The largely Arabo-centric approach to the academic study of tafsir has resulted in a lack of literature exploring the diversity of Qur'anic interpretation in other areas of the Muslim-majority world. The essays in The Qur'an in the Malay-Indonesian World resolve this, aiming to expand our knowledge of tafsir and its history in the Malay-Indonesian world. Highlighting the scope of Qur'anic interpretation in the Malay world in its various vernaculars, it also contextualizes this work to reveal its place as part of the wider Islamic world, especially through its connections to the Arab world, and demonstrates the strength of these connections. The volume is divided into three parts written primarily by scholars from Malaysia and Indonesia. Beginning with a historical overview, it then moves into chapters with a more specifically regional focus to conclude with a thematic approach by looking at topics of some controversy in the broader world. Presenting new examinations of an under-researched topic, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic studies and Southeast Asian studies.

This highly informative and insightful study opens numerous windows into the history of Islamic religious thought in the Malay-Indonesian world from the thirteenth to the late twentieth century. The author begins by addressing theological issues relevant to the wider Islamic world then examines Malay-Indonesian Islamic thought in the pre-twentieth century period and Islamic religious thought in Southeast Asia in the modern era.

While many books have probed the role of Islam in political and social change in Southeast Asia over the past three decades, few have focused on the power of the religious discourse itself in shaping this transformation. Contemporary Islamic Discourse in the Malay–Indonesian World captures the interplay between religion and social thought in comparative case studies from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Drawing on a critical sociology of knowledge and a profound understanding of historical contexts, the central focus is on Muslim intellectuals who have grappled with the impact of modernity in these societies, between those seeking to reform Islam’s role and those who take a hardline defensive stance. The discussion deals successively with the role of religious traditionalism, the upsurge of dakwah revivalism and the public sphere, attitudes towards democracy and pluralism, and finally the ideas advanced by liberal Islam and its opponents. Above all, Azhar Ibrahim offers the reader a creative way of understanding the modern Islamic discourse and its relationship to the remaking of society at large. ‘Azhar Ibrahim’s book cuts through the noise of much discourse on Islam and puts perspective to a vast amount of materials, effectively constructing their actual social and historical meaning. It should be read by all those seeking an in-depth understanding of contemporary Southeast Asia, even beyond the particular issues of Islam and Muslims’. — Shaharuddin Maaruf Academy of Malay Studies, University of Malaya ‘This book is a must read for all those interested in a critical evaluation of the force and implications of religious traditionalism, conservatism and revivalism on the development of plural and democratic Muslim societies in Southeast Asia, and the challenges they pose to critical voices struggling for the relevance of ethical and humanist traditions of Islam’. — Noor Aisha binte Abdul Rahman Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore

This volume is a collection of essays on transregional aspects of Malay-Indonesian Islam and Islamic Studies, based on Peter G. Riddell’s broad interest and expertise.

The Islamic World is an outstanding guide to Islamic faith and culture in all its geographical and historical diversity. Written by a distinguished international team of scholars, it elucidates the history, philosophy and practice of one of the world's great religious traditions. Its grounding in contemporary scholarship makes it an ideal reference source for students and scholars alike. Edited by Andrew Rippin, a leading scholar of Islam, the volume covers the political, geographical, religious, intellectual, cultural and social worlds of Islam, and offers insight into all aspects of Muslim life including the Qur’an and law, philosophy, science and technology, art, literature, and film and much else. It explores the concept of an ‘Islamic’ world: what makes it distinctive and how uniform is that distinctiveness across Muslim geographical regions and through history?

In the 19th century, colonial rule brought the modern world closer to the Indonesian peoples, introducing mechanized transport, all-weather roads, postal and telegraph communications, and steamship networks that linked Indonesia's islands to each other, to Europe and the Middle East. This book looks at Indonesia's global importance, and traces the entwining of its peoples and economies with the wider world. The book discusses how products unique to Indonesia first slipped into regional trade networks and exposed scattered communities to the dynamic influence of far-off civilizations. It focuses on economic and cultural changes that resulted in the emergence of political units organized as oligarchies or monarchies, and goes on to look in detail at Indonesia's relationship with Holland's East Indies Company. The book analyses the attempts by politicians to negotiate ways of being modern but uniquely Indonesian, and considers the oscillations in Indonesia between movements for theocracy and democracy. It is a useful contribution for students and scholars of World History and Southeast Asian Studies.

This handbook explores the ways in which Islam, as one of the fastest growing religions, has become a global faith for both Muslims and non-Muslims in Southeast Asia with its universality, inclusivity, and shared features with other Islamic expressions and manifestations. It offers an up-to-date, wide-ranging, comprehensive, concise, and readable introduction to the field of Islam in Southeast Asia. With specific themes of pertinent contemporary relevance, the contributions by experts in the field provide fresh insights into the roles of states, societies, scholars, social movements, political parties, economic institutions, sacred sites, and other forces that structured the faith over many centuries. The handbook is structured in three parts: Muslim Global Circulations Marginal Narratives Refashioning Pieties This handbook stands out as a single and synergistic reference work that explores the ebb and flow of Islam seeking to decenter many existing assumptions about it in Southeast Asia. It will be an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and policymakers working on Islam, Muslims, and their interactions with other communities in a plural setting.

"Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has a vibrant intellectual community that is undertaking interesting and challenging work on Islam. This volume brings together a cross-section of Muslim intellectuals, from traditionalists to neo-modernists, and makes their varied approaches to the Qur'an accessible in English to a wider, global audience for the first time."--BOOK JACKET.

This book studies the political and institutional project of Al-Qur’an dan Terjemahnya, the official translation of the Qurʾān into Indonesian by the Indonesian government. It investigates how the translation was produced and presented, and how it is read, as well as considering the implications of the state’s involvement in such a work. Lukman analyses the politicisation of the Qurʾān commentary through discussion of how the tafsīr mechanism functions in this version, weighing up the translation’s dual constraints: the growing political context, on the one hand, and the tafsīr tradition on the other. In doing so, the book pays attention to three key areas: the production phase, the textual material, and the reception of the translation by readers. This book will be of value to scholars with an interest in tafsīr studies, modern and Southeast Asian or Indonesian tafsīr sub-fields, the study of Qurʾān translations, and Indonesian politics and religion more broadly.