Encyclopedia of the Qur'an - Set Volumes 1-5 plus Index Volume edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Brill Academic) The Qur'ān is the primary religious text for one-sixth of the worlds population. Understood by Muslims to contain God's own words, it has been an object of reverence and of intense study for centuries. The thousands of volumes that Muslim scholars have devoted to qur'ānic interpretation and to the linguistic, rhetorical and narrative analysis of the text are sufficient to create entire libraries of qur'ānic studies.
Drawing upon a rich scholarly heritage, Brill's Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān (EQ) combines alphabetically-arranged articles about the contents of the Qur'ān. It is an encyclopaedic dictionary of qur'ānic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis extended with essays on the most important themes and subjects within qur'ānic studies. With nearly 1000 entries in 5 volumes, the EQ is the first comprehensive, multi-volume reference work on the Qur'ān to appear in a Western language. (Full review Pending)

'McAuliffe's encyclopedia promises to become the central English-language reference work for qur'anic studies' P. S. Spaulding, Illinois College, Choice, 2002.
'The first volume fulfills the project's aim to summarize recent decades of scholarship and will without doubt fulfill another aim, to inspire new work in the decades to come. Enthusiastically recommended for all readership levels.' P. S. Spaulding, Illinois College, Choice, 2002.
'The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an is an higly prestigious and competent volume from a superb publisher with contributions by the worlds leading experts. If readers were to own one volume on this topic, this work would be the encylopedia to own. The first volume is carefully and masterfully crafted and provides the expectation of valuable work to comethe scholarly community looks forward to future volumes. Linda L. Lam-Easton, American Reference Book Annual, Vol. 34.
'The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an is a masterful, comprehensive book' Discourse, 2001.
'The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an will be a truly collaborative enterprise, carried out by Muslims and non-Muslims, and its articles will present multiple approaches to the interpretation of the Qur'an... A turn-of-the-millennium summative work for the state of qur'anic scholarship.' Atlantic Monthly, 1999

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Readership: The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an uses English-language entry words rather than transliterated terminology. This format makes the EQ accessible to both specialists in Arabic and Islamic studies as well as to scholars in such fields as biblical studies, medieval history, comparative literature and the social sciences. General readers, both Muslim and non-Muslim, will welcome the authoritative coverage that the EQ provides and the accessible format of its presentation. As the first such reference work on the Qur'an in a Western language, the EQ will be indispensable for both academic and public libraries.

Cross-referencing and indices
Frequent cross-references will draw readers to related entries and each article will conclude with a citation of relevant bibliography. The final volume of the EQ will contain indices of transliterated terms, of qur'ānic references and of the authors and exegetes cited in the entries and essays. It will also include a synoptic outline of the full contents of the EQ. 

Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Qur'an by Suha Taji-Farouki (Qur'anic Studies: Oxford University Press/ The Institute of Ismaili Studies) This volume examines the writings of ten Muslim intellectuals, working throughout the Muslim world and the West, who employ contemporary critical methods to understand the Qur'an. Their work points to the emergence of a new trend in Muslim interpretation, characterised by direct engagement with the Word of God while embracing intellectual modernity in an increasingly globalised context. The volume situates and evaluates their thought, and assesses responses to it among Muslim and non-Muslim audiences. The ten chapters highlight the diverse arenas in which such intellectuals draw on the Qur'anic text, through their fresh readings of its verses.

SUHA TAJI-FAROUKI is Lecturer in Modern Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, and Research Associate, Department of Academic Research and Publications, The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Her publications include A Fundamental Quest: Hizb al-Tahrir and the Search for the Islamic Caliphate (1996); Muslim Jewish Encounters: Intellectual Traditions and

Modern Politics (co-edited, 1998); and Islamic Thought in the Twentieth Century (co-edited, I B. Tarus).

Like those of the Islamists with which many such appeals to tradition take issue, they can ultimately be interpreted as responses to the ongoing failure in the Muslim world to create a culturally viable, successful modern state. The Islamist reaction to the failure of cultural modernisation and secularisation processes launched by the post-colonial elites is to invoke the self-past, re - imagined in terms of culturally authentic and `pure' models, and motivated by perceptions of the West (with its agents within the Muslim world) as a threat. In contrast, some of those surveyed in this volume uphold the very same processes of modernisation and secularisation, while dismissing, denying or refuting the issue of their `alien' cultural provenance and their compatibility with an Islamic commitment to transcendence, through a re-imagining of `Islam' that itself rivals the Islamist one. This advocating of `modern' values via a re-imagined Islam nonetheless sets their posture apart from that of the secular intellectuals.

The structure of the volume presents a clustering of some chapters, reflecting certain features or tendencies loosely held in common among some of the thinkers considered. The first chapter discusses the project of the late Pakistani scholar Fazlur Rahman, a towering figure of twentieth-century Islamic reform. Although he spent most of his academic life in the West, as Abdullah Saeed points out, Rahman remained firmly committed to an Islamic process of knowledge, while at the same time subjecting traditional Islamic thought and methodologies to a profound critique. Rahman emphasised areas that have been neglected in Muslim understandings of the Qur'an, and it is from this that his importance largely derives. Such areas include the socio-historical context of the revelation, the spirit of its message as a whole, and the retrieval of its moral elan, as a basis for elaborating a Qur'an-centred ethics. Rahman's wide-ranging influence is evident in the work of such thinkers as those who form the subject of the two following chapters. These are his former student Nurcholish Madjid, a prominent Indonesian public figure, and the American scholar Amina Wadud.

As Anthony H. Johns and Abdullah Saeed demonstrate, Madjid has endeavoured to achieve a pragmatic realisation of Qur'anic values in a manner appropriate to the distinctive character and needs of the Indonesian state. His aim in this is to safeguard Indonesia's integration as a religiously and ethnically plural entity, and to enhance the role of the Pancasila in its capacity as the ideological cornerstone of national unity. His `contextualist' approach to understanding the Qur'an is informed by a recognition of the pressing need for inter-religious harmony in Indonesia. It is equally motivated by his consciousness of the historically divisive impact of fiqh among Muslims there. Also inspired by Rahman and in contrast with Madjid, Amina Wadud's concern, as described by Asma Barias, is with the problematic of Qur'anic interpretation and the marginalisation of women's full human agency within society. Wadud is a pioneer among a growing cluster of Muslim women scholars who are developing a feminist reading of the Islamic tradition and foundational texts. As Barias, herself a member of this cluster, demonstrates, Wadud highlights the connections between traditional tafsir (exegesis) and the means of its production, explaining the genre's masculinist nature, and its resultant biases against women. She calls for a more egalitarian tafsir, inclusive of women's voices,and reflecting new, holistic modes of understanding and participation in Muslim religious life. The claim that it upholds the ontological equality of the sexes stands at the core of her own reading of the Qur'an, which thus serves the project of Muslim women's emancipation.

It has been suggested that Rahman never consciously introduced analytic procedures derived from Western thinkers in a major manner, and was not attracted to the ongoing debate in Western intellectual circles, even in those areas that influenced his methodology. In contrast, in the assessment of one scholar, in his employment of `the categories of post-modernity' to call for a rethinking of the whole Islamic tradition, the Algerian-French scholar Mohammed Arkoun, seems to be using the Islamic tradition as a text upon which to continue a debate about Western epistemology. He pays little attention to the specificity of the Islamic condition or tradition, as if the Islamic tradition is expected to serve as a yielding raw material for constructing the epistemological edifice of the West.

Arkoun presents his project as a detached, ideologically neutral and radical perspective on the development of the `religious phenomenon', and its implications for present and future human concerns. He rejects any link between his own thought and `islahi (reformist) thinking'. Questioning the assumptions of the historical-critical method, his own critical reading of `Islamic reason', his deconstruction of centuries of Islamic thought, and his constructs of revelation and orthodoxy challenge both academic scholarship on Islam, and Muslim self-understandings. As Ursula Gunther suggests, the `Arkounian' perspective has had little impact on both potential constituencies thus far.

The Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd introduced a linguistic problematisation of the religious discourse to a contemporary Arabic readership in a substantial manner for the first time. As Navid Kerman shows, his approach is based on application of the most relevant achievements of contemporary linguistics to the Qur'an, combined with literary study of the text and the adoption of Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutics. Its conclusions are implicitly posited in opposition to contemporary

Islamist discourses with their notion of a single, eternally valid interpretation of the sacred text. This provides the context for understanding postures adopted towards his writings in Egypt, and his trial.

Mohamad Mojtahed Shabestari's project provides an example of the rethinking of the Islamic revolutionary tradition in Iran. It represents one trend among post-revolutionary Iranian Islamic discourses, as they endeavour to address the contradictions inherent in the paradigm of what Farzin Vandat terms `mediated subjectivity', inherited from the founders of the Islamic Republic. Well-versed in German theological and philosophical scholar-ship, Shabestari relies on the principle of inter-subjectivity, which he situates within a religious model. He thus adopts a hermeneutic approach to subjectivity, which avoids any direct interpretation of Qur'anic texts. Vandat sees in his hermeneutic construct of inter-subjectivity a framework in terms of which the discourse of religious modernity in post-revolutionary Iran can be advanced, as compared with the inherited paradigm. Shabestari's critique of the negative side of human subjectivity is accompanied by the suggestion that religion, projected as a source of permanent principles and general values, can help ameliorate the crises that accompany the unavoidable modernisation process in Muslim countries.

The Tunisian scholar Mohamed Talbi is best known for the case he advances from an Islamic perspective for religious pluralism and inter-religious dialogue, and for his work as a historian of North Africa. Ronald L. Nettler demonstrates how his progressive, liberal ideas are justified through a historical-contextual approach to the Qur'anic text, which seeks to elucidate God's intention in it. His `intentional' reading is put forward as a foundation for resolving the current crisis in the Islamic encounter with modernity, and a foil to the literal readings that plague contemporary Muslim understandings.

Osman Tastan points to the pragmatic, utilitarian approach to the Qur'an, and its legal content in particular, developed by the veteran Turkish scholar Hseyin Atay. Atay's extraction from the Qur'an of practical solutions to specific Islamic issues serves astraightforward understanding and simplified practice of Islam. While this makes it accessible to the general practising public, its rationalist, anti-traditionalist orientation clearly reflects and sits comfortably with the established emphasis on modernity in the Turkish Republican context. This orientation is prominent in the publications of many scholars who, like Atay, are situated in Faculties of Islamic Studies in Turkish universities.

The Syrian engineer Mohamad Shahrour and the Libyan writer Sadiq Nayhum share common features. Both emanate from essentially secular backgrounds, and are self-taught in the area of Islamic learning. Driven onto the discursive arena carved by the Islamic resurgence, their engagement with the Qur'an partly serves a critique of traditional Islamic and Islamist formulations and contemporary political conditions. Shahrour advances his `contemporary reading' of the Qur'an as the foundation for a comprehensive project of cultural, social, political and material renewal in Arab-Muslim societies. Andreas Christmann elucidates his employment of a linguistic analysis to reprogramme Qur'anic terminology, thereby estranging readers from conventional understandings and challenging traditional religious authority. As Suha Taji-Faroulzi demonstrates, Nayhum recruits Qur'anic texts in the context of a call for a culturally rooted form of direct democracy, embedded in `Islam' reconstructed as a formula for political emancipation. To some extent, his resort to the Qur'an suggests a `ritualistic' acknowledgement of the Islamic textual tradition. At the same time, it illustrates the appeal of the `Qur'anic message', however appropriated, among secular-oriented Muslim intellectuals confronting the experience of alienation and fragmentation brought by modernity.

By way of conclusion to this introductory chapter, attention must be drawn to a reform-oriented but Islamically rooted voice, which has become increasingly influential during the late twentieth century, reflecting a certain resonance with a broad public understanding in Muslim societies. This is the voice of reform-minded Muslim intellectuals and academics and a small number of reform-minded ulama, whose diverse contributions, put together, bear witness to important patterns of intellectual development and change in contemporary Islamic thought.

While such reform-oriented thinkers might themselves be subject to various Western influences, having in some cases been trained in Western universities, they work self-consciously from within Islamic cultural and textual traditions, and adhere to an Islamic frame of reference. Often with an eye to invalidating extremist Islamic postures, they address the ongoing challenge of elaborating modern Islamic responses to the modalities and demands of the modern experience, and the profoundly changed realities and novel problems of modern Muslim life. Their interpretive approach to the Qur'an and Sunna is direct and pays attention to social and historical contexts, distinguishing between universal principles and the moral thrust of the revelation on the one hand, and directives that may be bound to its specific circumstances on the other. In determining the meanings and implications of the revelation, they draw on the rich legacy of Islamic tradition in its diverse branches, while carefully probing the complex relation between this tradition and the context of its elaboration, taking into account aspects of its contingency.

Some of these thinkers deconstruct and critique aspects of the project of Western modernity, often sharing common ground in this with the critical discourse of modernity and its post-modern critics. However, they part company with the latter in their Islamic frame of reference, and their concern to offer `constructive' responses to the human predicament. Refusing to bow to a blanket privileging of the modern over the pre-modern, they maintain that modernity's characteristic sense of superiority must be tempered with a respect for pre-modern sources which, if properly contextualised, can yield much that is of value. Others divest the modern West of its claims to universal validity; their commitment to Islamic cultural resources derives further confidence from an awareness that, at this juncture in history, there is a possibility for other voices to be received with less prejudice. Crucially, their contributions explore and advocate significant contemporary areas of reform within this culture, includingdemocratisation, pluralism, tolerance, openness to other religions, and equality of status for women and minorities in Muslim societies. Their arguments in this regard evince an alertness to the specific worldview upon which concepts and institutions are premised, identifying what may be incompatible with an Islamic cosmology and a commitment to transcendence.

Certain of the thinkers presented in this volume clearly contribute to this reform-oriented, Islamically rooted trend, which is exemplified to varying degrees by such figures as Khaled Abou El Fadl, Muhammad Salim al-`Awwa, Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Taha Jabir al- `Alwani and the `professional' `alimYusuf al-Qaradawi, to name a few. Relative to them, others studied here create an impression that they are Westernised liberals still under the spell of Western modernity, seeing in it a solution to the needs and problems of Muslim societies. In contrast with both, yet others discussed in this volume appear to have set out on the postmodernist road, which in its extreme form can ultimately lead to nihilism.

The reform-oriented Islamic discourse sketched in these concluding lines remains intimately connected to the reformist discourse of the turn of the twentieth century. Those who contribute to it are perhaps the genuine heirs to the reformists' legacy, while taking this into uncharted waters towards a destination yet unclear, in an unpredictable and rapidly changing context. What is clear is the bid made by such thinkers to avoid the pitfalls and excesses of modernity, and to preserve the moral and cultural integrity of the Islamic worldview, and the special Islamic identity and cohesion of Muslim societies. In the wider world, the contribution of this discourse perhaps lies ultimately in its non-negotiable commitment to applying an ethical dimension to the exercise of reason and power. In Muslim countries, it might respond effectively to pressing concerns for the injection of justice and morality into the political and socio-economic order, while avoiding the problems and excesses inherent in certain Islamist options

The `West' is now an omnipresent party to the ongoing process of re-negotiating Islam among Muslims, in which this reform trend represents one of many competing voices. This undeniably complicates the task that confronts it, whether in invalidating extremist Islamic formulations, or galvanising Muslim opinion in the endeavour to establish an effective bridge between the demands of an ever-changing present and a commitment to eternal values and the tradition and culture that embody them. Indeed its foremost challenge perhaps lies in successfully navigating a path between openness to external influences and an enduring faithfulness to the internal cultural map and dynamics of Muslim society, in a world where human interactions are growing dramatically.

It hardly need be pointed out that the Qur'anic text forms the bedrock of any Islamic discourse, reform-oriented or other, worthy of the name. Modernity has focused attention perhaps in an unparalleled way on the complexities of interactions between texts and readers. During the last few decades, Muslims have read the Qur'an in a rich multiplicity of ways, something of which is illustrated by the present volume. It is hoped that the essays collected here will point to some of the challenges, problems and responsibilities contained within this act of reading.

Excerpt:

The Qur'an & Politics by Eltigani Abdelgadir Hamid translated by Abdul-Wahid Lu'lu'a (International Institute of Islamic Thought) THE Qur'an approaches the issue of "political thought" as part of a comprehensive discourse which establishes their general goals and frames of reference. It is then left to the human mind to complete these with what it has learned from experiences in history and what the scholars understood from the Text about how to deal with reality. This work is about the origins of political thought and a study of the philosophy of politics. It examines the actions of the state as the main power concerned with public affairs in society, and enquires into which public action is considered good or bad in relation to other value systems endorsed by Islam. The work uses a unique methodology to argue that the major elements of the Qur'anic political thought are securely anchored in the Makkan verses of the Qur'an. Studying these verses it searches for the rules and principles that help identify the directions and major objectives towards which both human society and political action are guided prior to the rise of institutions and the regulation of relations.

Eltigani Abdelgadir Hamid is an Associate Professor of Islamic Political Thought. He received his doctorate from the University of London and specializes in both Islamic Studies and Politics. He has taught and carried out research at several universities including the University of Khartoum and the International Islamic University (Malaysia) and has authored several publications including works in both Arabic and English. He currently teaches at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (USA).

Quranic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation by John Wansbrough, Andrew Rippin (Prometheus Books) Many believe that the academic study of the Quran lags far behind the study of the Bible while being, as the same time, closely modeled after it. Not only are the relevant scholarly resources of the Quran less numerous than those available in biblical scholarship, but comparatively speaking the variety of methods employed to deal with the scriptural text has been severely limited. One of the first groundbreaking efforts in Islamic studies was made by John Wansbrough in his unique work Qurantic Studies: Sources And Methods Of Scriptural Interpretation. Written between 1968 and 1972, this revolutionary analysis had a profound effect on the study of Islam. It produced, in the minds of many, a wholly new dichotomy in the approach used in Islamic studies: on one side, the skeptical revisionists and on the other, the trusting traditionalists. Well ahead of his time, Wansbrough questions the very basis assumptions of previous scholars in a way that had never before been attempted. Working with the heritage of Joseph Schacht and Ignaz Goldziher before him, Wansbrough approached the Quran in a manner that sees the Muslim tradition as grounded in the dogmas of later centuries. Freed from these constraints, new questions relevant to contemporary scholars had to be asked.

Wansbrough was the first to analyze carefully the documents from the first four centuries of Islam that describe the rise of the Quran to the position of absolute authority in the Muslim community. Although these works were known to exist, no modern scholar had actually read them and tried to make coherent sense of the material. Wansbrough carved out new areas of inquiry and debate for scholars and lay enthusiasts alike.

Quranic Studies deserves serious attention, as a stimulating work of scholarship. Its allusions to biblical and Arabian underpinnings have captured many people's attention and led to numerous exchanges and debates among scholars and others, especially regarding Wansbrough's claim that the Quran was not written down until the third-century hijri (ninth century CE), countering traditional Muslim claims that it originated in the time of Muhammad and was written down shortly thereafter. In response, some decried the publication of Quranic Studies, seeing it as a major impediment to fostering a trust of nonsectarian scholarship among Muslims. Now readers can judge for themselves.

Although Quranic Studies was originally intended for fellow scholars, the Internet has considerably widened its accessibility. Used as a source of authority and critical opinion on polemical sites by both Muslims and Christians, Wansbrough's work has gained a significant profile among professionals and nonprofessionals alike. Nonetheless, it appears that many who cite Quranic Studies have not carefully read it. To counter such ideological and nonscholarly treatments of Wansbrough's ideas, noted Islamic scholar Andrew Rippin has enhanced the work with a valuable foreword, helpful text annotations, and a much-needed glossary to increase the utility of this seminal work for the many avid readers who desire to know more about Islam.

"John Wansbrough contributed to various aspects of the history and culture of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, but he was most important in stimulating new approaches to the study of early Islam. Starting from the view that Islam's own accounts of its origins are religiously inspired interpretations of history rather than true records of events, Wansbrough developed new and influential theories about the ways in which the emergence of Islam should be understood and studied.

"He was best known for his work on the Koran. In his Quranic Studies, using his profound knowledge of classical and modern literary and historical theory, he applied to the holy book of Islam ideas and approaches which scholars had developed in the study of the Bible and early Christianity. His literary analysis of the Koran and the commentaries on it led him to views very different from those held by traditional Muslims and by the majority of non-Muslin academics.

"...[Wansbrough] questioned the accepted view that the Koran consists of passages associated with (or, in the traditional understanding, divine revelations made to) Muhammad in Mecca and Medina in the early decades of the seventh century, that it had been committed to writing by about 650, and that it was the most important element in Islam from the time of Muhammad onwards.

"These and the other standard ways of approaching the Koran, he argues, resulted from too willing an acceptance of Islam's own tradition--primarily the body of traditional Muslim commentary on the Koran.

"...Starting from the basis that there is very little Islamic literature securely datable to before about 800, Wansbrough saw Islam as evolving gradually from sectarian forms of Judaism over a period of 150 years or so following the Arab conquests in the middle of the seventh century.

"He understood the history of that formative period, including the image of Muhammad and accounts of the formation of the Koran, as a back projection of views that were formed as the culture and religion of Islam emerged in an atmosphere of intense polemic between different groups of monotheists....

"His views and approaches remain controversial, both in academic circles and, for more obvious reasons, among Muslim who know of them. But they were not expressed out of any hostility to Islam. On the contrary, Wansbrough insisted that, together with Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a valid expression of the monotheistic tradition of religion and that it must be treated with the same scholarly seriousness as its sisters. --THE TIMES (London)

Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam by Anwar Hekmat (Prometheus Books)  The Koran tells us that "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other." In Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam, Anwar Hekmat tells us of the brutality inflicted on women in the Islam religion in the name of God. Hekmat clearly outlines all the basic rights given to men through Mohammed and The Koran, which include: the right to multiple wives and concubines; the right to beat and rape one's wife if she refuses to submit to sex; the right to terminate a marriage at any time without legal process; the right to all children and property from the marriage if divorced; the right to bring one's wife to court for suspected adultery; and, if she is found guilty, the right to bury her in the ground up to her waist and stone here to death (as was done in at least four cases in Iran in the last seven years). These same rights do not extend to women in regards to their husbands. Hekmat argues that the Muslim religion created by Mohammed is a barbaric tradition, created more to bring glory to God. His argument is compelling. Hekmat paints a picture of Mohammed as a cruel dictator who orchestrated horrific purges on his enemies, and captured many of the women to be used as wives (of which he had 15) or concubines for his own pleasure. Mohammed is also depicted with insatiable sexual appetites that knew little boundaries, including that of age. His favorite wife was nine when they married, and he brought her toys to the bed on their wedding night. Much of the Islamic religion, claims Hekmat, is clever propaganda simply created to allow Mohammed to do as he pleased. Indeed, Hekmat argues as strongly against the entire Islamic religion as he does against the disparity against women. The book is well researched and clearly organized, and while the language becomes awkward in spots, it is still a good read. His thesis is that the Muslim religion's treatment of women should be re-thought and quickly. This book helps remind us that equality is a matter of perspective, and lends itself to shaping your perception of women's equality in the eyes of religion in a whole new way.

Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Quran Edited by Suha Taji-Farouki (The Institute of Ismaili: Studies Quranic Studies Series, 1: Oxford University Press) is an important source for anyone interested in the place of the Quran in a changing world. In the contemporary world, millions of Muslim refer to the Quran on a daily basis. They turn to it to justify their aspirations and, as we have seen recently with graphic effect, to explain their actions. The extent of such direct reference is probably unprecedented in the history of Islamic experience, and it brings with it a vast diversity of readers and readings. If academic debates speak in abstract terms of the virtual impossibility of fixed meaning in texts, recent Muslim thinking concerning the Quran furnishes much practical evidence of this.

In recent decades, new voices have appeared on the contemporary Islamic intellectual map, vying for a place with the now hugely influential Salafi approach to Islam, generally characteristic of Islamism, and that of its traditionalist opponents. These are the voices of new Muslim intellectuals which, taken together, capture an emerging trend in Muslim interpretation. This trend is the subject of this volume. Essays by eminent international scholars examine the work of ten intellectuals from around the globe, providing biographical and contextual-analytical discussions. The introduction situates and evaluates the thought of these intellectuals, assessing and explaining responses to it among Muslim and non-Muslim audiences.

The Quran and its meanings for contemporary Muslim life form an important focus for these intellectuals efforts. Reflecting their exposure to western culture and its intellectual debates, they often adopt an approach to the sacred text informed by contemporary trends and critical methods. Their tendency is to project it as a source of general ethical guidelines and principles, rather than the immediate answer to all human questions. While most participate in the creative encounter between Islam and modernity, others move beyond this, bringing to their approach to the sacred text a post-modern mood of radical criticism, challenging head-on centuries-old Muslim consensus. Seeking a renaissance in Islamic cultural and intellectual life, and progress and reform in Muslim countries, their political ideas are often close to the heart of the liberal tradition, favouring democracy. These intellectuals are all products of a secular education. Some combine this with elements of traditional Islamic learning, while others are self-taught in the Islamic disciplines. Most are professional academics, but we also find here a Syrian engineer, a Libyan literary figure, and an Indonesian public activist.

The voices of this trend are likely to multiply in years to come, as Muslims form increasingly diverse communities of readers, as they become increasingly established in western academic institutions and as cultural globalisation proceeds apace. This is one reason to study this trend. Another lies in the fact that, by its very nature, it crystallises the burning issues in contemporary Muslim debates. Three in particular are highlighted in this volume. First: the problematic of Islam and western modernity. Second: the growing confusion over who speaks for Islam, and third, the absence of consensus concerning the limits of Islamic reform. Opinions concerning this trend are deeply divided. When compared to competing Islamic formulations, in Muslim circles its appeal is confined to a small minority, while many dismiss its contributions outright. On the other hand, western circles have provided such thinkers with a platform, and have welcomed their contributions. More than one has been described as a long-awaited Martin Luther of Islam. In such thinkers, some western observers believe they have found the moderate Muslim voices that must be cultivated and supported, in the hope of a positive outcome to what has been dubbed Islams internal war.

In spite of this interest, the writings of such intellectuals have remained somewhat inaccessible to a wider English-reading public. This volume fills this gap through a focused treatment of the pivotal theme of Quranic meaning. For the first time, it points to the emergence of a new Muslim community of interpretation, characterised by direct engagement with the word of God while embracing intellectual modernity in an increasingly globalised world. It also demonstrates that such intellectuals discuss the Quran and its meaning in the context of diverse discursive struggles, and in multiple arenas. These include opposition to Islamist discourses, authoritarian regimes, and dominant patriarchal modes, and responses to the threats of inter-communal strife, cultural stagnation and underdevelopment, for example.

Whatever their specific arena, the intellectuals studied in this volume constitute in themselves a clear reminder of the continued cultural centrality of the Quran, and the pivotal place it occupies in working out the aspirations of Muslim societies. By making their writings available, the hope is to enrich debates concerning the profound issues of change and tradition, authority and the management of pluralism and diversity, and culture, identity and exchange that concern us all as members of the new global society.

A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran by John Penrice (Dover Publications) unabridged republication of A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran, with Copious Grammatical References and Explanations of the Text, originally published by Henry S. King, London, 1873.

It is every Muslim's duty to read the Koran and try to understand it, which can be a problematic task for those unacquainted with Arabic. The study and appreciation of Arabic literature likewise demands a thorough familiarity with the Koran; the majority of works by Muslim writers abound in allusions to its precepts and quotations from its pages. The sacred text's purity of style and elegance of diction make it the standard of Arabic.

An excellent resource for those interested in translating passages from the Koran. To my knowledge the meaning of every Koranic word is found here. Using Penrice's work is certainly more convenient than going through Hans Wehr, which does not always provide the classical meaning of words. Lane's Lexicon is obviously a better source, but since it is multivolume work, it is both inconvenient to carry around and quite expensive. Although this dictionary was first published in 1873, its merit has not diminished since.

This classic guide to one of the world's most widely read books permits every-one, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to understand the Koraneven those with no prior knowledge of Arabic. Geared toward beginners, it was written to answer the need for an American version of the Koran in contemporary English. Each word is listed under its verbal root, words without roots are grouped alphabetically, and numerous explanations of the text appear through-out to help beginners master the inevitable difficulties and to assist more advanced readers in resolving problems.

An Interpretation of the Qur'an: English Translation of the Meanings: A Bilingual Edition translated by Majid Fakhry (New York University Press) The Quran: A Modern English Version Translated by Majid Fakhry (Garnet) British Edition Link to British edition
To followers of Islam, the Qur'an is the literal word of God, revealed through Muhammed, the last of the line of prophets. It is the expression of the will of God and contains all that is necessary to lead a life of righteousness. This message is expressed in the Arabic language with such formidable force that over the last 14 centuries it has been revered by Muslims all over the world. Islam has a billion followers in 48 countries and has become a significant force in the world today; a better understanding of the Qur'an will explain why. Approved by Al- Azhar University, this comprehensive and accurate rendering of the Qur'an into modern English should introduce this important book to a much wider audience than ever before. This translation is rapidly becoming the preferred bilingual edition for use in American mosques.
The clear translation is laid out in dual column format directly opposing the Arabic text to the English to allow the reader to make careful verse by verse comparisons. In this way, this volume aims to make the Qur'an accessible to students, teachers of religious studies, non-Arab Muslims and all who are interested in Islam. The clear, rigorous translation, one of the few English translations available now by a native Arabic speaker, is laid out here Chief features:

• Approved by Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
• Easy-to-read translation into modern English
•  Index of surahs (chapters)
• English and Arabic headers
• Verse numbers within text in English and Arabic
• Explanatory footnotes in English

Majid Fakhry is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the American University of Beirut and has previously held posts at universities in the Middle East and USA, including Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Visiting Professor at UCLA, Visiting Professor at Kuwait University and Visiting Research Fellow at Princeton University. His many publications include Ethical Theories of Islam; Philosophy, Dogma and the Impact of Greek Thought in Islam and A History of Islamic Philosophy. He was born in Lebanon and now lives in America.  

The Koran Interpreted: A Translation by A. J. Arberry (Touchstone Books) The Muslim holy book, presented in Arberry's forty-year-old authoritative and lyrical translation, brings the fundamental principles and concepts of the Muslim religion to the English language.

The Koran [E-BOOK: MICROSOFT READER, This e-book is readable only on desktop or laptop computers. It is not compatible with Macintosh or any handheld devices] Translation not specified.

The Qur'an's Self-Image: Writing and Authority in Islam's Scripture by Daniel A. Madigan (Princeton University Press) Islam is frequently characterized as a "religion of the book," and yet Muslims take an almost entirely oral approach to their scripture. Qur'n means "recitation" and refers to the actual words Muslims believe were revealed to Muhammad by God. Many recite the entire sacred text from memory, and it was some years after the Prophet's death that it was first put in book form. Physical books play no part in Islamic ritual. What does the Qur'n mean, then, when it so often calls itself kitb, a term usually taken both by Muslims and by Western scholars to mean "book"? To answer this question, Daniel Madigan reevaluates this key term kitb in close readings of the Qur'n's own declarations about itself.

More than any other canon of scripture the Qur'n is self-aware. It observes and discusses the process of its own revelation and reception; it asserts its own authority and claims its place within the history of revelation. Here Madigan presents a compelling semantic analysis of its self-awareness, arguing that the Qur'n understands itself not so much as a completed book, but as an ongoing process of divine "writing" and "re-writing," as God's authoritative response to actual people and circumstances.

Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations by Michael Sells (White Cloud Press) Includes an audio CD that demonstrates different styles of chanting the holy text. Approaching the Qur'an is a translation of the early suras-the short, hymnic chapters at the end of the book. A major event in religious publishing, this book captures the complexity, power and poetry of the early suras and the majesty and intimacy of the distinctive Qu'ranic voice. Sells is a professor of religion at Haverford College in Pennsylvania

These early revelations to Muhammad involve little of the political and legal detail found in the suras of his later career. Here they speak directly to every human being, regardless of religious confession or cultural background. Approaching the Qur'an is also designed to be as accessible as possible, to offer the full lyric and literary experience to readers: Opposite each sura is a short commentary that explores some of the subtleties and context of the Quranic passages; an annotated glossary explains key Quranic concepts and Arabic terms with English translations; there is even a compact disc of recordings by renowned Qu'ranic reciters chanting the early suras.

This uncommonly perceptive work puts forward a noteworthy examination for people unable to read the original in Arabic and to Arabic readers unfamiliar with the subtle linguistic shifts that have occurred in the 1300 years sense the revelation. Sells takes pains to show how it is the oral Quran that for many Muslims is the Quran of revelation. The Qur'an heard and recited is the tradition whose esteem and authority is often taken too lightly in our more visually dominated culture Sells carefully discusses the role of recitation, provides phonetic schemas to aid in understanding its structure, and includes a CD recording to introduce several different recitation styles. Next, he centers of attention on the relatively concise, early suras, that tend to be like hymns, are prophetic and principally concerned with the divine-human relationship; and which provides a non-Muslim with a simplified point of entry to the spiritual foundations of the Qur'anic worldview. Finally, the author gives new translations of these early suras, which together with his commentary will further assist non-Muslims to comprehend the spiritual depth of the Qur'an. In many ways this sensitive reading and translations of the Quranic text with careful attention to the many levels of meaning and musicality heralds a new epoch in approaching the universality of a tradition through close readings the specific texts.

Major Themes of the Quran by Fazlur Rahman (Bibliotheca Islamica) is one of the few works of Fazlur Rahman  that has not stirred the wrath of the mullahs or found too apologetic for the Western academy.  Here Rahman who in many ways pioneered an Islamic approach to the study of his religion in America, is not by any means controversial but thorough in presenting the central ideas of the Quran. Major Themes of the Quran has been widely accepted by academics and traditional scholars because it sets forth to analyze the major themes discussed within the Quran without much of any review or opinion.

Excerpt:
Muslims and non‑Muslims have written extensively on the Qur'an. The innumerable Muslim commentaries on the Holy Book often take the text verse by verse and explain it. Quite apart from the fact that most of these project tendentious points of view, at great length, by the very nature of their procedure they cannot yield insight into the cohesive outlook on the universe and life that the Qur'an undoubtedly possesses. More recently, non‑Muslims as well as Muslims have produced topical arrangements of the Qur'anic verses; although these can in varying degree serve the scholar as a source or an index, they are of no help to the student seeking to acquaint himself with what the Qur'an has to say on God, man, or society. It is therefore hoped that the present work will respond to the urgent need for an introduction to major themes of the Qur'an.

Except for the treatment of a few important themes like the diversity of religious communities, the possibility and actuality of miracles, and jihad, which all show evolution through the Qur'an, the procedure used for synthesizing themes is logical rather than chronological. In discussing God, for example, the idea of monotheism‑which is logically imperative‑is made the foundation‑stone of the entire treatment, and all other Qur'anic ideas on God are either derived from it or subsumed under it, as seemed best to establish the synthetic concept of God. Apart from this, the Qur'an has been allowed to speak for itself; interpretation has been used only as necessary for joining together ideas.

I am convinced that this synthetic exposition is the only way to give a reader a genuine taste of the Qur'an, the Command of God for man. Even if the chronological order could be feasibly reconstructed passage by passage (which I consider a real impossibility‑pace Richard Bell!), it would only explicate what is germinal in the original, master idea. This is radically different from the "dissective study" approach chronological or other‑whose usefulness for scholarship is obvious but which must disclaim any pretensions to treat the Qur'an as what it claims to be: God's message to man. The conventional repetition of such usual "information" about the Qur'an as the "Five Pillars" or the inheritance laws has kept understanding of the Qur'an at the most superficial level. (Note, however, that this work does include detailed references to chapters and verses so that the reader can verify and think further for him or her self.)

Introduction to the Quran by M. A. Draz (London Qur'an Studies Series Vol.2: I.B. Tauris) What is new in the Qur'an? What original precepts in ethics, philosophy or `world view' does it introduce which go beyond the Judeo‑Christian teachings or the traditions of the classical world? What was the nature of the Qur'anic Revelation? Was the Qur'an the product of the mind of Muhammad or the influence of Jewish or Christian teachings? Was it the product of Arabia or of other religious traditions from the Near and Middle East? And how was the Qur'anic message transmitted? By the sword or by persuasion?

The Qur'an is understood by Muslims and non‑Muslims alike as the source and fountainhead of Islam. But very few non-Muslims (and surprisingly few Muslims) have a real understanding of the nature and historical background of the revelations which came to the Prophet Muhammad.

Introduction to the Qur'an sets out the fundamental principles of the Qur'an and its much misunderstood and misquoted teachings. The distinguished Islamic Scholar M.A. Draz, one of the Muslim world's most erudite authorities of the twentieth century, examines Qur'anic instruction on women, polygamy, war, faith, Judaism, Christianity and the many other issues on which the Qur'an pronounces. Draz emphasizes the continuity of monotheistic doctrine and ethics through Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Excerpt:

Though there are several extremely diverse angles from which one can approach a study of the Qur'an, these will ultimately fall into two main categories: language and ideas. The Qur'an is, simultaneously and on the same level of importance, a work of literature and a book of doctrine.

To study the Qur'an as an artistic, linguistic and rhetorical work presupposes an in‑depth knowledge of the Arabic language, in which tongue the text was given. As most educated Europeans (to whom, after all, we principally address ourselves here) are not familiar with this language, we shall not direct the greater part of our efforts on this front, though we will of course touch upon language where this is used to enhance the primary theme or reinforce the implications of the teaching it embodies.

We shall concentrate rather on the treasury of ideas one can discover beneath the Qur'an's literary form. This approach does not require our being Arabs or students of Arabic, yet it nonetheless enables us to undertake a serious and fruitful study of the Qur'an.

Provided that one has a good translation,' one can study the Qur'an from any of three angles quite independently of its Arabic form: first of all there is the nature of Qur'anic doctrine, the ensemble of solutions it proposes so as to resolve the two eternal problems of knowledge and action; then there are the means of persuasion the Qur'an employs, in order to establish the truth of this doctrine; and finally there is the manner in which it demonstrates the sacred and Divine character that it attributes to its own message. It is to this quite independent study that we propose to contribute by the present work.

The principal objective of this study is to disengage the Qur'an's moral law from everything that connects it to the rest of the Book. However, before extracting this living cell from the whole organism that is Qur'anic doctrine, we feel it right and useful to present in their indivisible unity the main lines of its doctrinal structure. Thereby we hope to demonstrate the position of the moral element within the integrated framework.

In order to achieve this, we shall first consider the structure that is the Qur'an ‑ rapidly it is true, but with sufficient penetration to discern the generative ideas behind each of its sections, and sufficient breadth to encompass an overall picture of its methods and aims.

Apart from certain indispensable historical guidelines, the essential object of the present work is to lay bare in its wholeness the Qur'anic message as the text itself presents it, and not as it has been judged, interpreted or applied across the years.

In treading our path we shall encounter severe judgments passed on the Book which will have to be corrected, and hasty conclusions which will have to be put right, but in principle we shall the leave the words of the Qur'an to provide its own defense and self‑justification. Our intervention will consist almost exclusively of coordinating and linking up into a logical sequence the separate pieces that make up this plea of defense, leaving to the reader the task of judging the historical and philosophical validity of the discourse for him‑ or herself.

The issue at hand is one of studying the Qur'an objectively ‑ insofar as a thinker is able to detach himself from his or her own subjective conditions. To play the role of protagonist does not mean that one is prevented from clothing one's formulations with a personal overtone, an energetic mood, or a persuasive aspect. These should be seen as the reflection that the original projects onto its mirror, and not an essentially novel accretion of our particular manner of thinking.

It is necessary to say that, in divesting the Qur'anic idea of its clothing, and thus disengaging it from its local framework so as to make it accessible to those unfamiliar with the Arabic language, we are doing no more than helping to reveal its true purpose. Appealing constantly to reason, common sense and the more generous human sentiments, the Qur'an addresses itself in effect to all mankind, regardless of national roots or ethnic origins.

The Qur'an is a universal teaching that aims to purify customs, to throw light on and reconcile beliefs, to cause racial barriers and national chauvinism to fall, and to replace the law of brute strength with that of truth and justice. In addition to its contribution to world philosophy, however, it also serves as a precious source of succor for those who study it during this frenetic period of domination and destruction.

QURAN LIBERATION & PLURALISM: An Islamic Perspective of Intereligious Solidarity Against Oppression by Farid Esack  (One World) The demise of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s followed an unprecedented unity in struggle against oppression from members of different faith traditions. Determined, as South African Muslims were to participate with the rest of the oppressed in solidarity against apartheid, this brought them into conflict with interpretations of the Qur'an that denied virtue outside Islam, and left them searching for a theology that would allow them to both co-operate against injustice and be true to their faith. In this challenging account, Farid Esack reflects on key Quranic passages used in the context of oppression to rethink the role of Islam in a plural society. He exposes how traditional interpretations of the Qur'an were used to legitimize an unjust order, and demonstrates that those very texts used to support religious intolerance, if interpreted within a contemporary socio-historical context, support active solidarity with the religious Other for change.

This insightful account about how South African Muslims succeeded in cooperating with members of other faith communities in the struggle against oppression while staying true to the tenets of their own faith, shows how reflections upon key Qur'anic passages used in the context of oppression provides grounds for rethinking the role of Islam in a plural society. Esack exposes how traditional interpretations of the Qur'an that denied virtue outside Islam have been used to legitimize an unjust social order. Furthermore he demonstrates that these very texts provide a basis for a ethical social critique that is open to all, not just Muslims. Significant new religious understanding always comes out of lived experiences, the liberation struggle in South Africa for human rights allowed the Quran to be read in new ways, revealing original aspects of its meaning.

Set in the context of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, this challenging book discusses the issues of injustice and interreligious dialogue from an Islamic point of view. Farid Esack is an internationally known scholar, speaker and social activist. He is particularly concerned with issues of gender equality, religious pluralism and justice. Any concerned with Islam in the modern world will find this account of a liberating Quranic message an important contribution to an Islamic liberation theology.

Contents:
List of Abbreviations
Notes on Language
Introduction
1. The Context
2. Between Text and Context
3. Hermeneutical Keys
4. Redefining Self and Other
5. The Qur'an and the Other
6. Redefining Comrades and Opponents
7. From the Wilderness to the Promised Land
Conclusion
Appendix One
Appendix Two
Appendix Three
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Farid Esack is Senior Lecturer in Religion at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and is an internationally known scholar, speaker and social activist.