ANALYTICAL SURVEY OF THE BOOK ‘ATLAS OF THE QUR’AN’ BY DR. SHAUQI ABU-KHALIL

Abstract

The topic is one of the Modern Approaches to Tafseer Literature, basically categorized under Tafseeru’l-‘Ilmiy (Scientific Exegesis). The book of study itself (Atlas of the Qur’an) is an authentic collection of the Qur’anic Information about its historical places with their Maps, Tables and Pictures. The book is a unique publication which is coming to limelight for the first time, and its Subject has not been delved into by anyone before the Author (Abu-Khalil). As one of its kind, the book helps whoever studied al-Qur’an to know the precise location of the ancient Places, Nations, People and Landmarks mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an. Infact, the book remains an exploratory research work par excellence! To ascertain these facts, this paper foremostly gives an insight into the exact meaning, types and era of Tafseer Literature. The paper further examines the reasons why this excellent book is spectacularly a Modern Scientific Tafseer, making reference to the Biography of the Author, vis-à-vis the methodology adopted by him in compiling this unprecedented scientific publication on the geography of al-Qur’an. For the fact that knowledge keeps evolving according to the ages, the paper afterwards, concludes and makes some viable recommendations for whosoever that wanted to adopt a similar system of making Tafseer at this modern period of ours or, in the near future.