Nasr Abu Zayd
Egyptian Quranic thinker, author, and academic (1943-2010) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (Arabic: نصر حامد أبو زيد, IPA: [ˈnɑsˤɾe ˈħæːmed ˈæbuˈzeːd]; also Abu Zaid or Abu Zeid; July 10, 1943 – July 5, 2010) was an Egyptian Quranic thinker, author, academic and one of the leading liberal theologians in Islam. He is famous for his project of a humanistic Quranic hermeneutics, which "challenged mainstream views"[1] on the Quran, sparking "controversy and debate."[1] While not denying that the Quran was of divine origin, Zayd argued that it was a "cultural product"[2] that had to be read in the context of the language and culture of seventh century Arabs,[2] and could be interpreted in more than one way.[3] He also criticized the use of religion to exert political power.[4] In 1995 an Egyptian Sharia court declared him an apostate, this led to threats of death and his fleeing Egypt several weeks later.[4] He later quietly returned to Egypt where he died.[4]
Abu Zayd has been referred to as among "the big names" of the post-1967 Arab intellectual tradition.[5]