MESA Banner
Dialogues of the Hereafter in the Quran: Insights on the Social Dynamics of a Meccan Discourse
Abstract
This paper examines a bulk of Quranic verses that feature a series of dialogues that, according to the Quran, will occur among the inhabitants of Hell. These verses (for instance, Q 2:165-167; 14: 21; 34:31-33; 37:27-33; 40:46-48) proclaim that a quarrel will emerge on the Day of Judgment among the disbelievers who reside in Fire. Those who were weak (al-ḍuʿafāʾ, al-ladhīna istuḍʿifū) will blame their masters ―those who waxed arrogant (al-ladhīna istakbarū)― for leading them astray in the worldly life. The latter group will deny any responsibility and insist on the culpability of the first group (the weak) who, to the contrary, claimed that they were promised salvation by their “chiefs and great ones.” This arguing that goes back and forth between the two groups reflects a similar dialogue between the disbelievers and “their master” Satan who, intervening in this dispute, will disown his followers altogether, weak or arrogant, and reveals that he cannot come to their aid (Q. 14:22; 59:16). The paper argues that these verses (around 70 verses belonging to 13 passages in 12 suras) form a coherent Quranic discourse that is addressed to a particular audience in the time of proclamation. Given that the majority of these verses are said to belong to the Meccan period, the study considers the social dynamics to which this discourse responds. The examination of this discourse is achieved on three levels. First, on textual level, the intricacies of the verses are scrutinized, particularly the recurrent terminology and its connotation within the Quranic text (such as the emphasized opposition between mustaḍʿafūn and mustakbirūn). Second, on the formal level, the techniques of dialogue employed in the relevant passages are revealed from a literary point of view. Third, on the interpretative level; the classical tafsīr literature is consulted for insights on the Muslim reception(s) of the teachings embedded in those verses.
Discipline
Religious Studies/Theology
Geographic Area
All Middle East
Sub Area
None