Islam Through Its Scriptures
Experience the central and sacred text of Islam
Join Harvard faculty in this course to learn about the Quran through an exploration of the rich diversity of roles and interpretations in Muslim societies.
5-10 hours a week
5–10 hours per week
What You'll Learn
How can you improve your understanding of Islam and its most important holy text, the Quran? How can you make sense of a tradition and a text that have been interpreted in different ways across vast geographical spaces for nearly a millennium and a half?
Using a multimedia and student-centered approach, this religion course provides tools and perspectives for understanding the role of the Quran in the Islamic tradition. Learners will develop the skills and context to read the text themselves, while also being introduced to some of the issues classical and contemporary interpreters have addressed. This approach enables learners to explore the influence of the Quran on diverse Muslim understandings of Islam.
The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will learn:
- An introduction to the place of the Quran in Muslim cultures
- Major themes of the Quran
- The historical and cultural contexts of the Quran
- Interpretive skills that enable a more nuanced reading of the Quran
- Diverse approaches Muslims have adopted to engaging with Quranic texts, including issues in contemporary interpretation
Your Instructor
Ali Sultaan Asani is the Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures and the Director of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University.
Ways to take this course
When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.
A Verified Certificate costs $149 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.
Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.