Overview

Hermeneutics of the Cave: Islam, Ontology and the Recovery of Meaning proposes an intellectual focus on the Qur’anic recovery of meaning. Akel Ismail Kahera contends that the Qur'anic exegesis must be recognized if we are to understand its clear representation of the ontological situation, the primordial self, and the life universe from Islam’s exegetical standpoint. When the Qur’anic evidence is examined in the chapters of this volume, three discourses—allegory, eschatology, and exegesis—provide a critical review of the hermeneutic analysis of being, the importance of belief, and divine knowledge. The chapters move beyond the Socratic arguments and Plato’s cave allegory to discuss ontology and the recovery of meaning. What is being argued is a polysemic expansion of Plato’s allegorical framework of self as derived from the experience of the Socratic discourse—the drama and experience of the divided line, as well as the insoluble conversation on these philosophic frameworks that are still relevant today.

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9781666939026

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Reviews

This extended remuneration on a central legend of Islamic and Christian traditions, “the sleepers of the cave,” weaves allegories of the cave drawn from the Greek philosophical heritage, the exegetical literature surrounding the Quranic reference in the “Chapter of the Cave,” and other insights to speak to an enduring incumbency of commitment to truth-seeking in all cultures. Akel Kahera’s work will interest a wide audience interested in the hermeneutics of sacred texts and centuries-long intercultural dialogue around a continuously compelling account of righteous struggle despite all odds. * Zachary Wright, Professor of History and Religious Studies, Northwestern University in Qatar *

Author Information

Akel Ismail Kahera is professor of architecture and sustainable urbanism at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

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