An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries, vol. 1: On the Nature of the Divine.

• Author: Mourad, Suleiman A.
• Position: Book review

An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries, vol. 1: On the Nature of the Divine. Edited by FERAS HAMZA and SAJJAD Rizvi, with Farhana Mayer. Qur'anic Studies Series, vol. 5. New York: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. 2008. Pp. xvii + 670. S95.

The volume under review, the first in a multivolume series which "aims to make the reception and interpretation of the Qur'an accessible to anyone interested in cultural and religious studies" (p. xi), is divided into six sections: Seeking the face of God (Q 2:115); God's throne and the scat of knowledge (Q 2:255); Incumbent mercy (Q 6:12); Light of the heavens and the earth (Q 24:35); The measure (Q 54:49): and Oneness (Q 112). The selection of these particular themes was made according to three criteria established by the editors: "l) the significance of certain verses for devotional purposes; 2) verses used to contextualise and place Islam within the overall Abrahamic tradition; and 3) verses that play an important role in intra-Muslim apologetics" (p. 9). Indeed, these six themes engage the most crucial issues on the nature of the divine in Islamic religious discourse: God's omnipresence, sovereignty, mercy, guidance, design, and oneness.

The editors did an excellent, job in identifying twenty-one Qur'an commentaries (sg. tafsir) from which they selected the material for the translation, which they either undertook themselves or commissioned from specialists. These commentaries cover the periodic and geographical span of the Islamic civilization from the second/eighth century to the present day, from medieval Spain and North Africa to India. They also represent a wide spectrum of sectarian affiliations (Murji'[i.bar], Ib[a.bar]d[i.bar]. Shi'i, Sunni, Isma'il[i.bar], Mu't[a.bar]zili, and Zaydi), languages (Arabic. Persian. Ottoman, and Urdu), and, more importantly, styles of tafsir (traditional, mystical, theological, and legal). In this respect, the volume impressively reflects the diversity and richness of the Islamic tradition in interpreting Islam's revealed scripture; the only noticeable major lacuna is the absence of the commentaries of al Tha'qabi (d. 42711035) and al-Wahidi (d. 468/1076), two of the most influential medieval Sunni Qur'anic commentaries.

The introductory chapter provides an excellent exposition of the development of the genre of tafsir. The following chapter--"The Commentators and Their Commentaries" introduces the individual...