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