The focal point of this session is the question of how the Qur’an took shape as a book, and what effects the genesis of this book had on our way of thinking of its text and its place in our system of comprehending religious and theological matters. In comtemporary Islamic thought, the history of the Qur’an is not widely discussed, although modern Quran’ic studies have brought about phenomenal advances in the history of the Qur’an in terms of a text that was made into a book. We will also look into the question of whether our understanding of the Qur’an as a text turned into a book (or a converted book), which today’s Muslims believe has not been explained to them, moved towards one that was orally spoken, open, fluid, and indeterminate. If our understanding of the Qur’an evolved in such a way, how would our understanding of the ayah of the Qur’an change?
This webinar was held on February 5, 2013.
