An essential single-volume companion to the critical interpretation of Islamic scripture This book provides detailed and multidisciplinary coverage of a wealth of key Qurâanic terms, with incisive entries on crucial expressions ranging from the divine names allÄh (âGodâ) and al-raḥmÄn (âthe Mercifulâ) to the Qurâanic understanding of belief and self-surrender to God. It examines what the terms mean in Qurâanic usage, discusses how to translate them into English, and delineates the role they play in expressing the Qurâanâs distinctive understanding of God, humans, and the cosmos. It offers a comprehensive but nonreductionist investigation of the relationship of Qurâanic terms to earlier traditions such as Jewish and Christian literature, pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, and Arabian epigraphy. While the dictionary is primarily engaged in ascertaining what the Qurâan would have meant to its original recipients in late antique Arabia, it makes selective and critical use of later Muslim scholarship alongside an extensive body of secondary research in English, German, and French from the nineteenth century to today. The most authoritative historical-critical reference work on key Qurâanic terms Features a host of entries ranging from concise overviews to substantial essays Draws on comparative material such as Jewish and Christian literature, pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, and Arabian epigraphy Discusses how to best translate Qurâanic terms into English Explores the Qurâanâs vision of God, humans, and the cosmos through an analysis of fundamental and recurrent Qurâanic expressions Accessible to readers with little or no Arabic
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