Blurb:

Chapter 2 introduces the meta-concept for this study of Qurʾānic concepts, namely ‘concept’. I start by addressing the problem that there are different theories of what a ‘concept’ is, within both ‘western’ and Arabic-Islamic discourses on the topic, then I sketch the contours of the main theoretical paradigms I will continue to refer to throughout the study. I also reach a conclusion as to which theories of ‘concept’ I perceive to be reflected in the Qurʾān itself. At the end of the chapter I return to the Religious studiesdebates about ‘religion’ and refer it to the theories of ‘concept’ treated here. This approach opens up a new perspective on the debate over whether and how Islamic discourses produce knowledge relevant to current research; I will argue that they are not only sources for information, but offer theoretically informed analysis as well.