RELIGION 370S, AMES 126S, MEDREN 370S
Understanding the Qur’an
Seminar
Spring 2027
Tue/Thu, 4:40–5:55 pm
Mohsen Kadivar, Ph.D.
Course Description
This course will offer an introduction to the Qur’an, the central text of Islam and one of the most widely read texts in human history. Yet it remains a closed book to most non-Muslims and to anyone unfamiliar with the grammatical rigors of the Arabic language. This study of the Qur’an will engage Islamic thought and belief as well as the use of the Qur’an in Muslim rituals and practices. Students will explore interpretations of the Qur’an from medieval to modern times.
In this course, we will start with the history of revelation, the formation of the Qur’an as a book, and its interpretation from medieval to modern times. We will look at the question of understanding the Qur’an as the course focus, and at an even larger question: how does one teach the Qur’an as religious literature from a neutral viewpoint? Can the Qur’an ever be understood from a secular or non-theological perspective? What lessons might one apply from literary criticism and biblical studies? What is the message of the Qur’an for human beings in the modern age? Is it the Book of Light, Morality, and Guidance, or the Book of Law? Is it the Book of Violence, Fear, and Terror, or the Book of Mercy, Love, Freedom, and Hope? What do revelation and the words of God mean in Islam? What are the major themes of the Qur’an? How does the Qur’an describe God, human beings, the meaning of life, the hereafter, morality, virtue, sin, evil, piety, money, sex, freedom, human rights, human responsibility, gender, ethnicity, religions, plurality, tolerance, peace, war, and violence? We will also explore how we can use the Internet as a resource, both for locating translations of the Qur’an and for exploring the multiple, often conflicting ways in which it is interpreted by Muslims and by non-Muslims.
This course does not want students simply to understand the Qur’an; it wants them to befriend it. By seeking to instill a personal connection with the sacred text, this course hopes to help students move past what at times appears to be Western society’s chronic misunderstanding and suspicion of the Qur’an. Instead of ignoring those who have declared the Qur’an dangerous, this course teaches that we can do more than just tolerate a text that is unfamiliar to many Americans. We can take responsibility for making it familiar.