The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'ān

Cambridge Companions to Religion

by Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Editor)

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.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Reference

345 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2006

Reviews

[Terese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great companion, only real annoyance is that some of it is a bit repetitive.

The other flaw, for me, and this is something I often feel with books of this kind, is that while the scholarly perspective, so eloquently presented here on a wide range of topics (and well elucidating the variance of thought and interpretations that are out there) at times leaves you wondering what the 'ordinary' believes think and how these scholarly interpretations relate to an every day experience and understanding of the faith. Sometimes it feels like a lot of interpretations are lovely, but obscure and hardly mainstream.

As mentioned, I feel like this is often an issue with books of this sort, for all faiths, and it is regrettable. Almost makes me wish they would conclude with some kind of "man on the street" type Q&A essays with average believers from different contexts.

[Matt Friedman]

A very good, articulate and useful secondary introduction to the study of the Qur'an

[Michel Van Goethem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zeer volledig overzicht van alle aspecten die ermee te maken hebben.


Inhoudsopgave

The historical context
23
Creation of a fixed text
41
Alternative accounts of the Qurans formation
59
Themes and topics
79
Structural linguistic and literary features
97
Recitation and aesthetic reception
115
From palm leaves to the Internet
145
Inscriptions in art and architecture
163
The tasks and traditions of interpretation
181
Western scholarship and the Quran
235
Womens readings of the Quran
255
Political interpretation of the Quran
273
The Quran and other religions
291
Quran citation index
310
General index
318
Copyright

[Khawla Tomaleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helps you to draw a good picture about what have been written about Quran in both side; western scholars and Muslims point of view..
It helped me alot especially I had no chance to read the whole western theories about Quran

[William West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful essays on the distinctive literary structure of the Qur'an. I found especially interesting the piece on feminist readings of the work and their challenges to patriarchy in the Islamic world, readings which are themselves informed by Islamic tradition.

[Kip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good introduction to the Qur'an. I have not read or studied the Qur'an, nor other works about it, so I cannot compare it to others. I would like to study the Qur'an more.

[Nadeen Alsulaimi]

أكثر ما يميز هذا الكتاب في مقالاته هو حديثه عن اختلاف القارئين للقرآن في استجابتهم له ويتناول الطرق الغربية الحديثة في الدراسات القرآنية وعرض تاريخي لمعظم الباحثين مسلمين وغير مسلمين

[Merkurius · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is the most boring book I've ever read.