Introduction

Abstract The Introduction lays out the key questions that will occupy this study: What is wisdom (ḥikmah) in the Qur’an? What is the relationship between scripture (and in particular scriptural law) and human wisdom? The chapter also introduces the key assumptions and approaches in this study in relation to the genesis of the qur’anic text, the importance of situating the Qur’an in its late antique context, the possibility of reconstructing a chronology of qur’anic proclamations, and relevance and limits of the Islamic scholarly tradition in a study such as this. Finally, this chapter provides a roadmap of the remaining chapters of this study.