Non-Muslim Scholarly Perspectives on Islam
Toshihiko Izutsu’s Semantic Analysis of the Quran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30651/ah.v10i2.26460Abstract
This article examines non-Muslim perspectives on Islam, focusing on Toshihiko Izutsu’s semantic analysis of the Quran. Izutsu, a Japanese scholar, applied a linguistic approach to explore key Quranic concepts such as Allah, iman (faith), and kufr (disbelief), tracing their transformation from pre-Islamic contexts into Islam’s theocentric worldview. Through semantic analysis—involving the collection, comparison, and interpretation of words within conceptual fields—the study reveals how the Quran shapes dynamic value systems and ontology. The findings demonstrate Islam’s transformation of Arab societal paradigms from anthropocentric to Allah-centric, while affirming the Quran’s universal relevance as a guide for humanity. The article also evaluates Izutsu’s contributions to interdisciplinary religious studies, bridging Eastern philosophical sensitivity with Western methodologies. This semantic approach enriches the understanding of sacred texts and fosters cross-cultural and interreligious dialogue, highlighting the Quran’s adaptability to contemporary ethical and existential challenges.
Keywords: Non-Muslim studies, Quranic semantics, Toshihiko Izutsu, Weltanschauung, Conceptual transformation.
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