Communities of the Qur’an: Dialogue, Debate and Diversity in the 21st Century

What is the nature of the Qur’an? It might seem a straightforward question, but there is no consensus among modern communities of the Qur’an, both Muslim and non-Muslim, about the answer. And why should there be? On numerous occasions throughout history, believers from different schools and denominations, and at different times and places, have agreed to disagree. The Qur’anic interpreters, jurists and theologians of medieval Baghdad, Cairo and Cordoba coexisted peacefully in spite of their diverging beliefs. Seeking to revive this ‘ethics of disagreement’ of Classical Islam, this volume explores the different relationships societies around the world have with the Qur’an and how our understanding of the text can be shaped by studying the interpretations of others. From LGBT groups to urban African American communities, this book aims to represent the true diversity of communities of the Qur’an in the twenty-first century, and the dialogue and debate that can flow among them.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Reza Aslan   Introduction Emran El-Badawi and Paula Sanders   PART I: COMMUNITIES OF CULTURE AND EXPERIENCE 1 African-American Communities of the Qur’an Aminah Beverly Al-Deen   2 Nizari Ismaili Engagements with the Qur’an: the Khojas of South Asia Ali Asani   3 The Reception of the Qur’an in Popular Sufism in Indonesia: tadabbur among the Ma‘iyah Community Lien Iffah Naf’atu Fina and Ahmad Rafiq   PART II: BETWEEN GENDER AND COMMUNITY 4 Musawah: Gender Equity through Qur’anic Discourse Amina Wadud   5 The Reception of the Qur’an in the LGBTQ Muslim Community Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle   PART III: THE SILENT, SPEAKING AND LIVING WORD 6 The Speaking Qur’an and the Praise of the Imam: the Memory and Practice of the Qur’an in the Twelver Shia Tradition Sajjad Rizvi   7 The Qur’an and the Baha’i Faith Todd Lawson   PART IV: COMMUNITIES OF TEXT AND TRADITION 8 How the Qur’an Shapes the Sunni Community Ingrid Mattson   9 The Qur’an and the Ahmadiyya Community: an Overview Mujeeb Ur Rahman   10 Why the Qur’anists are the Solution: a Declaration Ahmed Subhy Mansour   Afterword Reuven Firestone   Index

About the Author :
Emran El-Badawi is Associate Professor and Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of Houston. Paula Sanders is Professor of History and Director of the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Review :
‘This lovely collection describes ten different interpretive communities, both Muslim and non-Muslim, of the Qur’an. It helps us to better understand the text that is central to the world’s Muslims, while illuminating their own diversity.’  ‘Contains a very valuable range of perspectives… Students/readers will walk away with an appreciation of the messiness of communal lines and connections, practices of reading, meaning-making, and interpretation, and in some communities, even the embodied and practiced dimensions of a sacred text.’