Philosophical Perspectives on Modern Quranic Exegesis

This contribution by Massimo Campanini to the ever maturing and increasingly popular discussions on the Qur’an, and hermeneutics is a welcome addition. The author seeks to essentially reconcile the inherent axiomatic truth of the Qur’an with the fluctuating indeterminate post-modernist world. Professor Campanini speaks from within a dialectical framework, whereby his thesis reconciles the contextual and the emblematic analysis of the Qur’an. This identified approach is reflected in the design and stylistic aspects of the book, which is divided into two sections. Part one of the book formulates an expansive hermeneutical reformulation to redefine our conceptual understanding of how we know the Qur’an. Campanini attains this by utilising Heidegger’s notion of the ‘event’ (Ereignis) and its relation to place (Lichtung) to argue that the level of language and level of ‘disclosure of truth’ (a-letheia) are exemplified in the Qur’an as a linguistic system, through which the Being (God) shows Himself and His ‘disclosure of truth’ is known through the actual words as revealed to and subsequently conveyed by the Prophets.