Qur’an and Hadith RLGS 3503 – Spring 2014 Professor Andrea L. Stanton Office: Sturm Hall 272 ~ Phone: 303.871.3503 ~ Email: andrea.stanton@du.edu Sturm Hall 233 – MW 4:00-5:50 Office Hours: Thurs 10:30-12:30 ~ by appointment as available Recite, in the name of your Lord, who created Created (hu)man(s) from a clot of blood. Recite! And your Lord is most generous – Who taught (to write) with the pen Taught (hu)man(s) what he (they) knew not. (Sura 96, al-`Alaq, v.1-4) This writing-intensive, upper-level course introduces students to the two key texts of Islam, including their origins, content, and meanings as well as the science of their interpretations. The Qur’an is the central text of Islam; its title is taken from a verb that originally meant “to recite” and later evolved to mean “to read”. It contains 114 suras (chapters), arranged by length, which contain the revelations that Muhammad received from the Angel Gabriel. As a result, Muslims consider the Qur’an the direct, unmediated word of God. Like God, the Qur’an is eternal and unchanging; it entered the earth at a particular point in human time but is itself uncreated. (Scholars note that the Qur’an is in many ways equivalent for Muslims to Jesus Christ for Christians – both are considered the logos of God.) While many translations of the Qur’an have been made, its text is considered authentic and authoritative only in Arabic; translations are considered human interpretations. The hadith comprise the collected sayings by, or stories about, Muhammad. Together, Qur’an and hadith form the fundamental textual basis of shari`a – the path of God, commonly (but not accurately) translated as “Islamic law”. Using a mixture of in-class discussion and student writing, this course probes these crucial texts, examining both their content and also the ways in which they have been interpreted and appropriated over time. The first section focuses on the Qur’an, considering it as revelation and as text, and paying careful attention to the science of tafsir or Qur’anic exegesis. The second section focuses on the hadith, paying particular attention to two canonical Sunni collections as well as the ways in which sectarian difference plays out in hadith collection and interpretation. The third section considers how Muslims in the 20th and 21st centuries have reworked classical understandings of Qur’an and hadith, focusing on case studies that highlight issues of crucial relevance for today and tomorrow. Please Note: While there are no formal pre-requisites for this course, students are expected to have a basic college-level knowledge of Islam. Students without formal coursework in Islam are welcome to enroll in this course provided that they are willing to complete additional background readings. By completing course assignments, and listening and participating during class sessions, students will: Understand the nature of the Qur’an as both oral revelation and codified text Understand the basic theological principles and ritual practices that relate to and derive from the Qur’an Understand the ways in which Islam as a singular, universal religion has connected to particular cultures around the world, creating a set of ‘Islamic cultures’ with distinctive political and societal practices and artistic and architectural expressions that maintain the Qur’an as a reference point Understand and be able to explain the major teachings and themes of the Qur’an Understand and be able to explain the nature of the hadith and the historical process by which they were collected and verified Understand and be able to explain the distinct but inter-related roles that the Qur’an and hadith play for practicing Muslims Understand and be able to explain how sectarian difference influences hadith interpretation Understand and be able to explain the role that the sira plays for practicing Muslims Explain modern and contemporary issues in Qur’anic and hadith interpretation with reference to several case studies from around the world By completing the reading and writing assignments, and listening and participating during class sessions, students will improve in the following skill areas: Develop skills for critically reading and assessing scholarly works across multiple disciplines Further develop their understanding of reading and writing as fundamental components of academic research, learning, and communication Further develop their understanding of reading and writing as fundamental components of professional and personal learning and communication Develop an understanding of the diverse opinions within scholarship on Islamic theology and Islam as a lived faith, past and present Understand what constitutes a primary source, and further develop skills for carefully approaching and assessing primary sources of various kinds in their written work Be able to approach sources in various media, including film and the Internet, as subjects of serious scholarly inquiry Connect assigned readings/films and classroom lectures with personal experience in order to integrate education and “real life” Be increasingly comfortable with complexity, whether of multiple scholarly views or multiple ways of ‘being Muslim’, past and present and around the world Further develop writing skills, including technical skills like paragraphing and expression skills like making an argument, through a mixture of low-stake, less formal, and higher-stake, more formal assignments Apply University of Chicago style conventions appropriately to formal written work Further develop an understanding of what it means to be an active member of an intellectual community by meeting rigorous academic expectations through critical reading, discussion, research, and writing COURSE REQUIREMENTS Reading/Viewing/Listening/Writing Load: The reading load will vary somewhat from week to week. Some of it will be gripping; some will not. Some of it will be easy to follow; some will be more challenging. All of it is important for this course. Reading material is available online whenever possible. I have worked to minimize the number of required texts, since buying course books can quickly become expensive. Instead, we are reading a wide variety of book chapters, journal articles, and excerpts from longer works, which will help expose you to the equally wide range of scholarly and other views. Assignments for this course include a number of films, video clips, websites, and other material. You are expected to read, view, listen, and engage with these materials with the same degree of seriousness that you bring to written works of scholarship. Taking notes will markedly improve your reading/viewing/listening comprehension: anything from a detailed accounting of the reading to a short list of key words, names, and phrases. You are expected to come to each class session with at least two questions or comments, which you may be asked to provide. This is a writing intensive course. You are expected to write early and write often, and to complete the range of high- and low-stakes writing assignments with a seriousness of purpose and intellectual sincerity. This course involves peer review and in-class discussions of writing as a practice and as an avocation. You are expected to bring the same seriousness of purpose and intellectual sincerity to these discussions, as well as a sense of community. Class Expectations: Assignments and Related Issues: Late assignments are not accepted. Extensions may be approved on an exceptional, case-by-case basis if requested in advance. You are expected to cite anything learned during class with a footnote that indicates the course title, institution, professor, date, and – if possible – person speaking. (Otherwise, use “general discussion” or “lecture”.) Plagiarism – using someone else’s work, words, or ideas without attribution – is a violation of the University honor code. Plagiarism includes BOTH lifting text word for word and ALSO paraphrasing too closely. If you are unsure about citation format or when to cite, please ask me. I can refer you to the Writing Center or the Chicago Manual of Style, which is accessible through the Writing Center’s “Online Resources” page: http://www.du.edu/writing/resources.htm. Instances of plagiarism will result in penalties that range from a zero on a particular assignment to suspension from the university. Class sessions: Attendance, Lateness, Discussion and Participation This course does not distinguish between types of absences. If you are not in class – whether for a dentist appointment, a ‘personal day’, another DU activity, or any other reason – you are absent and will receive a zero for the day. If you are absent, be sure to obtain the class notes and any handouts from another student. Students who arrive more than three minutes late will lose half the day’s attendance points. This course takes a scholarly, analytic perspective. Students are expected to treat one another collegially and respectfully – even while disagreeing passionately on an issue. Students are also expected to treat subject matter seriously and respectfully. Members of this course form a community. You are each expected to refer to one another by name. If you don’t know someone’s name, ask. Consider this your opportunity to work on skills that will serve you for the rest of your professional life. Questions and comments are welcome - this is an active learning community. Please feel free to contribute your responses to the readings, connections between course material and what you may have learned elsewhere, and questions. You also contribute by listening to your colleagues. Laptops and mobile phones may not be used in this class. They must be off or silent, and put away for the duration of the class session. Grading Undergraduate students will earn their final course grade according to their performance as follows: 20% - Weekly reading responses 10% - Attendance 20% - Tafseer paper (writing) 10% - Tafseer paper (workshop) 20% - Midterm exam 20% - Final exam Graduate students will earn their final course grade according to their performance as follows: 20% - Weekly reading responses 5% - Attendance 20% - Tafseer paper (writing) 10% - Tafseer paper (workshop) 20% - Midterm exam 5% - Investigative paper proposal 20% - Investigative paper Grade distribution 93-100 A Truly Exceptional 90-92 A- Excellent – Far Exceeds Expectations 87-89 B+ Superior – Exceeds Expectations 83-86 B Good Work – Meets Expectations 80-82 B- Good Work – Nearly Meets Expectations 77-79 C+ Above Satisfactory 73-76 C Satisfactory 70-72 C- Below Satisfactory 67-69 D+ Above the Bare Minimum for Passing 63-66 D Minimum for Passing 60-62 D- Bare Minimum for Passing <60 F Weekly reading responses Students are to contribute one reading response per week to the “Reading Responses” section of Blackboard, by 11pm the night before the reading is due. In other words, you may write a response for Monday’s readings and submit by Sunday night, or you may write a response for Wednesday’s readings and submit by Tuesday night. Each entry should be roughly one page (260-300 words). You are not meant to summarize the reading, nor to write a formal essay requiring outside research. Rather, you should reflect on, respond to, and ask questions about the reading. (Perhaps one argument resonated with you, or you question the author’s evidence; perhaps you connect some aspect of the reading with your own life or other coursework.) Please note: *Be sure to introduce the reading, using the full title and the author’s full name. *Everyone will be allowed one late submission. “Late” is defined as up to eight hours after the deadline. *Responses addressing the wrong readings will receive half credit. In other words, if you submit a response on Tuesday night that addresses the readings for Monday rather than for Wednesday, the highest grade you will receive is 50%. Attendance This class meets at 4:00 PM sharp. Students are expected to arrive on time and to give a reasonable impression of being awake and engaged. If this is your preferred afternoon naptime, please feel free to bring coffee, tea, water, etc. If you need food, please feel free to bring a sandwich, etc. Students are expected to attend all class sessions. More than two absences will leave you at risk of an additional reduction in your final grade. Arriving more than five minutes late more than twice will leave you at the same risk. Tafseer paper In this paper, students will compare and contrast the way in which Ibn Kathir (1300s) and Sayyid Qutb (1950s) treat Sura 96 in their respective tafseers. Students are expected to begin by briefly summarizing the sura, providing an overview of it in their own words. (Please do not include editors’ or translators’ introductions in this summary.) They are then expected to select, one to three aspects of the exegeses to analyze and compare. After analyzing these individual aspects, students should bring them together, synthesizing them in a way that forms a broader argument about the two tafseers as a whole. Students are not required but may consult book reviews or other scholarly works on Ibn Kathir and Sayyid Qutb for background information, making sure to cite these works in footnotes. They may similarly bring in class discussions and other class readings, making sure to cite each of these elements in the footnotes. However, students must develop their own arguments and their own analysis. (In other words, you may consult a scholarly article analyzing Qutb’s text to give yourself another perspective, but your analysis should come from the ideas that you developed from your reading. Similarly, your evidence should come from the text rather than from other scholars.) Please review the syllabus’ guidelines on plagiarism and the DU honor code if you have any questions. Please feel free to consult with the Writing Center. 6-8 pages, double-spaced, approximately 300 words/page. Due Monday, April 28, in class, in hard copy, at the start of class. No late papers accepted. As part of the writing intensive element of this course, you will workshop your paper in class and will then submit a revised draft. The final, revised version is due Friday, May 2, by 8pm, by email. No late papers accepted. Both the workshop and the revised draft are required parts of this assignment. Missing one or both will result in your earning a zero. Midterm exam The midterm exam will be drawn half from assigned readings and half from lectures. It will consist of shorter and longer essay questions that require students to synthesize course content (specific pieces of information) and themes (broader ways of categorizing and making sense of information). There will be no multiple-choice questions, no extra credit, and no make-up exams. The midterm will take place in class on April 21. Final Exam (undergraduate students only) The final exam will be drawn half from assigned readings and half from lectures. It will be a take-home exam that consists of shorter and longer essay questions that require students to bring together course content (specific pieces of information) and themes (broader ways of categorizing and making sense of information). There will be no multiple-choice questions, no extra credit, and no make-up exams except as required by University regulations. The final exam will be due by email on June 2, by 4pm. Late exams will be marked down by 50%. Investigative paper (graduate students only) Graduate students will not take the final exam, but will instead write a 13-16 page paper that investigates some aspect of Qur’an and hadith, past or present. Students may choose a topic that interests them – which might range from a consideration of medieval Muslim textual interpretation to a study of one particular Sufi group and its use of hadith, or from a close analysis of one particular sura to a study of contemporary Qur’an study in Denver’s Muslim communities. The options are many – but students must receive written approval from the professor for their chosen topic. Students will submit a one-page proposal of approximately 300 words on Friday, Feb 3, with one paragraph introducing their topic, one paragraph explaining what they hope to communicate, explain, analyze, or argue, and one paragraph outlining their research process (where they will look for sources, what kind of primary sources they will use, what limitations or challenges they anticipate, etc.). The one-page proposal is due Wednesday, April 23, by 9:00 pm, by email. Students will meet with the professor to discuss their proposals during Week 7. Please sign up for 15-minute sessions to be held during this week’s office hours or another mutually agreed time. The investigative paper is due the same day as the final exam, June 2 at 4:00 pm, by email. Late papers will be marked down by 50%. TEXTS USED Qur’an, translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008) Carl Ernst, How to Read the Qur’an (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2011) Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations (Ashland: White Cloud Press, 2007) Jonathan A.C. Brown, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2009) COURSE SCHEDULE *** Note: Syllabus is subject to change. Students are expected to keep abreast of additions/amendments to assigned readings and class session themes. *** *** Assignments are to be completed BY THE CLASS SESSION UNDER WHICH THEY ARE LISTED.*** I. ORIGINS Week I (Mar 24): Introduction Monday: Welcome and course overview Learning Styles Inventory / Review syllabus In-class: al-Fatiha (Arabic / English; text / recitation) In-class: Ibn Kathir / Jalalayn tafseer’s on the fatiha (tafseer introduction) Wednesday Michael Sells, “Introduction: Approaching the Qur’an” and “Glossary of Arabic Terms”, in Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations (Ashland: White Cloud Press, 2007), 1-41 M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, “Issues of Interpretation”, “A Short History of English Translations”, and “This Translation”, in Qur’an, translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), xxi-xxix Keith Houston, “The Mysterious Origins of Punctuation”, 9.2.15, http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150902-the-mysterious-origins-of-punctuation Reading the Qurʾān Chronologically: An Aid to Discourse Coherence and Thematic Development Peter G. Riddell , in Islamic Studies Today: Essays In Honor of Andrew Rippin Brill 2016 II. QUR’AN Week II (Mar 31): Qur’an Monday: Michael Sells, “The Early Suras with Commentary”, 42-95 Read the relevant suras in Abdel Haleem’s translation of the Qur’an Review http://www.readwithtajweed.com/, including “What is tajweed?”, “Rules of Tajweed”, “Etiquette of Recitation”, and “Modes of Recitation” Watch “Surah 96 – Tajweed FollowUp” by Wisam Sharieff, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnc9LIQ_4ro Graduate students: Erik Ohlander, “Modern Qur’anic Hermeneutics”, Religion Compass 3 (4), July 2009, 620-36 Wednesday: Michael Sells, “The Early Suras with Commentary”, 96-141 Read the relevant suras in Abdel Haleem’s translation of the Qur’an Ida Zilio-Grandi, “The Gratitude of Man and the Gratitude of God: Notes on Shukr in Traditional Islamic Thought”, in Islamochristiana 38 (2012), 45-61: https://www.academia.edu/4167687/The_Gratitude_of_man_and_the_gratitude_of_God._Notes_on_%C5%A1ukr_in_traditional_Islamic_thought_in_Islamochristiana_ISCH_38_2012_pp._45-61 Punctuation in the Qur’an: “Punctuation rules in the Holy Qur’an”, http://ism.momin.org/textbooks/06_Q_ISM.pdf and “Punctuation marks in the Arabic text”, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Qur’an: Text, Translation, and Commentary, xx Week III (April 7): Qur’an Monday: Later Suras Suras 2-3, in Abdel Haleem’s translation of the Qur’an (compare with other translations online) Carl Ernst, “Medinan Suras”, in How to Read the Qur’an (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2011), 155-190 Wednesday: Later Suras Suras 5-8 Carl Ernst, “Medinan Suras” and “Ring Structure in Sura 2 and Sura 5”, in How to Read the Qur’an, 190-204 and 223-228 Travis Zadeh, “’Fire Cannot Harm It’: Mediation, Temptation, and the Charismatic Power of the Qur’an”, Journal of Qur’anic Studies (2008), 10 (2), 50-72 Sabab/Asbāb al-Nuzūl as a Technical Term: Its Emergence and Application in the Islamic Sources Roberto Tottoli , in Islamic Studies Today: Essays in Honor of Andrew Rippin edited Majid Daneshgar and Walid Saleh Brill 2016 Week IV (Aprll 14): Qur’an Monday: Purity and Corruption: the Qur’an as text Yasir Ibrahim, “Continuity and Change in Qur’anic Readings: A Study of the Qur’anic Manuscript Garrett 38”, Journal of Islamic Studies (2008) 19 (3): 369-390 Claude Gilliot, “Creation of a Fixed Text”, 41-58, Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an, edited by Jane D. McAuliffe (Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006) Issa J. Boullata, “Parody of the Qur’an”, in Jane D. McAuliffe, editor, Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (Brill, 2004), Volume 4, 23-25 Wednesday: Views of outsiders; outsider views Thomas E Burman, “Polemic, Philology, and Ambivalence: Reading the Qur’an in Latin Christendom”, Journal of Islamic Studies (2004) 15 (2), 181-209 Daniel Madigan, “The People of the Kitab”, in The Qur’an’s Self-Image: Writing and Authority in Islam’s Scripture (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), 193-214 Lesley Hazelton, “On reading the Koran”, TEDxRainier, October 2010, http://www.ted.com/talks/lesley_hazelton_on_reading_the_koran.html Week V (April 21): Midterm & Introduction to Tafseer Monday: Midterm Wednesday: Tafseer Fazlur Rahman, “Introduction”, Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992), 1-11 Abdullah Saeed, “Fazlur Rahman: A Framework for Interpreting the Ethico-Legal Content of the Qur’an”, in Modern Muslim Intellectuals and The Qur’an, edited by Suha Taji-Farouki (Oxford University Press, 2004), 37-66 Ronald Nettler “A Modern Islamic Confession of Faith and Conception of Religion: Sayyid Qutb’s Introduction to the Tafsir, fi Zilal al-Qur’an”, in British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 21, No. 1 (1994), 102-114 ***Graduate paper proposal due by email, by 9pm*** III. TAFSEER Week VI (April 28): Tafseer Monday: Tafseer paper – full draft due In-class writing workshop Wednesday: Introduction to tafseer In class: Ibn Kathir, “Sources of Tafsir” Walid Saleh, “Quranic Exegesis in History and Scholarship”, 1-24, The Formation of the Classical Tafsir Tradition: the Qur’an Commentary of al-Tha`labi (Brill 2004) Massimo Campanini, “Radical Exegesis of the Qur’an: Sayyid Qutb”, 91-104, The Qur’an: Modern Muslim Interpretations (Oxford / New York: Routledge, 2008) Tafseer paper due Friday by 8pm, by email IV. HADITH Week VII (May 5) Hadith Interpretation Monday: Formation of the Hadith Corpus Richard Bulliet, “Orality and Authority” and “Question and Answer: The Roots of Religious Authority”, in Islam: The View from the Edge (New York: Columbia University Press, 1994), 13-22 and 81-100 Scott Lucas, “Major Topics in the Hadith”, Religion Compass, 226-239 For background: Jonathan A.C. Brown, “The Prophet’s Words Then and Now: Hadith and Its Terminology” and “The Transmission and Collection of Prophetic Traditions”, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2009), 1-66 Wednesday: Hadith Collections “Book of Divorce”, “Book on Government”, and “Book of Poetry” in Sahih Muslim (https://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/) “Revelation”, “Fear Prayer”, “Invoking Allah For Rain”, “Sales and Trade”, and “Manumission of Slaves”, in Sahih Bukhari (http://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/) Brown, “The Methods and History of Hadith Criticism”, 67-122 In class: Ghadeer hadith Week VIII (May 12): Hadith Interpretations Monday: Scott Lucas, “Divorce, Hadith-Scholar Style: From al-Darimi to al-Tirmidhi”, Journal of Islamic Studies (2008) 19 (3), 325-368 Brown, “Prophetic Traditions in Shiite Islam”, “The Function of Prophetic Traditions in Islamic Law and Legal Theory”, and “The Function of Prophetic Traditions in Theology”, 123-183 V. RECENT INTERPRETATIONS Wednesday: Egypt Roxanne D. Marcotte, “The Qur’an in Egypt I: Bint al-Shati` on Women’s Emancipation”, in Coming to Terms with the Qur’an, edited by Khaleel Mohammed and Andrew Rippen (North Haledon: Islamic Publications International, 2008), 179-208 Yusuf Rahman, “The Qur’an in Egypt III: Nasr Abu Zayd’s Literary Approach”, in Coming to Terms with the Qur’an, 227-266 Graduate students: Brown, “Debates over Prophetic Traditions in the Modern Muslim World”, 240-268” Week IX (May 19): Modern and Contemporary Reworkings Monday: Indonesia Muhammadiyah Amin and Kusmana, “Purposive Exegesis: A Study of Quraish Shihab’s Thematic Interpretation of the Qur’an”, in Approaches to the Qur’an in Contemporary Indonesia, edited by Abdullah Saeed (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 67-84 Ro’fah Mudzakir, “The Indonesian Muslim Women’s Movement and the Issue of Polygamy: The `Aisyiyah Interpretation of Qur’an 4:3 and 4:129”, in Approaches to the Qur’an in Contemporary Indonesia, 175-92 Wednesday: Contemporary Piety Koran By Heart, Available on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjGqN7f4KwQ Wendell Schwab, “Traditions and Texts: How Two Young Women Learned to Interpret the Qur’an and Hadiths in Kazakhstan”, Journal of Contemporary Islam Online First, September 2011, no page numbers Week X (May 26): Contemporary Piety Monday: Memorial Day Wednesday: New Exegetes Amina Wadud, “Introduction: How Perceptions of Women Influence Interpretation of the Qur’an” and “In the Beginning, Man and Women Were Equal: Human Creation in the Qur’an”, in Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 1-28 Juliane Hammer, “Gender Justice in a Prayer: American Muslim Women’s Exegesis, Authority, and Leadership”, in Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World 8 (2010), 26-54 Anwar al-Awlaki, “Understanding the Qur’an”, lecture transcript, no date 12