Scientific Exegesis of the Qur'an

Abstract

Baljon, in his Modern Muslim Koran Interpretation: 1880–1960, (published in 1961), devoted a section to the scientific exegesis of the Qur'an. In the seventies, the authors of three other major works which are devoted to, or are at least concerned with, modern Qur'anic exegesis – al-Dhahabī, al-Sharqāwī and Jansen – also allocated substantial space to an exposition and analysis of this trend in their studies on Tafsīr especially in the modern period. This paper is a continuation of such studies. It takes note of this trend and covers, to some extent, the same ground that has already been covered by other scholars. It focuses, however, on the study of this trend roughly during the last quarter of a century. In view of the linguistic proficiency of the writer in Arabic, English and Urdu, the inquiry is mainly confined to the writings in these languages and focuses on the Arab world, South Asia and the English-speaking countries.