Islamic Studies and Quranic Research in the Contemporary World

Islamic Studies and Quranic Research in the Contemporary World

Islamic Interpreters' Encountering Biblical Traditions in the Views of Gabriel Reynolds

Document Type : Promotional

Authors
ُSareh Tanafard 1
Zahra Ghasemnejad 1
Seyyed Mohammad Musavi Moqaddam 2
1 Department of Quran and Jurisprudence, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology, College of Farabi, University of Tehran
10.22034/iscw.2025.2056592.1156
Abstract
Gabriel Saeed Reynolds, a Quran scholar and professor of Islamic studies and theology at the University of Notre Dame, argues that the Qur'an is best understood in light of the Judeo-Christian scriptures. He believes the Qur'an should be appreciated in light of its conversation with earlier literature, in particular Biblical literature.

In his book, The Qur'an and Its Biblical Subtext, he criticized the approach of Islamic commentators to the Biblical literature and believes that while the interpreter were aware of that subtext to varying degrees, they generally did not rely on it as a key for unlocking the meaning of the Qur’an. Reynolds suggests that some commentators even take a completely opposite and hostile approach to the Bible, which, according to him, hinders their ability to accurately interpret the Qur'an.

This research examines Reynolds's point of view, and the obstacles in referring to the Bible, including the existence of Israelism and the distortion of the Bible, as well as the permissibility of referring to the Bible in Quranic interpretation. The findings indicate that the Bible contains accurate information that can be used as one of the tools for understanding the Quran in certain situations
Keywords
Bible
falsification
Gabriel Reynolds
interpretation

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  • Receive Date 25 March 2025
  • Revise Date 11 June 2025
  • Accept Date 11 June 2025
  • First Publish Date 11 June 2025
  • Publish Date 23 August 2025