The Composition of Srat Maryam

This book studies the composition or structure of Srat Maryam the 19th sra of the Quran according to the principles of Semitic rhetoric. Srat Maryam has, in recent decades, been the subject of numerous studies by scholars of Islamology and Quranology. The general structure of the sra, however, is not unanimously recognized among researchers, due to certain inconsistencies in rhyme and content of the text. This book takes a literary approach to the Quran, following the rules of a method well known in Quranic studies rhetorical analysis. The book first analyses the sra as it appears in the Quran today in the Muslim world, before focusing on a large section which shows a great literary unity, isolatable from the rest of the sra. Through the assiduous and detailed reading of the sra, its complex structure is gradually revealed. Other contexts are also considered: first, that of other sras of the Quran, if they can shed light on the meaning of the sra under study; and second, that of the Bible or the Jewish and Christian apocrypha. The book will be of particular interest to scholars working in Quranic studies and Biblical studies, and those focused on Christian-Muslim relations.