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SUMMARY:Crossing Barriers: The Qur’an and the parable of the rich man an
 d Lazarus - Dr Abdulla Galadari (Khalifa University of Science and Technol
 ogy\, UAE)
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260310T143000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260310T153000Z
UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/85c863d4-d2a5-402c-8742-417dc4eaab61/
DESCRIPTION:This paper offers a comparative analysis of the Parable of the
  Rich Man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke alongside analogous eschatolog
 ical motifs in the Qur’an\, situating both within the broader landscape 
 of religious exchange in Late Antiquity. Focusing on the Qur’anic articu
 lation of impassable barriers between the blessed and the damned\, as well
  as between the living and the dead\, the study examines three key passage
 s (i.e.\, Qur’an 7:41–53\, Qur’an 23:99–115\, and Qur’an 57:10
 –24) to explore how Christian narrative themes are received\, reworked\,
  and reinterpreted within the Qur’anic discourse.\n\nCentral to the anal
 ysis is the Qur’an’s use of distinct yet interrelated concepts of barr
 iers (aʿrāf\, sūr\, and barzakh)\, which resonate with the Lukan depict
 ion of an unbridgeable chasm between the righteous and the condemned. Buil
 ding on earlier observations by Geoffrey Parrinder and Emran El-Badawi reg
 arding stylistic and thematic correspondences between the Qur’an and Chr
 istian texts\, as well as the work of Tommaso Tesei and George Archer on t
 he Qur’an’s engagement with extra-biblical traditions\, this study arg
 ues that such parallels reflect a complex intertextual environment rather 
 than simple borrowing or replication.\n\nAlthough the Parable of the Rich 
 Man and Lazarus is not explicitly referenced in the Qur’an\, the recurre
 nce of comparable motifs points to a nuanced engagement with pre-Islamic t
 raditions familiar to the Qur’an’s audience. In particular\, the analy
 sis of Qur’an 7 reveals an awareness of Gospel imagery\, including motif
 s such as the camel passing through the eye of a needle. The diversity of 
 Qur’anic terminology for barriers further suggests interaction with mult
 iple streams of tradition or layered interpretive processes operative in L
 ate Antiquity rather than direct textual dependence.\n\nThe paper conclude
 s that the motifs associated with the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus 
 likely belonged either to a broader pre-Gospel tradition that continued to
  circulate into the Qur’anic milieu\, or to a constellation of derivativ
 e traditions that evolved from the parable itself. By tracing these intert
 extual dynamics\, the study illuminates how the Qur’an participates in a
  wider dialogue of religious narratives\, offering valuable insight into t
 he reception and transformation of Gospel themes among early Islamic and A
 rabian communities.\nSpeakers:\nDr Abdulla Galadari (Khalifa University of
  Science and Technology\, UAE)
LOCATION:Online zoom seminar
TZID:Europe/London
URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/85c863d4-d2a5-402c-8742-417dc4eaab61/
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DESCRIPTION:Talk:Crossing Barriers: The Qur’an and the parable of the ri
 ch man and Lazarus - Dr Abdulla Galadari (Khalifa University of Science an
 d Technology\, UAE)
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