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The Koran For Dummies
With the current turmoil in the Middle East, there is a growing interest about Islam--the world's second largest religion and one of the fastest growing--and its holy book, the Koran (or Qur'an). Now, with this easy-to-follow, plain-English guide, you can explore the history, structure, and basic tenets of Islam's sacred scripture. The Koran For Dummies is for non-Muslims interested in the Koran as well as Muslims looking to deepen their understanding. Islamic scholar Sohaib Sultan provides a clear road map, revealing:
The meaning of Koran and its basic message The Koran's place in history and in Islamic spiritual life Explanations of its language, structure, and narrative style How to live by the Koran's teachings The Koran's role in key global issues, such as Jihad vs. terrorism Different interpretations of the Koran No other book provides such a straightforward look at what the Koran says, how it says it, and how believers live according to its guidance. From how the Koran was received by Mohammed and how it was compiled to how it's interpreted by Islam's two main branches, you'll see how to put the Islamic faith in perspective.
Plus, you'll discover:
What the Koran really says about women and civil law How Islam relates to Judaism and Christianity The Koran's view of God, prophets, mankind, and the self How its teachings are lived and recited every day by devout Muslims Common misconceptions of the Koran How to raise a family the Koranic way Complete with lists of important passages, Koranic terminology, famous quotes, and further reading resources, The Koran For Dummies makes it easy and enjoyable for you to grasp the teachings and significance of Islam's holy book.
The meaning of Koran and its basic message The Koran's place in history and in Islamic spiritual life Explanations of its language, structure, and narrative style How to live by the Koran's teachings The Koran's role in key global issues, such as Jihad vs. terrorism Different interpretations of the Koran No other book provides such a straightforward look at what the Koran says, how it says it, and how believers live according to its guidance. From how the Koran was received by Mohammed and how it was compiled to how it's interpreted by Islam's two main branches, you'll see how to put the Islamic faith in perspective.
Plus, you'll discover:
What the Koran really says about women and civil law How Islam relates to Judaism and Christianity The Koran's view of God, prophets, mankind, and the self How its teachings are lived and recited every day by devout Muslims Common misconceptions of the Koran How to raise a family the Koranic way Complete with lists of important passages, Koranic terminology, famous quotes, and further reading resources, The Koran For Dummies makes it easy and enjoyable for you to grasp the teachings and significance of Islam's holy book.
- GenresReligionIslamNonfiction
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2004
55 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 21, 2023
I had attempted to read the Qur'an in college and quickly gave up. The Koran isn't written in a narrative style; it jumps around, and is a rather dense and weighty tome. As Sultan admits, that is what puts many a westerner off the effort. Having completed a cover to cover reading of 'The Koran for Dummies', I am inspired to renew the effort. In the easy to read style and format of the "..Dummies" series, Sultan outlines the nature of the revelation of the Qur'an and it's structure, then breaks the Qur'an into easier to understand themeatic sections. Even knowing already that the Qur'an touched on the Torah and the Christian Bible, I was surprised to see just how many references there are to both. This isn't to say that the Qur'an copies from either - it's more like the retelling of some of the same stories with new details, different perspective, and/or a slightly different emphasis from the lesson.
The Qur'an covers quite a lot of ground and is pretty detailed. It covers everything from the spiritual (the nature of God) to the ordinary (commerce and dress). In fact, there is a certain earthiness and grounding in everyday life in the Qur'an that I find quite refreshing - while never losing its aspirational tone.
Even in translation, the prose from the Qur'an is sometimes quite eloquent - and I find it fascinating that the eloquence of its verse is cited as a proof of its divine origin, given that The Prophet Muhammad was unlettered.
'Koran for Dummies' doesn't white wash the topics of terrorism or intolerance or sexism - but it makes it clear that what is done in the name of Allah does not mesh with the standards of conduct and behavior demanded in the Qur'an, even in time of war. Sadly, this simply proves that the Qur'an isn't the only holy text that gets cited incorrectly, incompletely, and out of context in order to justify oppression and violence. While I readily realize that 'Koran for Dummies' is just one interpretation of the Qur'an, it does show more than enough Surahs to demonstrate that God does not condone such behavior - he indeed openly condemns it and warns you will be called to account for it.
I heartily recommend the book. In the same way "there is no compunction in religion" as it says in the Qur'an, reading "Koran For Dummies" cannot be compelled - But I do so wish that many of the people who tar Islam with the broad brush of backwardness and intolerance would read it and get a fresh view from another perspective.
The Qur'an covers quite a lot of ground and is pretty detailed. It covers everything from the spiritual (the nature of God) to the ordinary (commerce and dress). In fact, there is a certain earthiness and grounding in everyday life in the Qur'an that I find quite refreshing - while never losing its aspirational tone.
Even in translation, the prose from the Qur'an is sometimes quite eloquent - and I find it fascinating that the eloquence of its verse is cited as a proof of its divine origin, given that The Prophet Muhammad was unlettered.
'Koran for Dummies' doesn't white wash the topics of terrorism or intolerance or sexism - but it makes it clear that what is done in the name of Allah does not mesh with the standards of conduct and behavior demanded in the Qur'an, even in time of war. Sadly, this simply proves that the Qur'an isn't the only holy text that gets cited incorrectly, incompletely, and out of context in order to justify oppression and violence. While I readily realize that 'Koran for Dummies' is just one interpretation of the Qur'an, it does show more than enough Surahs to demonstrate that God does not condone such behavior - he indeed openly condemns it and warns you will be called to account for it.
I heartily recommend the book. In the same way "there is no compunction in religion" as it says in the Qur'an, reading "Koran For Dummies" cannot be compelled - But I do so wish that many of the people who tar Islam with the broad brush of backwardness and intolerance would read it and get a fresh view from another perspective.
July 24, 2013
Disclaimer: So while it's summer, and I have 3 bored kids at home, it didn't give me an opportunity to read every single chapter. HOWEVER, I did read a few chapters, which I found to be very interesting. There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between Islam & Christianity. And here is what I have discovered while reading ~ if people were to actually live their "true religion" this world could find universal peace. Now I believe everyone is inherently good. I believe people can also make mistakes and bad choices. But if we could all live showing core religious values of selflessness, humility, kindness, charity, love, respect towards all humanity ~ I feel that the world could truly be a peaceful place :-)
July 29, 2009
All this book did was confirm to me that the Bible and the Koran truly are the same book just the names and place have been changed.
October 13, 2018
This was the first Dummies book I read. The Dummies series has a good reputation for producing books that explain ideas in a simple manner. I had heard about Islamic ideas for a long time, but I had yet to find a good source that would actually explain them for me in an accessible and straightforward manner. When I got my hands on The Koran for Dummies, I finally had a good starting point.
Before I read this book, I had recently finished a reading of an English translation of the Quran. The Quran contains many stylistic features and religious ideas that are unfamiliar to Westerners, which can make it difficult to understand and process upon a first reading. Not to mention that so much of the messages in the Quran are expressed through Arabic linguistic modes, the meaning can easily get lost in translation and distorted. Also, the historical context of the Quran is very important to understanding it. It means that nearly everyone will need some type of guide to understand what the Quran is all about.
Sohaib Sultan is an American Muslim who writes in an easy, friendly style for the reader. He will readily admit that he can't distance his view of the Quran from his Muslim faith, yet also knows that most of his readers won't be Muslim. In general, I believe he does a good job about explaining the literature of the Quran, especially noting the esteem he will inevitably have for it being a Muslim.
He seeks to defend the places he believes the Quran has been greatly distorted, and also occasionally acknowledges the problems that exist in the interpretation process or its application in the Muslim world. He was not overly apologetic in his approach, but at times he defaulted to a "you can't make this stuff up" position or tried to demonstrate why the legitimacy of the Quran was a matter of history and reality, not only a matter of faith.
The book goes through the literary, stylistic, and linguistic features of the Quran, and the history and practice of Quranic interpretation. It discusses the place of the Quran in Islam and Muslim practice. It illuminates the Quranic view of a number of important topics, some of which are hot-button issues. Because of the centrality of the Quran in Islam, the books serves as an introduction to Islam in general. If you're looking for that, this book might provide, but because this book has a specific focus on what the Quran says about any given topic, it will be a little different than a generic "Introduction to Islam" book.
The book provided a good insight into the rationale and basis of Islamic religion, ethics, and civilization. It acknowledged that this will often come at odds with common Western ideals. It did raise questions for me about how much is truly common in Islam, and how much is the author’s perspective. While I would recommend this book, as always, never read only one book to understand an important and broad topic.
Before I read this book, I had recently finished a reading of an English translation of the Quran. The Quran contains many stylistic features and religious ideas that are unfamiliar to Westerners, which can make it difficult to understand and process upon a first reading. Not to mention that so much of the messages in the Quran are expressed through Arabic linguistic modes, the meaning can easily get lost in translation and distorted. Also, the historical context of the Quran is very important to understanding it. It means that nearly everyone will need some type of guide to understand what the Quran is all about.
Sohaib Sultan is an American Muslim who writes in an easy, friendly style for the reader. He will readily admit that he can't distance his view of the Quran from his Muslim faith, yet also knows that most of his readers won't be Muslim. In general, I believe he does a good job about explaining the literature of the Quran, especially noting the esteem he will inevitably have for it being a Muslim.
He seeks to defend the places he believes the Quran has been greatly distorted, and also occasionally acknowledges the problems that exist in the interpretation process or its application in the Muslim world. He was not overly apologetic in his approach, but at times he defaulted to a "you can't make this stuff up" position or tried to demonstrate why the legitimacy of the Quran was a matter of history and reality, not only a matter of faith.
The book goes through the literary, stylistic, and linguistic features of the Quran, and the history and practice of Quranic interpretation. It discusses the place of the Quran in Islam and Muslim practice. It illuminates the Quranic view of a number of important topics, some of which are hot-button issues. Because of the centrality of the Quran in Islam, the books serves as an introduction to Islam in general. If you're looking for that, this book might provide, but because this book has a specific focus on what the Quran says about any given topic, it will be a little different than a generic "Introduction to Islam" book.
The book provided a good insight into the rationale and basis of Islamic religion, ethics, and civilization. It acknowledged that this will often come at odds with common Western ideals. It did raise questions for me about how much is truly common in Islam, and how much is the author’s perspective. While I would recommend this book, as always, never read only one book to understand an important and broad topic.
September 4, 2011
I enjoyed the read.
April 29, 2013
An above average beginners guide to the world's second largest religion.
May 1, 2022
I am still a dummy, but it is to be hoped a more understanding one.
July 2, 2025
作为入门还可以 了解了不少古兰经的内容
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews