Module manager: Tajul Islam
Email: t.islam@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
| ARAB3120 | The Hadith: History, Criticism and Canonisation |
ARAB2320 The Qur’an ARAB3120 The Hadith
This module is approved as a discovery module
The Qur’an is believed by Muslims to be the third volume of a trilogy that includes the Jewish Torah and the Christian Gospels. It is with this in mind that the module surveys the Qur'an's core theological themes, explores the historical context of its development as a scripture, highlights the debates surrounding the nature of revelation and historicism of the text, examines the notion of abrogation (naskh) and interpretation (tafsir), and sets the Qur'anic text within its Biblical context. The Hadith is believed by many Muslims to be the words of Prophet Muhammad which is part of revelation yet not the Qur’an. The module surveys the Hadith as a literary genre, explores the historical context of its development as a scriptural source, highlights the debates surrounding the nature of hadith and historicism of the hadith corpus, examines the debates surrounding the genesis amongst Muslim (Traditionalist, Modernist and Feminist) and Western scholarship. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module will equip students with an ability to thematically navigate through the contents of the Qur'an and understand the historical development of the Qur'anic text and its centrality to the Islamic tradition. It will provide students with a broad acquaintance with Qur'anic sciences ('ulum al-qur'an) and the interpretation of the text. Students will explore the Qur'an as the first authoritative source in the Muslim tradition, and its significant interplay with Islamic theology, law and other disciplines. It will also equip students with a broad acquaintance with Hadith literature, the second authoritative source in Islam, and its significant interplay with Islamic theology, law and mysticism, alongside the Qur’an. Moreover, they will gain a specialized understanding of Hadith science through the exploration of methods of interpretation and assessment of the literature. Furthermore, they will engage with the views of Western scholarship on the issue in addition to classical and modern Muslim scholarship.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1- Appraise the Qur’an as a religious text and the Hadith corpus as a religious and literary genre
2- Interpret the core themes from the Qur’an and the Hadith corpus through comparative reading of original texts in English translation
3- Justify a personal interpretation of debated topics in academia and the Islamic tradition on the historical genesis of the Qur’an and the Hadith corpus and the exegetical tradition arising from Islamic scripture
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4- Identify, synthesise, and critically evaluate ideas and information from different specialised sources
5- Develop a well-structured argument that is based on evidence and informed by relevant scholarly debates
6- Communicate ideas and information clearly and effectively.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 21 | 1 | 21 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 168 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 32 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Student progress will be monitored through:
- Monitored peer discussions (seminars)
- In-class questions (lectures)
- Mock “debate” on disputed topics (e.g. ‘createdness’ of the Qur’an; text criticism of the Hadith in academia and the Islamic tradition)
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
There is no reading list for this module
Last updated: 24/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team