Works on the Qur'anic Sciences From Ottoman Times Until Today
Scholars have written many books containing basic information about the Qur'anic sciences, and the methodology of tafsir ever since the Ottoman period. The aim of this article is to elucidate, first of all, the unique aspects of these works as well as to determine their contribution to the current literature. It will then be possible to provide insights into the ways in which scholars can benefit from the works concerned, and to specify both the weaknesses of the field and the need to carry out qualified research regarding the subjectmatter at hand. Obviously, in every field of inquiry, there are founding works, which set the style, genre, and the literary paradigm. There are also others that are the products of rigorous effort, but are not deemed as valuable. The last category of works concerns those with no unique contribution. By aiming to categorize works on the Qur'anic sciences along these lines and to point at pioneering works in the field, this article hopes to shed light on their distinctive characteristics. Every work tells us something about the dominant intellectual atmosphere and understanding of scholarship of the time in which it came into existence. This article contains plenty of data that would allow the reader, directly or indirectly, to evaluate the relevant literature along the lines stated above. The fact that one can find in books authored from the late Ottoman era, the urgency and the need to respond to the Orientalist challenge is a proof in that direction.
MEHMET EMİN MAŞALI
