EXPLORING THE QUR’AN CONTEXT AND IMPACT pdf download

Exploring the Qur’an Context and Impact by Muhammad Abdel Haleem

EXPLORING THE QUR’AN CONTEXT AND IMPACT

This book challenges the image of the Qur’an put forward by many Western and Muslim authors, both classical and modern, and particularly by modern extremists from all sides.

It argues that the image they produce is highly selective, hastily produced, and ignores important parts of the Arabic text of the Qur’an, sometimes even from within the same verse from which they are quoting.

At times they ignore the context, style, and rhetorical aspects of the Qur’an that are essential for determining the correct meaning.

They often force norms of Arabic grammar and rhetoric onto the English, producing an Arabised, rather than an eloquent English translation, while also disregarding the power of the original Arabic. Sometimes they overlook the Qur’anic text and base their views on the tradition of exegesis (tafsı ̄r) or images and ideas that have accumulated in the West over centuries.

The present book explores what such writers have neglected, that is, the Arabic text of the Qur’an itself, rather than views expressed in imperfect tafsı ̄rs or translations, or polemical readings of the text which subvert its original meaning.

Linguistic analysis is then used, paying due regard to the Qur’anic context, style, and habits of expressing its message. The objective is to challenge tradition or convention where it stands in exploring the Qur’an contradiction to the Qur’an;

 however, just as my intention is not to criticize all Muslim writers, it is certainly not my aim to criticize all Western writers on the Qur’an either, many of whom, based on the rich cultural heritage existing in various Western countries, have made significant contributions to Qur’anic studies.

They have complimented the scholarship of Muslim authors and have expended huge efforts enriching our understanding of the text, especially when such scholarship has been marked by true academic objectivity.