The Early Development of the Quranic Ḥanīf*
This article examines the occurrence of the term ḥanīf in the Qurʾān. While the Qurʾān uses the term ḥanīf in a purely monotheistic sense, the Syriac cognate hanpā from which the Arabic ḥanīf might possibly be derived denotes ‘pagan’ or ‘heathen’. The first part of the article attempts to reconcile...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2011
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| In: |
Journal of Semitic studies
Year: 2011, Volume: 56, Issue: 2, Pages: 345-366 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article examines the occurrence of the term ḥanīf in the Qurʾān. While the Qurʾān uses the term ḥanīf in a purely monotheistic sense, the Syriac cognate hanpā from which the Arabic ḥanīf might possibly be derived denotes ‘pagan’ or ‘heathen’. The first part of the article attempts to reconcile these seemingly contradictory usages between the Quranic ḥanīf and the Syriac hanpā by considering the Arabic lexical sources as well as the various Quranic allusions to ḥanīf. It is argued that the meaning of ḥanīf in the Qurʾān is not self-evident, and the fact that the term is used in different contexts seems to support the view that at the time of the Prophet the meaning of ḥanīf was not yet stable and could be understood in both polytheistic and monotheistic senses. The second part examines the classical Qurʾān commentaries which seem to support that conclusion. By looking closely at the Qurʾān and its classical commentaries, this article sets itself to criticize the current scholarship on the Quranic ḥanīf. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-8556 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Semitic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jss/fgr007 |