Reading The Quran

Few books have had a more profound impact on human history than the Qur’an. It shapes the beliefs, lives and behavior of over 1.5 billion Muslims, who regard it as the Word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It has been the basic source of law, morality and politics for over 1,400 years. Almost everything that happens in a Muslim society is a direct or indirect product of what the Qur’an says. But what does the Qur’an really say? How should it be read and interpreted? What is the significance of its teachings, if any, for the twenty-first century? In this enlightening and highly readable book, Ziauddin Sardar, one of the foremost Muslim intellectuals of our time, offers a refreshingly new interpretation of the Qur’an. Emphasizing plurality and inclusiveness, Sardar shows how the text is interrelated and interconnected, demonstrates the importance of reading the verses of the Qur’an in the context in which they were revealed, and highlights the relevance of its teachings for today. Argumentative and lively, Reading the Qur’an is an insightful guide to understanding the Sacred Text of Muslims in these conflict- ridden and distressing times. Whatever one believes or does not believe, the central importance of the Qur’an in today’s globalize world cannot be ignored.