The Qurʾānic Cosmology, as an Identity in Itself
The main purpose of this article is to depict the cosmos according to the plain text of the Qurʾān, as its contemporary interlocutor would understand it. To reach this goal we relied mostly on the literary meaning of the qurʾānic descriptions of the celestial and terrestrial elements, along with a g...
Authors: | ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2016
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In: |
Arabica
Year: 2016, Volume: 63, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 201-234 |
Further subjects: | B
Qurʾānic cosmology
Cosmologie coranique
ancient cosmologies
cosmologies anciennes
shape of the sky
forme du ciel
firmament
firmament
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Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
Summary: | The main purpose of this article is to depict the cosmos according to the plain text of the Qurʾān, as its contemporary interlocutor would understand it. To reach this goal we relied mostly on the literary meaning of the qurʾānic descriptions of the celestial and terrestrial elements, along with a glance at the other preceding and/or contemporary cosmologies. It is, therefore, a comparative study which ends up in a thorough picture of the cosmos according to the text of the Qurʾān commensurable with other ancient cosmologies, namely the Babylonian and biblical ones. The most significant outcome of this article is to cast doubt on the prevalent supposition that the qurʾānic cosmology is nothing more than a cento of the preceding cultures, civilizations or religions. It would claim that the Qurʾān has rather had an active and dialectic interaction with every major or minor cosmological idea of its time. Especially in a case study on the shape of the qurʾānic firmament, it will be shown how the historical circumstances, linguistic matters, and ideological issues influenced the qurʾānic perception of the world and/or its selective manner in gleaning the preceding ideas. |
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ISSN: | 1570-0585 |
Contains: | In: Arabica
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700585-12341398 |