The Quran and Its Biblical Reflexes

Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion

By (author) Mark Durie

Not available to order

Publication date:

15 August 2018

Length of book:

394 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498569460

This path-breaking book sets aside the traditional story of the life of Muhammad, and inquires into the internal history of the Qur'an itself. Drawing on fresh insights from linguistics and theology, Durie puts forward a new and very different explanation for the “Mecca-Medina” division, attributing it to a theological crisis which arose in the Qur’anic community. Through careful investigation of theologically charged topics such as prophecy, Satan, sin, the oneness of God, covenant, warfare, divine presence, and holiness, Durie questions whether the Qur’an and Bible really do share a deeper connection. He invites the reader to set aside the frames through which the Qur’an has been viewed in the past, whether Biblical or Islamic, and invites us to attend to the Qur’an’s distinctive and unique theological vision, in its own terms.

Introduction: A Fundamental Question

1. Preliminaries to a Qur’anic Theology
2. The Eschatological Crisis
3. A Non-Biographical Qur’anic Chronology
4. Monotheism
5. Rasulology and Prophetology
6. Lexical and Narrative Studies

Conclusion: The Genesis of a New Religion?

This is a ground-breaking, scholarly book that seeks to understand how the Qur’an came into its present form, questions the validity of interpreting the Qur’an primarily in terms of the later ‘Life of Muhammad’ traditions, and explores the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an. Drawing on fresh insights from linguistics, Mark Durie proposes a radically new understanding of the chronology of the text of the Qur’an, and argues that quotes from and allusions to stories in the Christian Bible are used in the Qur’an to serve the Qur’an’s own distinctive theological agenda. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand at some depth the Muslim faith and the Qur’an. It is a brilliant piece of work.