Exegesis of the Qur’an (Tafsir) 2020–21

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Course Description

Q25: Surah al-Furqan (The Criterion)

The Criterion (al-Furqan) is a largely Meccan Surah, directly addressing many of the challenges and the scepticism posed by the polytheists of Quraysh: the negation of Muhammad's prophethood (Allah bless him and grant him peace), why God did not reveal the Quran all at once, and Quraysh's refusal to call God by the name The Most Compassionate (al-Rahman).

This surah addresses these contentions and refutes their arguments by exposing the logical contradictions inherent in Quraysh’s positions. The refutations are premised upon timeless principles and the unchangeable truths of the human condition, making them relevant for all time.

In the third term, we will continue our commentary on The Criterion (Surah al-Furqān) from verse 43, in which man is described as taking his caprice as god.

About the Instructor

Thaqib Mahmood

Sheikh Thaqib Mahmood is a traditionally-trained Muslim scholar and instructor in Arabic. He has studied the traditional Islamic disciplines in Yemen, Syria, the UK, Mauritania, and Turkey. He currently teaches Arabic at the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. He holds a PGDIP in Arabic teaching from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and is completing a Master's degree in linguistics at the same institution.