Islamic Studies
Summary
Islamic Studies is an interdisciplinary field examining the religious, intellectual, social and cultural dimensions of Islam from its seventh-century origins to the present. It encompasses Qur’anic exegesis, hadith studies, jurisprudence (fiqh), theology, history, philosophy, literature and art, while also attending to lived practices in diverse societies. Classical strands include the systematic study of scripture through hermeneutics, the development of legal theory grounded in ijtihad and the articulation of ethical norms. Modern research engages with colonial legacies, digital media, gender and environmental ethics, as well as transnational movements and interfaith dialogue. Scholars draw on philology, form criticism, ethnography and digital humanities to explore how Muslim communities negotiate tradition and change, highlighting global connections from early Islamic empires to contemporary networks of scholarship, activism and creative expression.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have examined the strategic use of social-media platforms in religious communication, demonstrating how a prominent Islamic educator leveraged an Instagram account to counter negative online content and disseminate devotional messages. By employing multimedia features such as short videos, stories, hashtags and live interactions, this work highlights the turn towards algorithmically curated digital daʿwa, revealing its potential to shape piety, influence public discourse and foster community among geographically dispersed audiences.
Research from all publishers
Advances in hermeneutical theory have established an Islamic theology of nonviolence that draws on feminist, postcolonial and liberation frameworks to re-read scriptural sources. This strand provides methodological steps for contextualising peaceful principles within legal and ethical debates, bridging scriptural fidelity with contemporary human-rights concerns.
Complementary research critically examines the double-movement theory of interpretation, refining its two-step process of moving from the sacred text to its socio-historical context and back to produce contextually informed legal and moral judgements. Such work assesses the theory’s capacity to reconcile fixed juridical norms with open interpretive principles.
Decolonial scholarship has interrogated Eurocentric paradigms in Qur’anic studies, advocating for epistemic sovereignty by integrating classical commentaries and local knowledges. Form and redaction criticism methods have been adapted to trace the composition of Qur’anic narratives, revealing variant textual traditions and promoting a pluralistic, historically grounded approach to scripture.
Islamic Studies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in islamic studies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Digital daʿwa: Online missionary activity using digital platforms to invite others to understand and embrace Islamic teachings.
Hermeneutics: Theory and methodology of interpreting sacred texts, emphasising context, language and reader perspective.
Ijtihad: Independent legal reasoning employed by qualified scholars to derive rulings and adapt Islamic law to new circumstances.
Double-movement theory: A two-step interpretive approach that alternates between textual analysis and socio-historical contextualisation to arrive at informed understandings.
Epistemic sovereignty: The pursuit of knowledge frameworks free from external hegemonic paradigms, drawing on indigenous and classical intellectual traditions.
References
- Islamic Hermeneutics of Nonviolence: Key Concepts and Methodological Steps. Religions (2022).
- THE INFLUENCE OF HERMENEUTICS IN DOUBLE MOVEMENT THEORY (CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FAZLURRAHMAN'S INTERPRETATION METHODOLOGY). QiST Journal of Quran and Tafseer Studies (2023).
- PEMANFAATAN AKUN INSTAGRAM @HANAN_ATTAKI SEBAGAI MEDIA DAKWAH. Communications (2022).
- Decolonizing Qurʾanic Studies. Religions (2022).
- Islam and the Challenge of Epistemic Sovereignty. Religions (2024).
About these summaries
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