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Publication details [#63909]

Abdulkadir, Abubakar. 2018. The place of colours. An examination of the verses on black and white in the Qur’an through the lenses of exegetical literature (Tafāsīr). Archiv Orientální 86 (1) : 1–21.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins

Annotation

Colours are unique in the sense that they are used to describe humans, objects, and even the abstract, as is true vice versa. They are also interpreted in ways that allow them to convey various associations and symbolisms. This kind of interpretation extends to various religions and languages. Religious scriptures such as the Qur’an and the Bible, among others, mention colours. The Qur’an, in numerous verses, mentions various colours such as black, blue, red, and white. The Arabic language – the language of the Qur’an – has a unique way of describing colours, particularly black and white. In some verses of the Qur’an, black and white are mentioned alongside each other. In other verses, they are mentioned separately. The Arabic Islamic culture allegedly standardizes white, but is prejudiced against black. Against such a background, this paper examines the use and representation of colours in the Qur’an with a focus on black and white. This is done through a literary and hermeneutical analysis of the verses of the Qur’an that mention black and white in light of exegetical literature. It also looks at how exegetical literatures interpret these verses and how these interpretations may or may not be read in relation to race and racism.