#13 - Dr Sohaib Saeed: The Qur'an is CLEAR and EASY... or IS IT?

For as long as I’ve known him, Dr Sohaib Saeed has been deeply immersed in all aspects of the study of the Qur’an. This was the first time I got to have a focused 1:1 discussion with him on challenging questions relating to the interpretation and contextualisation of revelation. I hope you enjoy and benefit from the conversation.

After a BA and MSc in philosophy (Edinburgh), Dr Sohaib graduated from Al-Azhar (Faculty of Theology, Cairo) in Tafsīr and Quranic Sciences. He then completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, under the supervision of the renowned Quran translator M.A.S. Abdel Haleem; the book based on his thesis is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press: Explaining the Qur’an Through the Qur’an.Dr. Sohaib is well known for his translations of classical works of tafsīr. The first volume of The Great Exegesis by Imam Razi was a recipient of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation in 2018, further volumes will follow from Ibn ‘Ashur Centre. He has also written for academic journals and collections including the Journal of Qur’anic Studies, the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (Brill Online) and The Handbook of Qur’anic Hermeneutics (De Gruyter).

Since 2016, he has been the senior tafsīr consultant for Bayyinah Institute, which now benefits from the broader team at Ibn ‘Ashur Centre. In 2021, he took on a key responsibility at Quran.Foundation, overseeing content and quality at the major website Quran.com and its sister site QuranReflect.

Follow Dr Sohaib: https://x.com/tafsirdoctor

Learn more about the Ibn Ashur Centre here: https://www.ibnashur.com

Check out Qur'an in a Year here: https://quran.com/calendar

(0:00) Trailer and Introduction

(1:46) Barriers to understanding revelation

(14:52) Is revelation the only source of truth?

(21:27) Contextualisation and reflection

(29:53) Five lenses to ponder the Qur'an

(58:15) Qur'anic education for children

(1:02:43) Is the Qur'an clear?

(1:11:53) Having vision and a sense of priority

(1:18:10) Is Arabic superior to other languages?

(1:28:34) Is transliteration damaging?

(1:44:52) Qur'an in a Year and future plans