SunniPath Library - Books - Ulum al Qur'an

Ulum al Qur'an

by Ahmad von Denffer

Table of Contents

An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an
Chapter 1 - The Qur'an and Revelation

REVELATION AND SCRIPTURE BEFORE THE QUR'AN
- God's Communication with Man
- Man denies God
- Empiricism and Realism
- Creation is Material Evidence for God
- Man's Pride
- Guidance for Man
- The Messengers
- The Names of the Prophets and their Number
- The Names of the Scriptures and their Number
- The Contents of the Former Scriptures
- The Final Revelation
THE QUR'AN, HADITH AND HADITH QUDSI
- The Qur'an
- The word Qur'an
- Other Names of the Qur'an
- The Meaning of hadith
- The difference between the Qur'an and Hadith
- Hadith Qudsi
- Distinctive Features of the Qur'an
REVELATION AND HOW IT CAME TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
- God guides His Creation
- Guidance through Revelation
- The Meaning of Wahy
- Means of Revelation
- The Qur'an revealed to Muhammad
- The Descent of the Qur'an
BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION
- Bukharis Account
- How Revelation came
- The First Revelation'
- The Pause (fatra)
- The Second Revelation
- Other Early Revelations
- The Last Revelation
- Reasons why the Qur'an was sent down in Stages

CHAPTER 2: Transmission of the Qur'anic Revelation
- MEMORISATION AND ORAL TRANSMISSION
  - Memorisation by the Prophet
  - Memorisation by the Companions
  - The Prophet encourages Memorisation
  - The Prophet sent Teachers
  - Qur'an Readers among the Companions
  - The Qur'an Memorised in the Prophet's Lifetime
- TRANSMISSION OF THE WRITTEN TEXT
  - What is meant by Jam' al-Qur'an?
  - How was the Qur'an Collected?
  - Stages of Collection
  - Why was no Book left by the Prophet?
  - Writing down the Revelation
  - Did the Prophet himself write?
  - The Qur'an written during the Prophet's Lifetime
  - The Qur'an Dictated by the Prophet
  - Written during the Prophet's Lifetime
  - Collection of Revelation during the Prophet's Lifetime
  - What did the Prophet leave behind?
  - Suhuf and Mushaf
  - How the suhuf were made
- THE MASAHIF OF THE COMPANIONS
  - The Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud (d. 33/653)
  - The Mushaf of Ubay bin Ka'b (d. 29 H/649)
  - The Mushaf of Ibn 'Abbas (d. 68H/687)
  - Some other Companions
  - Variants on Sura Al-lkhlas, (112)
- THE MUSHAF OF 'UTHMAN
  - Chronology of the Written Text
  - What the Prophet left to the Muslims
  - The Difference between Abu Bakr's and 'Uthman's Collection
CHAPTER 3: The Qur'an in Manuscript and Print
- The Qur'anic Script
  - Tashkil
  - I'jam
- EARLY MANUSCRIPTS
  - Writing Material
  - Script
  - Some Peculiarities of the Ancient Writing
- OLD MANUSCRIPTS OF THE QUR'AN
  - What happened to 'Uthman's Copies?
    - The Damascus Manuscript
    - The Egyptian Manuscript
    - The Madina Manuscript
    - The 'Imam' Manuscript
    - The Samarkand Manuscript
    - The 'Ali Manuscript
- THE QUR'AN IN PRINT
  - The Egyptian Edition
  - The Sa'd Nursi Copy
CHAPTER 4: Form, Language and Style
- DIVISION OF THE TEXT
  - Aya and Sura
  - Order and Arrangement
  - Other Divisions of the Text
- LANGUAGE AND VOCABULARY
  - The Qur'an Needed to be Understood
  - To Understand the Qur'an
  - Non-Arabic Words in the Qur'an
- LITERARY FORMS AND STYLE
  - The Qur'an is not Poetry
  - The Difference between Literature and the Qur'an
- STYLE Narrative in the Qur'an
  - Similes in the Qur'an
  - Passages with Qul
  - Oaths in the Qur’an
- MUHKAMAT AND MUTASHABIHAT
  - The Qur'an on Muhkamat and Mutashabihat
  - General and Specific
  - 'Free' and 'Bound' Verses
  - 'Literal' and 'Understood' Meanings
  - Al Muqatta'at
  - Their Occurrence
  - Variety of Explanations
CHAPTER 5: Understanding the Text
- Makkan and Madinan Revelations
  - The Makkan Phase
  - The Madinan Phase
  - Makkan and Madinan Suras
  - Chronology
  - Summary
- ASBAB AL-NUZUL
  - Its Importance
  - How it is Known
  - Kinds of Reports
  - Kinds of Reasons
    - Response to an Event
    - Response to a Particular Situation
    - Question to the Prophet
    - Question by the Prophet
    - Response to a General Question
    - Particular Persons
  - Several Asbab and One Revelation
  - Several Revelations and One Sabab
  - Several Views on Sabab al-Nuzul
  - Specific or General?
  - What is not Asbab al-Nuzul
  - Summary
- AL-NASIKH WA AL-MANSUKH
  - The Qur'an on Naskh
  - How it came about
  - Why it is important
  - How do we know it?
  - What is Abrogated?
  - Three Kinds of Naskh in the Qur'an
  - The Abrogated Verses
  - Abrogation and Specification
  - Summary
- VARIETY OF MODES
  - The Language of the Quraish
  - The Seven Modes
  - Scholars Differ
  - Summary
  - Seven Modes in the Qur'an
- THE VARIOUS READINGS
  - Readers among the Sababa
  - Later Development
  - The Seven Readings
  - Other Views
  - Summary
CHAPTER 6 - Interpreting the Text
- Tafsir, Its Kinds and Principles
  - Tafsir and Ta'wil
  - Why is it Important?
  - A Warning
  - Basic Conditions
  - Grades of Sources
  - Kinds of Tafsir
  - Tafsir bi-l-riwaya
    - The Qur'an explained by the Qur'an
    - The Qur'an explained by the Prophet
    - Tafsir by sahaba
    - Ibn 'Abbas
    - Tafsir by Tabi'un
    - The Makkan Group
    - The Madinan Group
    - The Iraq Group
  - Summary
  - Tafsir bi'l-ra'y
Refferences