Acknowledgements
Any scholarly work, or any literary work for that matter, benefits greatly from generous readers. I was extremely fortunate to have two at my disposal. To Andreas Görke and Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks for their careful comments, on numerous drafts, of this study. This book represents a revised version of my Ph.D. dissertation submitted to the University of Edinburgh in 2019, which proved to be a wonderful environment from both a geographical and intellectual perspective, to write the lionâs share. This book would not have been possible without the generous scholarship I received from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, which allowed me to undertake three years of sustained study. Subsequent to this, musings and revisions were made at various times, and in various places, including Edinburgh, Cambridge, and Fes. Any errors, of course, remain my own.
I am also indebted to Nicolai Sinai for his detailed comments on the manuscript itself and for our discussion in the viva voce. Moreover, the careful criticisms of the anonymous reviewers at Brill were warmly received, and I have done my best to address the issues raised. I would also like to offer thanks to friends and colleagues at the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies department who offered feedback: in particular, Majied Robinson and Carole Hillenbrand. Moreover, I owe a debt of gratitude to Yaser Mirdamadi for not only his hearty laugh, but also our discussions on Arabic grammar and theological issues. Michael Pregill, Garth Fowden, and Andrew Marsham gave kind encouragement at the outset of the study. At Brill I would like to thank Nienke Brienen-Moolenaar for her timely and generous assistance and the editorial board of the Text and Studies on the QurʾÄn series, of which, I am humbled that this book is now a part.
At times this journey has not been easy, and so I would particularly like to acknowledge the support, kindness, and perhaps most importantly, patience of my fiancée, Lucy Graves, who has witnessed the various ups and downs of this undertaking. As ever, thank you. The support of my family, who have always encouraged me in whatever Iâve chosen to do, is a welcome bedrock, and this endeavour has been no exception. Herein is a nod to The Doozer for allowing attention to be diverted from his usual endeavours.
In memory of dear Susan Marsh and the mysterious Muhammad Fahmi Alaoui.