic exegesis in any depth. This volume of essays addresses this gap in the scholarship," states a description of the book on the OUP website.

Individual contributions analyse the different tafsīr scholars' approaches to lexicology, as well as offering comparative thematic studies of law, women in Islam, and theology. The contributions cover a wide range of subjects, from linguistics to literary criticism, and law and gender to mysticism.

Besides Burge, who also authored Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi akhbar al-mala'ik (Routledge, 2012), other contributors include: Herbert Berg, Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Ayesha Chaudhry, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia. Agostino Cilardo, Professor of the History and Institutions of the Islamic World, and Professor of Islamic Law at the Università degli Studi di Napoli 'L'Orientale'. Claude Gilliot, Professor Emeritus of the Université d'Aix-Marseille and IREMAM, and a member of the Institut Dominicain d'Études Orientales (IDEO) in Cairo. Toby Mayer, Research Associate in the Qur'anic Studies Unit at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. Christopher Melchert, University Lecturer in Arabic and Islam at the University of Oxford. Devin Stewart, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Emory University. Kees Versteegh, Professor Emeritus of the University of Nijmegen. Stefan Wild. Professor Emeritus of the University of Bonn (Rheinische Freidrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn). M. Brett Wilson, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Macalester College. Travis Zadeh, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Haverford College.