Subproject A01

Path and Guidance: Interpretations of Qur’anic Metaphors of Space and Movement in the Tafsīr Literature

Subproject A01 investigates metaphors of space, movement, and bodily experience in the Qur’an and the tradition of Tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis). It is based on the idea that these images do not appear in isolation but form a network of interconnected metaphors that together shape distinctive religious worlds of meaning.. Roads and journeys, proximity and distance, ascent and descent, as well as experiences of openness and constriction all contribute to the ways in which the Qur’an communicates religious ideas.

A01 explores how Muslim scholars and poets reinterpreted and expanded this metaphorical network over the course of more than a millennium, creating new layers of religious meaning in changing historical, cultural and linguistic contexts. To do so, the project combines close textual analysis with digital methods that make it possible to study large and multilingual collections of exegetical texts systematically.

By tracing the development of metaphors across time, languages, and intellectual traditions, A01 sheds new light on how religious meaning is created, transmitted, and transformed within Islamic thought.

A description of  the A01 Tafsir corpus is available under the following link.