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The multisensory engagement with the Qur'an: Teaching the Qur'an beyond the written word
Author(s) -
Umashankar Rachana Rao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/teth.12569
Subject(s) - islam , emotive , conceptualization , humanity , psychology , sociology , aesthetics , pedagogy , linguistics , philosophy , theology , anthropology
The Qur'an in the Islamic tradition, understood as the veritable word of God addressed directly to Muhammad, is much more than sacred text: it is the embodiment of the divine in humanity's midst. This understanding has impacted how Muslims engage with it, resulting in what I term the “multisensory engagement with the Qur'an.” That is, Muslims primarily engage with the Qur'an through visual, aural, oral, tactile, and emotive avenues. And yet, in most undergraduate religion courses, the Qur'an is taught only as text and not as beyond text. Through a brief survey of the Islamic conceptualization of the Qur'an, I propose that a deliberate strategy is needed to give non‐textual modes of engagement equal space. Since Religious Studies pedagogies should be more in line with how the Qur'an is used and understood by Muslims, I offer a sample pedagogical model to teach this multisensory engagement with the Qur'an.