Book Launch:

The Ascetic Qur’an and Its Kharijite Readers 

This book launch features a roundtable centered on a new monograph by Dr. Nora K. Schmid (University of Tübingen), The Ascetic Qur’an and Its Kharijite Readers  (Brill, 2026). This book reorients the study of Islamic asceticism in shifting the focus from premodern literature on renunciation (zuhd) to the Qur’an’s ascetic dimension and its reception among the Kharijites, an early Islamic group known for extreme piety. It situates the asceticism of the Qur’an within late antique traditions, particularly concerning scriptural reading and recitation. Through a study of Kharijite poems, sermons, and practice, the book offers a new perspective on how interiorizing and enacting scripture shaped early Islamic religious culture. Responding to this book are Profs. Sean Anthony, (The Ohio State University), Adam Gaiser (Florida State University), and Sebastian Guenther (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen).

THURSDAY, JAN. 29, 2026

3-5 PM

FÜRSTENZIMMER, SCHLOSS HOHENTÜBINGEN (ROOM 124), OR VIA LIVESTREAM