The Qur’an and Plato’s Republic: Hellenism and Early Islam (Juan Cole Video Interview)

Interview by Ziryab Jamal of Juan Cole | –

“THE QUR’ĀN’S CHAPTER “The Cow” contains a verse (2:138) having to do with believers being dyed with the dye of God, which has occasioned speculation both among Muslim exegetes and academic scholars. I translate it this way: “The dye of God! Who is better than God as a dye?and we are His worshippers.” The first instance of the word ṣibgha or “dye” is a noun, with God in the genitive. It is the dye of God that is being praised. But in the second phrase, God himself seems to be spoken of as the dye. Although the construction seems unusual, our earliest lexicographic aids confirm this interpretation.

The Qur’an & Plato’s Republic

Referenced:

Dyed in Virtue The Quran & Plato’s Republic by Professor Juan Cole.

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