Believing rulers and the political theology of the Qur’an within its Byzantine context
Paper by Zishan Ghaffar
Given at Unlocking the Byzantine Qurʾān conference at the University of Paderborn on August 30, 2022
Abstract: Several Qurʾānic figures as Soloman, David and Alexander are described in the Qurʾān as believers with special authority and power, who ruled on earth with divine permission. Heribert Busse famously categorized this type of Qurʾānic ruler as “Herrschertypen” and analyzed a certain affinity between them. This paper tries to reconstruct the political theology of the Qurʾān inherent to these political figures. It aims to contextualize Qurʾānic concepts such as mulk and halifa as part of late antique political discourses in the Byzantine realm.
Advertisement
Zishan Ghaffar is Professor of Quranic exegesis at the Islamic Theological Seminary of the University of Paderborn. Please visit his Academia.edu page or follow him on Twitter @GhaffarZishan
Some of the presentations at our Byzantine Qur'an conference are online now: Why are Adam and David called khalifa? Is there an anti-imperial discourse in the Qur'an? For these and other questions 👇🧵
Believing rulers and the political theology of the Qur’an within its Byzantine context
Paper by Zishan Ghaffar
Given at Unlocking the Byzantine Qurʾān conference at the University of Paderborn on August 30, 2022
Abstract: Several Qurʾānic figures as Soloman, David and Alexander are described in the Qurʾān as believers with special authority and power, who ruled on earth with divine permission. Heribert Busse famously categorized this type of Qurʾānic ruler as “Herrschertypen” and analyzed a certain affinity between them. This paper tries to reconstruct the political theology of the Qurʾān inherent to these political figures. It aims to contextualize Qurʾānic concepts such as mulk and halifa as part of late antique political discourses in the Byzantine realm.
Zishan Ghaffar is Professor of Quranic exegesis at the Islamic Theological Seminary of the University of Paderborn. Please visit his Academia.edu page or follow him on Twitter @GhaffarZishan
Click here to learn more about the Unlocking the Byzantine Qurʾān conference
To see more videos from the conference, please go to the Paderborner Institut für Islamische Theologie Youtube Channel
Top Image: Quran fragment from the 9th or 11th century CE – Walters Art Museum Ms. W.554, fol.65a
Related Posts
Subscribe to Medievalverse