Exploring the Qur'an: Context and Impact

by Muhammad Abdel Haleem

Overview

The teachings, style and impact of the Qur'an have always been matters of controversy, among both Muslims and non-Muslims. But in a modern context of intercultural sensitivity, what the Qur'an says and means are perhaps more urgent questions than ever before. This major new book by one of the world's finest Islamic scholars responds to that urgency. Building on his earlier groundbreaking work, the author challenges misinterpretations of particular Qur'anic verses from whatever quarter. He addresses the infamous 'sword' verse, frequently cited as a justification for jihad. He also questions the 'tribute' verse, associated with the Muslim state subjugating Jews and Christians; and the idea of Paradise in the Qur'an, often viewed by the West as emphasising merely physical pleasures, or used by Islamic fighters as their just reward for holy war. The author argues that wrenching the verses out of the context of the whole has led to dangerous ideologies being built on isolated phrases which have then assumed afterlives of their own. This nuanced, holistic reading has vital interfaith ramifications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780763651
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/30/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Muhammad Abdel Haleem is King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies at SOAS, University of London, and one of the world's leading authorities in Qur'anic studies. He is the author of Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style, also published by I.B.Tauris, and his major new translation of the Qur'an, with parallel Arabic text, was published in 2010.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 1

Part I Teachings

1 The 'Sword Verse' Myth 7

2 Qur'anic Jizya: Tax Defaulters 29

3 Qur'anic Jihad 49

4 Qur'anic Paradise 69

Part II Style

5 Legal Style: Qur'anic Shari'a - Avoiding the Application of the Ultimate Penalties 89

6 Euphemistic Style: Sexual Etiquette 111

7 Narrative Style: Repeating Stories - Noah 119

8 Coherent Style: How to Read the Sura 141

9 Evidential Style: Divine Oaths in the Qur'an 177

10 Rhetorical Style: Arabic of the Qur'an 213

Part III Impact

11 The Arabic Qur'an in the Muslim World 237

12 English Translations of the Qur'an: The Making of an Image 249

13 Translations of the Qur'an and Interfaith Relations 283

Conclusion 299

Notes 301

Bibliography 337

Index 345