Approach to Contextual Coherence and Its Function in the Qur’anic Studies of Aisha Abd al-Rahman

Abstract

Aisha Abd al-Rahman, known as Bint al-Shati, was a contemporary Qur’anic scholar and a Sunni Muslim thinker whose Qur’anic perspectives have attracted the attention of researchers in recent decades. In her interpretation of the Qur’an, she employed the literary-rhetorical method; therefore, her exegesis maintains a close relationship with literary discussions. This Qur’anic scholar made extensive use of contextual indicators (siyāq) in interpreting the Qur’an. Among the most important Qur’an-oriented principles and foundations in Bint al-Shati’s Qur’anic studies is the reliance on the contextual coherence of verses as a criterion for understanding Qur’anic texts. The primary issue of the present study is the examination of the function of contextual indicators in the Qur’anic studies of this exegete. Using a descriptive–analytical method, the author concludes that this Qur’anic scholar, with a rhetorical orientation and through a modernist approach influenced by familiarity with Orientalist methods in Qur’anic studies, relied predominantly on general context (i.e., the Qur’an as a whole). In this regard, several important theoretical points emerge concerning the application of context that must be taken into consideration: first, the lexical meaning of every Qur’anic word must be identified; second, the semantic associations of all Qur’anic verses related to the subject under discussion must be considered; and third, sufficient awareness of the textual structure and context of the verses must be attained in order to comprehend Qur’anic words and concepts. Through this method, an individual becomes capable of discerning the original meaning of the Qur’anic text and Qur’anic principles, thereby avoiding the imposition of non-Qur’anic projections upon the text.