The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an (Cambridge Companions to Religion) [Paperback]

Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 2006 | Series: Cambridge Companions to Religion

As the living scriptural heritage of more than a billion people, the Qur'an (Koran) speaks with a powerful voice. Just as other scriptural religions, Islam has produced a long tradition of interpretation for its holy book. Nevertheless, efforts to introduce the Qur'an and its intellectual heritage to English-speaking audiences have been hampered by the lack of available resources. The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an seeks to remedy that situation. In a discerning summation of the field, Jane McAuliffe brings together an international team of scholars to explain its complexities. Comprising fourteen chapters, each devoted to a topic of central importance, the book is rich in historical, linguistic and literary detail, while also reflecting the influence of other disciplines. For both the university student and the general reader, The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an provides a fascinating entrée to a text that has shaped the lives of millions for centuries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This companion to the Qur'an is essential for any reader before embarking on a serious reading of the Holy Book of Islam. In particular, it is a welcome addition to other works on Qur'anic studies at Western universities, and strongly recommended to all those engaged in understanding the Qur'an and learning about the vast scholarship that explores its meaning and function in the life of Muslims." - Digest of Middle East Studies

Book Description

The Qur'an (Koran) is the primary religious text for more than a billion people. Understood by Muslims to contain God's own words, it has been an object of reverence and intense study for centuries. This unique guide will help students clarify the complexities of text and commentary of the Qur'an.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (December 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052153934X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521539340
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #443,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful collection, March 19, 2007

By 

Willis G. Regier "Billinois" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an (Cambridge Companions to Religion) (Hardcover)

Having heard about the Koran (or Qur'an) for years, I decided to read it in English translation. But I soon bogged down, confused and disappointed. This book was of immense assistance. It helped me appreciate why I had been confused (I had expected the Qur'an to be like the Bible or the Gita or Upanishads; it is unique in all sorts of ways) and it evaporated the disappointment like a mirage.

The COMPANION is well organized, with different scholars addressing their particular areas of specialization. All contributors are scholars based in European or North American universities, which might be considered a complaint by others, but not by me: these scholars knew well how strange the Qur'an can appear to a reader in the West. They knew what questions would be primary and inevitable, and troubled to answer them.

For example, what English translation should be preferred and what is lost in translation? These questions are taken up in McAuliffe's introduction (she mentions all the translations in print, recommends several for one reason or another, and prefers none as clearly foremost). The history of the codification of the Qur'an is discussed by several scholars, with excellent discussion of what can be known about its early transmission and its textual disputes. Major lines of interpretation follow, with attention to the political tensions within early Islam.

All essays are deeply respectful of the Qur'an. As might be expected, Western interest in the Qur'an, and the first Western translation of it (into Latin), were inspired by the desire to refute it, rebuke it, or otherwise neutralize it. THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION shows how far scholars have come in seeking to understand the Qur'an on its own terms, which are exceedingly various and tremendously demanding. First of all, the need to know Arabic; then the life of Mohammed and the Hadiths, collections of his sayings; then the competing and collateral traditions; and then the multiple evocations of the Qur'an in inscriptions, architecture, poetry, weaving, and law. One essay is devoted to the reception of the Qur'an by Western scholars.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high quality scholarship, August 10, 2010

By 

madeel - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an (Cambridge Companions to Religion) (Hardcover)

First, at least two of the essays are written by Muslims. Mere scanning of table of contents will tell you that. So the objection by one of the reviewer that none of the essay is written by a Muslim scholar is not a valid one. Second, I found that standards of scholarship is quite high in these essays. It can be quite illuminating seeing the things from others' point of view. In this book most scholars do not share the same faith as mine (I am Muslim). I learned a lot of thing which I didn't know before.

A Muslim may not be as objective in the study of Quran on its own as a non-Muslim can be. Of course there are many Westerners who didn't understand the Quran or deliberately misconstrued it. But in this collection this is not the case. It is highly recommended for Muslims as well to develop an objective appreciation of the Quran.

One point I would like to add here. In the Muslim tradition, the primary subject of the Quran is nothing but human being. Entire Quran revolves around human. You many find ayats saying: everything in this universe has conquered to human beings; God has never changed the condition of a nation, unless it tried to do so; when God intends to punish a nation, the elite class of the society get infected by moral ills.

5.0 out of 5 stars Camridge Companion, December 5, 2011

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mesmith759 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an (Cambridge Companions to Religion) (Paperback)

This is a great book for getting a better understanding of the Quran. It has been well researched and has chapters by many different people who have contributed their expertise.