Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Styles (London Qur'an Studies Series) [Paperback]

Muhammad Abdel Haleem (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1860646506 | ISBN-13: 978-1860646508 | Publication Date: April 21, 2001

The tenets of Islam cannot be grasped without a proper understanding of the Qur'an. In this book, Muhammad Abdel Haleem examines its recurrent themes and for the first time sets them in the context of the Qur'an's linguistic style. Haleem examines the background to the development of the surahs (chapters) and the ayahs (verses) and the construction of the Qur'an itself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[It] has a breadth of reading and attention to style that readers will welcome...Chapters on such topics as women, Adam and Eve, the afterlife and war and peace articulately present ways in which contemporary Muslims understand their scriptures. Choice

...in the present reviewer's view, is the most interesting and illustrative of qur'anic themes and style...
-Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

About the Author

Muhammed Abdel Haleemis Professor of Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (April 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860646506
• ISBN-13: 978-1860646508
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Muhammad Abdel Haleem was born in Egypt, and learned the Qur'an by heart from childhood. He is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is the Editor of the Journal of Qur'anic Studies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Covers Subjects Most Books Don't Even Mention, May 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Styles (London Qur'an Studies Series) (Paperback)

I have read several introductory and semi-advanced books on Islam, before and after becoming a Muslim myself. This book definitely rates as one of the best. I have read "The Vision of Islam" (by Murata & Chittick), "Approaching the Quran" (by Sells), and "What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims (by Haneef) among others, and this books stands out as the best. It puts to rest a lot of Western stereotypes about the Quran, especially about the Islamic concepts of War, Women, and Marriage. But the best and most unique parts of the book deal with the style of the Quran in Arabic, its expert use of future, past, and present tense, and the change in person (first, second, third) that is such a beautiful feature of the Quran. The book also compares the stories of Adam, Eve, and Joseph in the Quran and Bible in a most intelligent and sensitive way. I definitely recommend this book as it is also refreshing to read an introductory book on the Quran written by a Muslim.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book to keep it short is an essential read for anyone, April 17, 2005

By 

A. Shankar "blue ego" (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Styles (London Qur'an Studies Series) (Paperback)

If you ever talk about the Quran and do not know of its historical or literary context as well as the theosophy upon which it is based then obviously you have become one of the many to make an uneducated remark on it. Of course this comment would strike you as offensive or odd and I use it simply to get your attention.

The reason is that the Quran is unlike any other holy book in its textual form. There are several considerations prior to someone going to a shop and just grabbing the first translation they see. Its best one reads an introductory book explaining it in the light of Islam. Abdel Haleem is one of the more recent, yet renowned scholars in the west in explaining the Quran (in English). His works are accessible for all ages and for all people, it is highly inclusive and yet still does a great deal of justice to Islam, its Holy Book and its followers.

This book explains the Quran in the light of the scholarly, historical and practical paradigms. Giving an idea of the compilation, style and applications of the holy book with respect to Muslims.

I think this is one of the very few books out there that actually give an accurate and precise idea about the Quran and therefore the most important aspect and defining agent of Islam.
It is one of the best works and it can also be accepted as one of the finer introductory books about Islam. I deem it very good as even veteran Muslims may learn quite a lot about the text and it may also put the Qur'an in a new light for them.

No sane individual claims to know all of the Qur'an or understand all of it. There aspects of it which are apparent and others that are highly esoteric. Regardless, this is just the Arabic side of things, when one encounters a "translation" of it then they find a much censored and generalized text from the original Arabic. It is important that a person graps the ideas pointed out in this book as they are essential in the intellectual development towards understand Islam.
This is an essential text before anyone imparts on the journey of understanding Islam. The Qura'n is such a complex text that even in the Arab world people require commentaries upon to understand the inner workings of the Holy Book. This is generally due to the fact that each verse may have a different context from the verse which preceded it. A big mistake made by most translaters is that they approach each Surah or chapter of the Qura'n in themes and this infact does not do justice to it.

Haleem is quick to point out that all "translations" are infact just translations of the Qura'ns meanings or what is thought to be its meanings. It isnt that the Qur'an is incoherent, its rather the opposite. When people read it they understand (homogenously) the key ideas and commands it gives to Muslims; however there are other verses that tend to be much more esoteric.

Since it is regarded and widely accepted as the Word of God to the final Prophet, it comes with a heavy responsiblity in translating it. To do it justice translaters should read all historical commentaries on the verses which make the verses more apparent and clearer from the light of the Prophet himself or further commentary by the Angel which revealed the book in the first place.

Only avid scholars will go to the extent of learning the classical language of Arabic to study the Qura'n in its proper linguistic context after all the Qur'an itself states "this is a book revealed in Arabic so that you may understand" in surah Zukruf.

This book takes in most considerations into account when commenting on the Qur'an. It does not generalize and infact is very well written so it is accessible for all ages. The book itself is by a highly respect author who himself states the losses of the current translations and also does a retrospective commentary on previous translations. I suggest this book to one and all and i find that it is essential for anyone who wants to have a contextual idea of the Quran.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK!, February 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Styles (London Qur'an Studies) (Hardcover)

MUSLIM OR NON-MUSLIM, YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT THE TRUE BEAUTY OF ISLAM BY READING THIS BOOK. IT CLEARS UP SEVERAL STEROTYPES AND MISINFORMATION DUE TO TRANSLATION ERRORS, MISINTERPRETATION, PREJUDICE ETC. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE REAL ISLAM, AND ABOUT THE ONE, ETERNAL, EVER-LIVING GOD, AND HIS WORDS AS FOUND IN THE HOLY QURAN, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.IT CLEARS UP COMMON STEROTYPES AND PREPARES YOU MENTALLY TO REALLY LEARN ABOUT TRUE ISLAM.