Dmitry V. Frolov

The article proposes principles of the adequate rhythmic translation of the Arabic poetry into Russian within the accentual-syllabic system of the Russian verse. The theoretic foundation is the interpretation of the system of ‘aruḍ exposed by the author in his publications including the monograph “Classical Arabic Verse. History and Theory of ‘Arud”. The article is intended for specialists in Arabic poetry, students of Arabic and translators.

The article analyzes the position of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (839–923) on the language of the Qur’an in the introduction to his commentary.

The article deals with the historical overview of the emergence of the interest to the composition of the Qur’ān and the formation of the special discipline in the classical Muslim science written by an authority in the subject, Badr ad-Dīn az-Zarkashī. Zarkashī dates the beginning of this interest back to the first half of the Xth century but it is only in the XIII–XIVth centuries that we can speak of the existence of the discipline devoted to munāsabāt. Zarkashī’s text became a starting point for Jalāl ad-Dīn as-Suyūṭī in his famous Itqān. The article includes also a survey of the concrete approaches of Muslim scholars to the study of the structure of the Qur’ānic text.

The article studies the first classical theory of Qur’anic interpretation in the introduction to the tafsir of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (839–923).

This publication includes the introduction and the first part of a translation into Russian of the commentary to the sūra “The Opening One” (al-Fātiḥa) and the first five ayats of the sūra “the Cow” (al-Baqara) by the Russian Muslim theologian Musa Jarullah Bigiyev (1874–1949), written in Arabic and published in 1915 in Petrograd under the name “Fiqh al-Qurʼān” (The Understanding of the Qurʼān). The introduction to the translation briefly discusses the contribution of the theologian to Qurʼān studies, his scientific ties with renowned European and Russian Orientalists, as well as his methodology of interpretation. The first part of the translation covers the commentary to the first four (according to another numbering three) ayats of the sūra “The Opening One” (al-Fātiḥa), which reflects the position of M. Bigiev concerning the history of the Qurʼān, its grammar and vocabulary, the differences between the readings (qirāʼat), and his hermeneutic reasoning, which is a synthesis of reformist and mystical approaches.

This publication includes the second part of a translation into Russian of the commentary to the sūra “The Opening One” (al-Fātiḥa) and the first five ayats of the sūra “the Cow” (al-Baqara) by the Russian Muslim theologian Musa Jarullah Bigiyev (1874–1949) written in Arabic and published in 1915 year in Petrograd under the name “Fiqh al-Qurʼān” (The Understanding of the Qurʼān). It covers the commentary to the last three (according to another numbering four) ayats of the sūra “The Opening One” (al-Fātiḥa), which reflects the position of M. Bigiev concerning the history of the Qurʼān, its grammar and vocabulary, the differences between the readings (qirāʼat), and his hermeneutic reasoning, which is a synthesis of reformist and mystical approaches.

The final part of a Russian translation of Musa Jarullah Bigiev’s commentary on al-Fātiḥa and the opening verses of al-Baqara. It presents his treatment of Quranic history, grammar, vocabulary, variant readings and hermeneutics.

The book by the leading Russian scholar in Oriental and Literary studies academician A.B. Kudelin “The Life of the Prophet as a monument of medieval Arabic literature” sums up the author’s long-term involvement with one of the most famous literary achievements in Arab-Muslim culture. The book introduces the reader to this work, the history of its writing and editing, its content, composition and poetics. The narrative, which is a fusion of hagiography, historical writing and poetry, has always been a subject of interest to Islamic scholars, historians and, to a lesser extent, literary critics. The book by A.B. Kudelin combines all these approaches to the text, but the main emphasis is placed on the literary side of this masterpiece. This is the novelty of the reviewed book. The new approach allowed the author to make a number of observations and conclusions. This is, firstly, the formation of a long prose narrative in historical and adab works, arising on the basis of a mosaic of isolated brief testimonies and stories, and secondly, the growth of elements of fiction within functional prose. Thirdly, the chosen angle of view allowed the author to re-evaluate the role of poetry in the structure of “Biography”, which was previously often perceived as a purely decorative, ornamental element, to see in it a continuation of pre-Islamic oral literature, which was characterized by prosimetry. The conclusions drawn by A.B. Kudelin go beyond the scope of the topic and highlights a number of important theoretical and methodological issues. The book is useful to anyone interested in Arab-Muslim culture and literature, students of Oriental studies, not to mention researchers on a wide range of issues.