ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the creation of both sexes as a sign of God’s omnipotence and argues at the outset that, in addition to the verses of the female companions in paradise, this creation of the sexes is among the earliest Qur’anic motifs that deal with the female sex. It explores the methodology of the Qur’an’s structural unity and suggests that reading the sura/chapter as a structural unit can yields significant exegetical insights. The book outlines the importance of identifying the organic interconnections between the Qur’an and Prophetic sunna in order to further hermeneutical insights. It aims to develop a historical-theological hermeneutics that acknowledges the Qur’an as divine revelation but understands it as a dialogical revelation in which God discloses Himself in and throughout history.
