Interpreting the Qur'an

Abdullah Saeed is the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has written widely on Islam and is the author and editor of a number of books, including Approaches to Qur??n in Contemporary Indonesia (2005), Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam (co-author, 2004), Islam and Political Legitimacy (2003), Islam in Australia (2003) and Islamic Banking and Interest (1996).

'Debates among Muslims over the conception of the authority of the Qur'an underlie much of what is read about Islam in the popular media these days. This book by Abdullah Saeed will add a new voice to those debates and, as its impact is felt, broaden the popular conception of what Islam is all about today.' - Andrew Rippin, University of Victoria, Canada'Saeed does a masterful job... judicious scholarship and temperate, yet scholarly style greatly help to develop his core thesis.' - Jason Walsh, Religion and Theology Journal'In a field that still lacks adequate historical surveys and monographs, Saeed offers an insightful work ... An intellectually engaging and revealing work.' – American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences'The book is presented in a scholarly manner and is well-documented. Many will find it a useful teaching and learning aid whose contents are clear, concise and eminently readable. The approach adopted is promising and the book is a welcome addition to the field of Qur'anic studies.' -Islamic Studies journal

• Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 The context of the debate on interpretation; Chapter 3 Revelation and interpretation; Chapter 4 Interpretation based on tradition and textualism; Chapter 5 Interpretation based on reason; Chapter 6 Flexibility in reading the text; Chapter 7 Abrogation and reinterpretation; Chapter 8 The meaning of the text as an approximation; Chapter 9 Recognition of the complexity of meaning; Chapter 10 Socio-historical context and interpretation; Chapter 11 Ethico-legal texts and a hierarchy of values; Chapter 12 Epilogue;