Seeing God in Sufi Qur’an Commentaries

Pieter Coppens is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Theology of VU University, Amsterdam. Besides Islamic eschatology, his research focuses on the history of Qur’anic Exegesis and the history of Sufism.

• List of abbreviations 1. Introduction2. Sufi commentaries from the 4th/10th to the 7th/13th centuries: the rise of a genre 3. The ultimate boundary crossing: Paradise and Hell in the commentaries 4. The first boundary crossing: Adam descending 5. Excursus: embodying the vision of God in theology and Sufism 6. Arinī: declined at the boundary? 7. A vision at the utmost boundary 8. Conclusion Bibliography Manuscripts Unpublished sources Primary Sources Secondary sources

In both conception and execution, Seeing God in Sufi Qur’an Commentaries is an exemplary work of scholarship. [...] He presents his findings in a lucid, admirably accessible, style, with ample and clear signposting; his attention to technical issues such as citation, translation, and transliteration is impeccable[.]