Tafsir of Juz 28 (Qad Sami Allah) with Shaykh Akram Nadwi

Course Description

Join Shaykh Akram Nadwi for a weekly live online study of Juz 28 of the Qur’an (Juz Qad Sami Allah). Beginning with Surah al-Mujadilah and concluding with Surah al-Tahrim, the course is intended to cover the Juz in detail over 24 taught weeks, inshaAllah.

Shaykh Akram’s approach to tafsir places particular emphasis on understanding the Qur’an through the Qur’an itself, paying close attention to the Arabic language, context, structure, themes and the relationship between verses and surahs.

An important feature of the course will be the study of thematic and structural coherence (nazm) in the Qur’an, drawing particularly on the methodology developed by the great Indian Qur’anic scholar Mawlana Hamid al-Din Farahi (d. 1930) and the wider scholarly tradition associated with his approach.

Alongside engaging with classical and contemporary tafsir, Shaykh Akram will offer his own explanations, analysis and reflections on the Qur’anic text, drawing on more than four decades of scholarship in Qur’anic studies, Hadith, fiqh, Arabic and the wider Islamic tradition. Students will therefore encounter not only established exegetical traditions, but also Shaykh Akram’s own scholarly engagement with the meanings, arguments and structure of the Qur’an.

Throughout the course, theological, legal, linguistic and spiritual dimensions of the verses will be explored, while demonstrating how different interpretations can be understood and critically assessed.

Overview

Throughout the course, students will explore the surahs of Juz 28 with particular attention to:

• The language and meanings of the Qur’anic text
• The relationship between verses, passages and surahs
• The central themes and structural coherence of each surah
• The Qur’an’s explanation of its own concepts and passages
• Classical and contemporary approaches to tafsir
• Theological, legal and spiritual guidance derived from the verses
• The methodology of Hamid al-Din Farahi and the study of Qur’anic coherence
• Shaykh Akram’s own analysis, explanations and reflections on the Qur’anic text

Primary Text

The Qur’an

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate familiarity with major approaches and works within the tafsir tradition
• Understand the principal themes and structure of the surahs studied
• Analyse Qur’anic passages in their linguistic and textual context
• Recognise relationships and coherence between verses and passages
• Compare and critically engage with different exegetical interpretations
• Derive theological, legal and spiritual insights using sound principles of Qur’anic interpretation