al-Muqaddimat al-Asasiyya fi Ulum al-Quran
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Markaz al-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyyah
al-Muqaddimat al-Asasiyya fi Ulum al-Quran (The Fundamental Introductions to the Sciences of the Quran) is a single-volume treatise on Quranic sciences by the contemporary Iraqi scholar Abd Allah al-Juday (Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Yusuf al-Juday al-Anazi), completed in Muharram 1422 AH (April 2001 CE) .
Background and Methodology
Al-Juday composed the book out of a long-standing intent to articulate essential, foundational introductions necessary for studying the Quran and understanding its text and transmission . His stated method was to establish foundational rules by harmonizing authentic textual transmission (sahih al-naql) with clear reason (sarih al-'aql), eschewing blind imitation (taqlid) and strictly avoiding reliance on weak historical or hadith reports .
The author distinguished between core foundational Quranic sciences and subjects treated in related disciplines . He intentionally excluded detailed applied fields of Quranic exegesis (such as Quranic parables and stories), general linguistic disciplines (Arabic grammar, morphology, and rhetoric), and jurisprudential derivation (which belongs to usul al-fiqh and fiqh), focusing instead on foundational Quranic sciences . However, he included abrogation (naskh) because of its direct relevance to the preservation and integrity of the Quranic text .
Structure and Contents
The book opens with a preliminary overview (tamhid) discussing the orthodox theological doctrine regarding the Quran as the uncreated speech of God, its canonical names and descriptions, the technical definitions of surah and ayah, and aspects of its inimitability (i'jaz) . The main text is structured around six core introductions (muqaddimat) :
- The Revelation of the Quran (Nuzul al-Quran): Covering the modality and stages of revelation, the reasons for revelation (asbab al-nuzul), the distinction between Meccan and Medinan passages (al-makki wa-l-madani), the first and last revealed verses, and the seven modes of recitation (al-ahruf al-sab'a) .
- The Preservation and Collection of the Quran (Hifz al-Quran): Its memorization and textual compilation during the prophetic and early caliphal eras .
- The Transmission of the Quran (Naql al-Quran): Its modes of oral and written transmission across generations .
- Abrogation in the Quran (al-Naskh fi al-Quran): The theoretical validity, types, and theological implications of abrogation .
- The Interpretation of the Quran (Tafsir al-Quran): Foundational principles and rules governing authentic Quranic exegesis .
- The Rulings of Quranic Recitation (Ahkam Qira'at al-Quran): Legal and procedural rules concerning reading and reciting the scripture .
Reception, Editions, and Abridgments
The work was first published in 1422 AH (2001 CE) by the Islamic Research Centre in Leeds, United Kingdom, and distributed by Mu'assasat al-Rayyan in Beirut, with a third edition released in 1427 AH (2006 CE) .
Contemporary educators and Quranic scholars, such as Amr al-Sharqawi and Musa'id al-Tayyar, recommend it as an essential text for students building a structured curriculum in Quranic studies . In 1437 AH (2016 CE), Hazim Khanfar abridged the book under the title Babat fi Ulum al-Quran as the fourth entry in his series of summarized scholarly primers (Silsilat Mutun al-Kutub wa-Mukhtasiratiha), preserving al-Juday's analytical choices and conclusions .
Answer updated