The Koran (Qur’an) Books

Book SynopsisOliver Leaman is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky, USA. He is the General Editor of The Biographical Encyclopedia of Islamic Philosophy and the author and editor of books on philosophy and especially Islamic philosophy.Trade ReviewIn this fascinating work, Oliver Leaman provides an accessible yet erudite commentary on the relationship between the Qur'an and philosophy as viewed by various Muslim thinkers. As he thoroughly demonstrates, reflection on the text of the Qur'an has frequently resulted in rich philosophical ruminations by many Muslim intellectuals, both classical and modern. Anyone interested in exploring philosophical issues raised by reading the Qur'an will find this work very satisfying. -- Imran Aijaz, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, USATable of ContentsForeword 1. How to use this book 2. Reading the Qur'an 3. The Qur'an and Philosophy 4. Qur'anic Verses and Philosophical Responses Textual Cross References Bibliography and References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisEducation and Curricular Perspectives in the Qur'an is a unique academic study that focuses on different perspectives of education curriculum in the Qur'an. Sarah Risha explains how Allah Almighty, as the great teacher, communicated His divine message, the Qur'an, which may be considered as the textbook, to His students, the prophets. The primary source is the Qur'an itself, and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed when necessary. While curriculum is a broad term, Risha addresses five aspects in particular to examine how the Qur'an deals with this vital element, and connects this central religious text to current academic curriculum studies.Trade ReviewSarah Risha’s new book aims to present through six chapters an introductory, yet at times advanced, picture of the aspects and characteristics of the Qurʾa¯nic curriculum.... [This book] would be a good resource for any instructor to present the main curricular perspectives in the Qurʾa¯n. * The Journal Of Religion *After reading countless books in the field of curriculum studies, I found this book, for the first time, to bring together three controversial topics: curriculum, methodology, and deep understanding of the diversity of learning processes. What I found most entertaining was the reference to the types of learners and the best Quran methodology of teaching each type. Every public policy maker should have this information and will find no better than this very book. Educators involved in teacher development and curriculum planning would treasure this book as it provides a new avenue in helping teachers become reflective, observant, and introspective professionals as they wish to become. I consider this book unique because it is short yet powerful and right to the point. It is good for both beginners as well as advanced teachers. -- Omar Shahin, Mishkah UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1: Historical Discourse Chapter 2: Education in the Qur’an Chapter 3: Curriculum as Instruction in the Qur’an Chapter 4: Political Curriculum in the Qur’an Chapter 5: Race and Gender Curriculum in the Qur’an Chapter 6: Institutionalized Curriculum

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewUsing oral, embodied, and written sacred texts, in this volume, Continental and Diasporan African women unravel, challenge, and resist the violence done on women and girls of African descent in their commitment to reweaving affirming definitions of Africana womanhood, thus assuring readers that the proverbial hen, ‘...indeed also knows it is dawn.’ A must read for all justice-seeking readers. -- Madipoane Masenya (ngwan'a Mphahlele), University of South AfricaThis book is a culmination of many years of conversation and collaboration between African women from the Continent and Diaspora, particularly North American women. As the title indicates, the women have taken on the challenge of re-reading sacred Oratures and scriptures from across the diverse cultures and religions that shape Africana consciousness). These texts are from Islam, Christianity, Indigenous Religions and in one case, Hinduism. They re-read with a view to ‘unraveling,’ that is, naming, deconstructing, and denouncing that which in the sacred texts and their interpretations subvert the human flourishing of women. Simultaneously, their goal is to re-read and re-weave the texts so that they reveal women, not just as victims of patriarchy and its texts. Rather, they read to reveal women as moral agents (Khalifa in Islamic language) who are determined not only to re-claim their right to speak that has been denied them under patriarchy, but to take on the duty to speak. In so doing, these authors have shown that unlike the proverbial hen who knows that it is dawn but waits for the rooster to announce it, they know that its dawn and they announce this loud and clear through the essays. The dawn they announce is one of a new day, a future free of terror against women simply because of their gender… a terror which is often legitimized by ‘holy’ texts (texts of terror) whether in oratures of Indigenous religions or in the holy scriptures of Christianity, Islam, or even Hinduism. They long for and dare already to announce the dawn of a new day marked by gender equity and recognition of women as people rather than mere objects as they have been treated in many painful instances which the authors carefully document and ‘unravel.’ The book becomes a most valuable addition to the growing corpus of top notch theological and feminist writing by Africana women. The essays are incisive, insightful, well written, and well researched. The authors offer new voices and perspectives, even on the notion of ‘text’ itself with at least one essay considering women’s bodies as a ‘sacred text.’ I highly recommend this book. It most commendably carves a new niche in theological circles not just for African and African American women separately, but ‘Africana’ women speaking of common experiences under ‘texts of terror’ and also as agents of change, and in solidarity with each other pushing for a more livable future in Africa and beyond; not only for women, but for all. -- Teresia Hinga, Santa Clara UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Continental and Diasporan African Women Engage Each Other and Sacred Texts, Rosetta E. Ross………vii Section I. Reinterpreting, Revising, and Re-Inscribing Oral Texts Chapter 1. “Akokכbere nso Nim Adekyee”: Women’s Interpretation of Indigenous Oral Texts, Rose Mary Amenga-Etego………3 Chapter 2. Exploring Yoruba Proverbs with Feminine Lexis as a Tool for Reimaging African Womanhood, Helen Adekunbi Labeodan………21 Chapter 3. A Critique of Indigenous “Wisdom” as Enshrined in Some Fanti Sayings and Practices on Wife-Beating in Ghana, Agnes Quansah………35 Section II. Embodied Texts, the Body as Text Chapter 4. When Caged Bodies Testify: African and African-descended Women’s Memoirs as Sacred Texts, Liz Alexander and Melanie C. Jones………51 Chapter 5. “You Don’t Have the Right to Keep Us Silent, We Have Reference in Matters of Religion and Law”: Voices of Ghanaian Muslim Women in Dawah, Rabiatu Ammah………69 Chapter 6. Considering Violence Perpetrated against Women in Central Africa in the Light of God’s Word: Two Case Studies, Antoinette Yindjara………87 Chapter 7. Boko Haram Insurgence, the Chibok Girls’ Abduction and the Implications for the Girl Child in Nigeria, Ruth Oke and Helen Adekunbi Labeodan………93 Chapter 8. “Now You Have Struck a Rock”: Rizpah, Black Mama Trauma, and the Power of Shaming in the Face of the Powers, Valerie Bridgeman………107 Section III. Written Texts: Interrogating, Unmasking, and Taking Charge Chapter 9. “Those Who Entrusted Their Affairs to a Woman Will not Prosper”: Its Implication in the Ghanaian Muslim Community, Fatimatu Sulemanu………121 Chapter 10. Judges 19 and the Virgin Daughter’s Trauma: “Small Voice” Implications for African Women and Girls, Elizabeth Siwo-Okundi………139 Chapter 11. Sita’s Story as a Text of Terror: A Motswana Woman’s Impressions, Elizabeth Motswapong………153 Chapter 12. Say My Name: Failure to Name, Misnaming, and Renaming as Acts of Violence against Africana Women, NaShieka Knight………167

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Qur''anic verses 18:60-82 in Surat al-Kahf present the story of Khi?r and Moses as a lesson on the modalities of being and of knowing. Traditionally, the story is seen from a variety of vantage points which include historical, textual, literary, and allegorical, each of which is framed differently depending upon the religio-cultural context. This book, in addition to examining the theological sources, traces the story's mythical, mystical, and popular interpretations engendered by the Qur''anic story. The author argues that the story's major contribution is its ability to communicate the importance of cultivating humility - a fundamental goal for any person of faith. Despite his importance in the Qur'an, Moses is not the main hero in this story; instead, he is being used to point to an even higher truth pertaining to the spiritual dimensions of faith. This book suggests that Khi?r's Qur''anic story symbolizes these truths by providing a perspective on the tension between materiaTrade ReviewOmar offers a fresh and insightful narrative of a timeless, ubiquitous, protean, and always engaging figure in Islamicate literature and lore. He draws on a wide range of sources, from exegesis of the Qur’an’s Sura of the Cave (18) to mystical texts elaborating on Al-Khidr’s unique spiritual credentials. Omar emphasizes throughout Al-Khidr’s role as an inter-religious cross-cultural symbol of mediation and liberation from stereotypes—an “initiator” who continually surprises with manifestations of his stature and versatility as a paradigmatic sage and mentor. -- John Renard, Saint Louis UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Origins and Meanings of the Khiḍr Story Chapter 2: Khiḍr in Muslim Sources and Traditions of Piety Chapter 3: Khiḍr in Sufism Chapter 4: Khiḍr in Folklore Chapter 5: Khiḍr in Muḥammad Iqbāl’s Poetry Conclusion Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Islamic Mary explores the figure of Mary/Maryam shared between Christians and Muslims. Maryam is revered throughout the Islamic tradition, beginning already in the scripture of the Qur'an. This book examines the varied appearances of Maryam in different Islamic literary, theological, pious, and interfaith contexts.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume rejects the notion that Islam's sacred text is error free and cannot be critically evaluated. The study of the Koran must develop and mature. Scholars of Islam are of course familiar with the book's many errors and contradictions, but these inherent flaws have rarely been revealed to a wider public. This book is an attempt to remedy this deficiency by bringing together classic critical essays which raise key issues surrounding Islam's holy book. Divided into four parts, this important anthology begins with Theodor Nöldeke's first truly scientific study of the Koran. Part Two focuses on the difficulty of establishing a reliable Koranic text, while Part Three examines the Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian sources of Muhammad's "revelation." Part Four is a consideration of the controversial interpretations of contemporary scholar John Wansbrough, who questions the historical reliability of the earliest Islamic sources. This superb collection, which includes additional selections from Leone Caetani, Arthur Jeffery, David Margoliouth, Andrew Rippin, C.C. Torrey, and more, will prove indispensable to scholars and all those interested in the textual underpinning of one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this fascinating study of the origins of Islam, historian Mondher Sfar reveals that there is no historical, or even theological, basis for the orthodox view that Muhammad or his earliest followers intended the Koran to be treated as the inviolable word of God. With great erudition and painstaking historical research, Sfar demonstrates that the Koran itself does not support the literalist claims of Muslim orthodoxy. Indeed, as he carefully points out, passages from Islam's sacred book clearly indicate that the revealed text should not be equated with the perfect text of the original "celestial Koran," which was believed to exist only in heaven and to be fully known only by God. This early belief helps to explain why there were many variant texts of the Koran during Muhammad's lifetime and immediately thereafter, and also why this lack of consistency and the occasional revisions of earlier revelations seemed not to disturb his first disciples. They viewed the Koran as only an imperfect copy of the real heavenly original, a copy subject to the happenstances of Muhammad's life and to the human risks of its transmission. Only later, for reasons of social order and political power, did the first caliphs establish an orthodox policy, which turned Muhammad's revelations into the inerrant word of God, from which no deviation or dissent was permissible. This original historical exploration into the origins of Islam is also an important contribution to the growing movement for reform of Islam initiated by courageous Muslim thinkers convinced of the necessity of bringing Islam into the modern world.Table of ContentsIntroduction; The Koran is Not the Original One; The Components of the Koran; Writings of the Koran; Myths & Prejudices; Conclusion; The Solar Eclipse of January 27, 632 CE; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor anyone with an interest in the early history of Islam, this erudite anthology will prove to be informative and enlightening. Scholars have long known that the text of the Koran shows evidence of many influences from religious sources outside Islam. For example, stories in the Koran about Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other characters from the Bible obviously come from the Jewish Torah and the Christian Gospels. But there is also evidence of borrowing in the Koran from more obscure literature. In this anthology, the acclaimed critic of Islam Ibn Warraq has assembled scholarly articles that delve into these unusual, little-known sources. The contributors examine the connections between pre-Islamic poetry and the text of the Koran; and they explore similarities between various Muslim doctrines and ideas found in the writings of the Ebionites, a Jewish Christian sect that existed from the second to the fourth centuries. Also considered is the influence of Coptic Christian literature on the writing of the traditional biography of Muhammad.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCentering on the pioneering work of Christoph Luxenberg, this anthology of scholarly yet accessible studies of the Koran makes a convincing case that Islam's holy book borrowed heavily from Christian texts in Syriac and other Near Eastern sources. In this important compilation, Ibn Warraq focuses on the pioneering work in Syriac and Arabic linguistics of Christoph Luxenberg, a native speaker of Arabic who lives in the West and writes under a pseudonym. Luxenberg's careful studies of the Koran are significant for many reasons. First, he has clarified numerous obscurities in the Koran by treating the confusing passages as poor translations into Arabic of original Syriac texts. He demonstrates that when one translates the difficult Arabic words back into Syriac, the meaning becomes clear. Beyond textual clarity, Luxenberg's scholarship provides ample evidence that the Koran developed from a Judeo-Christian background, since Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic) was the main language of both Jews and Christians in the Middle East before the advent of Islam. Ibn Warraq supplies English translations of key articles by Luxenberg that originally appeared in German and have never before been available to an English readership. This is followed by commentary by other scholars on Luxenberg's work. Also included are articles by earlier specialists who anticipated the later insights of Luxenberg, and more recent scholarship inspired by his methodology. Erudite but accessible, this groundbreaking collection is must reading for anyone with an interest in the origins of the Koran and the early history of Islam.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Struggle for Jerusalem and the Holy Land Between Judaism and Islam is a new inquiry into the Qur’an and classic Islamic sources on the people of Israel, their Torah, and their links to the Holy Land. In recent generations, the Muslim and Arab world has been suffused with publications on the subject of the people of Israel and their affinity to the Land of Israel. Most of these publications are tendentious, written with a hostile attitude toward Jews and Judaism; indeed, some of them are tainted with anti-Semitism. The Qur’an also deals with the question of the status of Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel. Many of its exegetes, following in the tracks of Islam’s holy book, have done so as well—and somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, express an approach asserting that this land is promised exclusively to the people of Israel.Trade Review“I thoroughly enjoyed this book.... It is a Copernican study: pioneering, fascinating, and carefully reasoned.” —Zeev Maghen, Chair, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Bar-Ilan University|“In an era in which “hearts and minds” are turned through disinformation and propaganda, through the use of shallow, unreliable channels of communication, great importance attaches to this deep, profound book”. —Moshe (Bogi) Yaalon, Minister of Defense, Israel

Read more less