The Qur'an Commentary of Muslim Scholar Nusrat Amin (1886-1983)

FAIN: FT-270860-20

Maria Massi Dakake
George Mason University (Fairfax, VA 22030-4444)

Research on and translation of the Qur’anic commentary of Iranian scholar Nusrat Amin (1886–1983), leading to a book-length study of her writing.

The aim of this project is the production of a book-length study and selective translation of the only known, complete work of Qur'an commentary produced by a Muslim female scholar, Nusrat Amin's Makhzan-i `Irfan (Treasury of True Knowledge). Nusrat Amin (1886-1983) was a religious scholar and authority in Iran, and is well known for her conservative religious views, but also her great erudition, and her mystical approach to the Islamic scripture. A critical study, selective translation, and annotation of this work will make an important contribution to the larger project of bringing Muslim women’s voices into the discussion about Islam and its traditional texts, and contribute to a growing body of scholarship in the field of Islamic and feminist studies that seeks to nuance the understanding of women’s agency within conservative Muslim contexts.