| dc.description.abstracteng | Intertextuality, as an overarching concept concerning the interrelations between
texts, can be defined as "the ways in which texts refer to and build on other texts." The
narratives of the Qurʾān are amongst the clearest manifestations of this intertextual
phenomenon. This is not only because they are concerned with pre-Islamic figures
who have parallels in Jewish and Christian traditions, but also because many verses in
these narratives obviously allude to such extra-Qurʾānic traditions.
The present dissertation addresses this issue in Qurʾānic studies, which constitutes
a main question in modern research on the intertextual allusions in Islam’s revealed
scripture. Hence, it deals with the virtual absence of reliance upon a literary approach
to these allusions, informed by contemporary allusional studies.
In particular, the dissertation analyzes the intertextual allusions (to such extra-
Qurʾānic traditions) evident in three groups of Qurʾānic narrative pericopes. These
concern:
(1) The story of the biblical Prophet Jonah (Q 68:48-50, 37:139-48, 21:87-8, 10:98,
6:86, and 4:163);
(2) The creation account on the sin of the first human couple, Adam and Eve, and
of God teaching Adam the names of everything (Q 20:120-121, 7:19-22, 2:31-3 and
2:35-6); and
(3) The laughter of Sarah, wife of Abraham, and the story of Abraham’s
intercession for Lot’s People (Q 51:24-30 and 11:69-76).
The main goal of the dissertation is (by means of a systematic application of an
approach primarily based on a method developed in allusional studies) to explore the
significance of the intertextual allusions contained in the aforementioned narrative
pericopes. Thus it will shed new light on the function of intertextual allusions in the
narratives of the Qurʾān and highlight the significance of these allusions in forming an
“inter-textual conversation” between the narrative pericopes in the Qurʾān and their Jewish and Christian antecedent traditions. It is hoped that the impact of this
dissertation will extend beyond the boundaries of the academic study of religion and
that its findings will contribute meaningfully to the contemporary dialogue between
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. | de |