Nasr Abu Zayd

Category
LITERATURE - AUTHORS

Language
ARABIC

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was an Egyptian Quranic thinker, author, academic and one of the leading liberal theologians in Islam. He is famous for his project of a humanistic Quranic hermeneutics, which "challenged mainstream views"[1] on the Quran, sparking "controversy and debate."[1] While not denying that the Quran was of divine origin, Zayd argued that it was a "cultural product"[2] that had to be read in the context of the language and culture of seventh century Arabs,[2] and could be interpreted in more than one way.[3] He also criticized the use of religion to exert political power.[4] In 1995 an Egyptian Sharia court declared him an apostate, this led to threats of death and his fleeing Egypt several weeks later.[4] He later quietly returned to Egypt where he died.[4]

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