The Laboratory for Qur’an and Hadith Studies (LSQH)—which operates under the Master’s Program in Qur’anic Studies and Exegesis (IAT) at the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, UIN Sunan Kalijaga—held another discussion session on Monday, August 10, 2026. On this occasion, LSQH hosted Annas Rolli Muchlisin, a 2014 alumnus of the Qur’anic Studies and Exegesis (IAT) program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, who is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the Divinity School, Harvard University. Prior to his time at Harvard, Annas completed a master’s degree at the University of Toronto, Canada, under the supervision of Walid A. Saleh, followed by further studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar. In a discussion titled “Interreligious Context of the Qur’an and Its Interpretation?”, Annas shared his academic experiences and introduced an approach to Qur’anic studies that he encountered within the academic environment of the United States.

Reflecting on his transition from the study of Islam in Indonesia to his current position at Harvard, Annas explained that a notable aspect of Qur’anic studies there is its integration within the broader discipline of Religious Studies. The Qur’an is examined alongside other religious traditions and texts—most notably those of Judaism and Christianity. This approach is significant because the Qur’an did not emerge in a vacuum; rather, it appeared within the context of Late Antiquity—a period characterized by a rich tapestry of religious traditions, prophetic narratives, and theological debates.

A key point emphasized by Annas is the importance of understanding other religious traditions in order to gain a more comprehensive reading of the Qur’an. He illustrated this by noting how the portrayal of religious figures can evolve and take on different emphases across various traditions. In the context of the Qur’an, an understanding of Jewish and Christian traditions can assist researchers in discerning how the Qur’an engages in dialogue and interaction with pre-existing narratives. Consequently, approaching the Qur’an through an interreligious lens does not diminish its status or sanctity. Rather, such an analytical framework enables researchers to better grasp the historical and intellectual milieu in which the Qur’an emerged and spoke.

This approach is exemplified in Annas’s examination of the accounts of the prophets as they appear in the Qur’an and in earlier traditions. He demonstrates that the Qur’an does not merely repeat extant stories; instead, it frequently introduces distinct emphases and theological articulations. The account of the Prophet Zechariah, for instance, can be analyzed by comparing it with the narrative found in the Gospel of Luke. The divergence in how each tradition depicts Zechariah’s inability to speak illustrates that a single narrative motif can serve different functions and carry different theological meanings. For Annas, such comparisons give rise to questions far more compelling than the mere search for a story’s origins—namely, how the Qur’an reshapes narratives that were already circulating within the religious landscape of its time.

Annas also invites his audience to consider how earlier religious texts can be employed productively within the Islamic exegetical tradition. He highlights the tendency among certain modern exegetes—such as Muhammad Rashid Rida and Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur—to utilize and directly reference biblical texts as points of comparison. This phenomenon reveals that the relationship between the Qur’an and the Judeo-Christian tradition has not always been characterized by polemics. Throughout the history of exegesis, earlier traditions have also served as sources for comparison, helping to test, clarify, and enrich the understanding of Qur’anic verses. The experience of studying the Quran at Harvard, as shared by Annas, illustrates how Quranic studies evolve through a broader dialogue with the history of religion, the study of scriptures, and intellectual history. For students of the Quran, such an approach can broaden their perspectives and offer a more open-minded way of engaging with both the text and its context. Beyond the traditional works of tafsir(exegesis) and ulum al-Quran(Quranic sciences), the Quran can also be understood through dialogue and interaction with various academic disciplines and scholarly traditions that help illuminate the historical environment in which it emerged.

Through these discussions, LSQH encourages students and researchers of the Quran to expand their scholarly horizons—including by engaging with Jewish and Christian traditions. An understanding of these traditions provides the academic tools to more comprehensively examine the historical and intellectual milieu surrounding the Quran, rather than merely serving as a basis for theological comparisons between religions. As Annas’s experience suggests, the more a researcher understands the contexts and traditions that engage in dialogue with the Quran, the greater the possibilities become for reading this scripture in a more critical, contextual, and profound manner.