Literary structures of religious meaning in the Qur'an / edited by Issa J. Boullata. [print]

Part 1. Form, meaning, and textual structure in the Quran. A literary approach to the hymnic Suras of the Quran : spirit, gender, and aural intertextuality Michael Sells ; Major transitions and thematic borders in two long Suras : al-Baqara and al-Nisa A.H. Mathias Zahniser ; Text and textuality : Q. 3:7 as a point of intersection Jane Dammen McAuliffe ; Formulaic features of the punishment-stories Alford T. Welch ; "Desiring the face of God" : the Quranic symbolism of personal responsibility Andrew Rippen ; Fawatih al-Suwar : the mysterious letters of the Quran Irfan Shahid -- pt. 2. Literary approaches to selected Suras of the Quran. Referentiality and textuality in Surat al-Hijr : some observations on the Quranic "canonical process" and the emergence of a community Angelika Neuwirth ; Irony in the Quran : a study of the story of Joseph Mustansir Mir ; Reflections on the dynamics and spirituality of Surat al-Furqan Anthony H. Johns ; The enchantment of reading : sound, meaning, and expression in Surat al-Adiyat Soraya M. Hajjaji-Jarrah -- part 3. Literary appreciation of the Quran : past and present. The aestheic reception of the Quran as reflected in early Muslim history Navid Kermani ; Ellipsis in the Quran : a study of Ibn Qutayba's Tawil Mushkil al-Quran Yusuf Rahman ; Literary exegesis of the Quran : the case of al-Sharif al-Radi Mahmoud M. Ayoub ; Studies in the Majaz and metaphorical language of the Quran : Abu Ubayda and al-Sharif al-Radi Kamal Abu-Deeb ; Sayyid Qutb's literary appreciation of the Quran Issa J. Boullata.

"The purpose of this book is to study the literary structures of the Qur'an in order to achieve a deeper, fuller and more appreciative understanding of the meaning of the Holy Book of Islam and how this meaning is produced by language." "Various aspects of literary structure are studied, and the findings of the scholars shed new light on the compelling character of the Qur'an as a Holy Scripture with a unique centrality in the faith of Muslims, affecting their minds and hearts with its powerfully couched meaning." "A section of the book presents Muslim reactions to the symphonic power of literary expression in the Qur'an. The other two sections are devoted to scholarly studies by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars of the Qur'an, using recent literary theories in their analysis of the Qur'an's methods for the production of religious meaning."--BOOK JACKET.

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