Response to Karen Bauer’s Review of The Study Quran

Abstract

In her review of The Study Quran in AJISS (34:4), Karen Bauer makes a number of broad claims about the authors’ ideology and methodology, particularly in producing the commentary that accompanies the translation. Her claims regarding the commentary, however, seem to be based on a limited reading of the text, which has led her to make a number of otherwise inexplicable factual errors. For example, in assessing the SQ authors’ selection, use, and representation of Islamic tafsīr sources in the commentary, she overlooks the note in the front matter entitled, “Understanding the Citations in the Commentary”—which makes it clear that, in the interest of saving space, the citation of various commentaries as sources for the opinions mentioned in the Study Quran commentary is done through a system of abbreviations, for which a key is provided on pages lvii-lix ...