Assistant Professor of the Department of History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Researches, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran
10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
Abstract
This study examines the methodological potential of historical geography and Historical GIS (HGIS) for Qur’anic studies, using Sūrat Quraysh (Q 106) as a case study. It asks how Qur’anic, exegetical, historical, and geographical evidence produced at different times can be integrated spatially without creating false precision. The study combines historical source criticism with the design of a time-aware spatial database and distinguishes four epistemic levels: textual evidence, historical reports, scholarly inference, and GIS-generated output. Reports attributed to early Muslim historians concerning īlāf and the two seasonal journeys are compared with later geographical descriptions of routes, settlements, water sources, and regional connections. The results indicate that the “journey of winter and summer” is better represented as competing spatial scenarios—northern, southern, and multimodal—rather than as one fixed historical road. Spatial analysis also highlights a relational structure linking the House, mobility, īlāf, provisioning, and security. Historical GIS is therefore most useful in Qur’anic studies when it serves as a critical environment for comparing evidence and the measure of certainty, not as a device for geographically proving traditional narratives.
Ahmadvand,F . (2026). Applying Historical Geography and Historical GIS to Qur’anic Studies: A Case Study of Sūrat Quraysh. (e14193). Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture, (), e14193 doi: 10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
MLA
Ahmadvand,F . "Applying Historical Geography and Historical GIS to Qur’anic Studies: A Case Study of Sūrat Quraysh" .e14193 , Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture, , , 2026, e14193. doi: 10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
HARVARD
Ahmadvand F. (2026). 'Applying Historical Geography and Historical GIS to Qur’anic Studies: A Case Study of Sūrat Quraysh', Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture, (), e14193. doi: 10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
CHICAGO
F Ahmadvand, "Applying Historical Geography and Historical GIS to Qur’anic Studies: A Case Study of Sūrat Quraysh," Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture, (2026): e14193, doi: 10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
VANCOUVER
Ahmadvand F. Applying Historical Geography and Historical GIS to Qur’anic Studies: A Case Study of Sūrat Quraysh. Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture. 2026;():e14193 (In Persian). doi: 10.22034/isqs.2026.55507.2548
