Locating the Qur’an in the Modern World: Towards a Maqasidi Tafseer

KURAMER (Qur’anic Research Center at 29 May University) and IIIT-UK, in cooperation with MAHYA and IESE organized a symposium on April 29, 2017. Participants included the last four presidents of Diyanet (Turkey’s Religious Affairs directorate) along with several important scholars of Islamic theology.

The Symposium opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Ali Bardakoğlu, Director of KURAMER, and former President of Diyanet.

Dr. Anas al-Shaikh-Ali followed with a welcoming speech outlining the need for a Maqasidi tafseer, and the emphasis IIIT has put into Qur’anic Studies and Maqasidi thought in the form of books, seminars and conferences. He also highlighted the IIIT Educational Reform in Muslim Societies project which intends to focus on the crisis facing education in these societies. Prof. Mehmet Görmez, current President of Diyanet,
discussed Maqasidi thought in Islamic tafseer tradition. He emphasized the importance of Maqasidi studies in today’s world, and concluded with praise of the IIIT and its work, as well as how delighted he was at the Institute’s cooperation in the organization of the event, which he viewed as a fitting commemoration of Prof. Ismail R. al Faruqi’s legacy.

The Symposium was organized into three panels around the framework of the
Symposium theme.

Panel 1: Constructing a Qur’anic Worldview Based on Qur’anic Values
Chair : Prof. Raşit Küçük, President of ISAM
Papers were presented by Prof. Ömer Özsoy (Frankfurt Goethe University) on
“Qur’anic Discourse in the Modern World” with discussion by Dr. Raed Okasha;
and Dr. Mustafa Jaber al-Alwani (from Iraq) on “Qur’anic Values in the Modern
World” with discussion by Dr. Fathi Malkawi.

Panel 2: Maqasidi Thought and Maqasidi Tafseer in Islamic Tradition
Chair : Dr. Fathi Malkawi
Papers were presented by Dr. Ali Muhammad As’ad on “Maqasidi Thought and
Maqasidi Tafseer in Islamic Tradition” with discussion by Dr. Beddy Ebnou; and
Prof. Ahmet Yaman (Necmettin Erbakan University) on “Maqasidi Approach to the
Qur’an, Sunnah and Islam” with discussion by Prof. Ferhat Koca (Hitit University).

Panel 3: Maqasidi Tafseer and Maqasidi Approaches in Contemporary Islamic Thought
Papers were presented by Prof. Emin Maşalı (Marmara University) on “Maqasidi
Approach in Classical Tafsir: Rashid Rida and Ibn Ashur as Case Studies” with
discussion by Prof. Bilal Gökkır (Istanbul University); Prof. Abdulmajid Al-Najjar
(from Tunisia) on “The Need for Maqasidi Tafseer in Contemporary Islamic
Thought” with discussion by Prof. Abdurrahman Haçkalı (Recep T. Erdoğan
University).

The Symposium concluded with a speech given by Prof. Sait Hatipoğlu, a senior
scholar of Islamic theology who attended the whole event, and Closing Remarks by
Dr. Beddy Ebnou (on behalf of the IIIT), and Prof. Bardakoğlu (on behalf of
KURAMER). Both speakers congratulated everyone on the success of the event, the
importance of the topics discussed, and the need for a concrete plan for the
development of the Maqasidi tafseer project.

The Symposium ended with a dinner invitation at which Prof. Bardakoğlu and Dr.
Anas agreed to follow up on the Maqasidi tafseer project.