Description

Divine Covenant explores the Qurʾānic concept of divine knowledge through scientific, theoretical paradigms - in particular natural law theory - and their relationship with seven Islamic scholarly disciplines: linguistics, hadith, politics, history, exegesis, jurisprudence, theology. By comparing scholarship within these disciplines using current state-of-the-art methodology, the study shows how the Qurʾānic concept of Divine covenant reflects natural law theory, relates to a range of other legal, political, and linguistic Qurʾānic concepts, informs the canon's entire literary structure, and has implications for a new, legal theory of 'Islamic origins'.

This book makes the case that the Islamic disciplines share political economy, institutional framework, and decisive theoretical topics with the Qurʾān. The latter includes the natural law-related issues of human rights, constitutional separation of powers, and social contract. The book surveys the scholarly deliberations of these topics within the parameters of each discipline and in changing contexts. In addition, it maps the consequences of the modern nation-state institutional order for early modern and contemporary Qurʾānic studies. The early and medieval Islamic disciplines offer scientifically valuable knowledge because they refer to the same institutional framework as the Qurʾān. These disciplines are also important parts of European political history, where they have inspired social contract theory inclusive of diverse religious identities.