Ascendancy and authority of the tafsir genre

Creator

W. Richard Oakes

Files

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

This presentation fills a void in the literature of the relatively obscure and unstudied Islamic interpretive genre of tafsir (scriptural exegesis). Oakes argues that while Islamic tradition initially held the genre in low regard, it ascended relative to other early genres and retained its authority among scholars even when threatened by the later development of kalam (theology) and falsafa (philosophy). Tafsir established itself by citing tradition, then ventured beyond traditionalism by including poetry, mysticism, grammatical analysis, and literary analysis. This flexibility prepared the genre to respond to the threats of colonialism then post-colonialism.

Keywords

Hermeneutics

Extent

00:14:35 minutes

Language

English

Media Type

Symposia (conferences); Video recordings

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

S65-00012

Recommended Citation

Oakes, W. Richard, "Ascendancy and authority of the tafsir genre" (2008). Sacred Leaves Graduate Symposium Collection. 12.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/sacred_leaves_symposium/12