On the Making of The Study Quran​

The publication of The Study Quran has been hailed as a groundbreaking event in Qurʾānic studies. A team of four scholars led by Seyyed Hossein Nasr produced a new English translation of the Qurʾān along with a verse-by-verse commentary based on classical scholarship. Each sūra begins with a short introduction that situates it within a broader thematic and historical context and provides an overview of its content. Essays by fifteen internationally renowned scholars on how to read and understand the Qurʾān and its role in shaping Islamic civilization further enhance the usefulness of the The Study Quran. Maps, a timeline of historical events, comprehensive indices, biographical notes and index of ḥadīth citations are other important features of this work which brings to the readers of English a vast amount of classical scholarship. Journal of Islamic Sciences is pleased to provide excerpts from a conversation with the Editor-in-Chief of this landmark publication. Seyyed Hossein Nasr sheds light on how the project was conceived and carried out over a period of ten years; he responds to some of the criticism that has appeared in social media and talks about the importance of this publication in the context of academic studies on the Qurʾān.

Keywords: The Study Quran; Qurʾānic Studies; Muslim understanding of the Qurʾān; Qurʾān and the modern world; classical commentaries on the Qurʾān.

Journal of Islamic Sciences, Vol. 13 (Winter 2015) No. 2

Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Seyyed Hossein Nasr is the University Professor of Islamic studies at The George Washington University, Washington DC and President of the Foundation for Traditional Studies.