Aesthetic Reading on Quran; Past and

Present

Every sacred text has been sustained with an aesthetic reading by its own proponents.
This pursuit promoted the followers to make a creative engagement with the ideology
presented by the text. As a sacred book that has been accepted across the globe, Quran
also was ornamented by aesthetic reading of some scholars. All over the history, Quranic
verses and notions have been subjected to such description. The epistemological
underpinnings of such writings can be traced in the blend of revealed knowledge and
human knowledge of every time.

While Al Gazali like scholar described philosophical aspects of Quranic verses, Imam
Al Razi interpreted them based on rational thinking. By the advent of mystical aesthetics
which were expressed by some sophisticated Sufis such as Ibn Arabi, Sufi aesthetics was
established. Along with making the dogmatic reading of eschatological factors and moral
conducts found in Quranic verses, many works that focused on aesthetical reading were
written. Aesthetical hermeneutics of Quran was the outcome of this tradition. This paper
is intended to make an exhaustive literature review on such works and explore the
epistemological integration accomplished by such reading.

Key words: Aesthetic reading, Quran, Epistemological integration, Sufi aesthetics.

Bio: M M Masroor is an independent research scholar from Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

He is presently pursuing post-graduation in theology and philosophy at Markaz Sharia
City and also being traditionally trained in Islamic classical knowledge. His interesting
areas consist of Asharite Philosophy, Sufi psychology, Epistemological integration.

Email:mmmbeary@gmail.com Call: 9480239957