'Alī ibn Ahmad al-Wāhidī (d. 468/1075) was one of the earliest scholars of the branch of the Qur'anic sciences known as Asbāb al-Nuzūl (i.e. the contexts and occasions of the Revelation of the Qur'an). Al-Wāhidī and subsequent scholars aimed to collect and systemize information concerning all the known reasons and contexts for the Revelation of particular Qur'anic verses. This translation by Mokrane Guezzou represents the first accurate and reliable English translation of this seminal work.

This classic and popular introduction to the sciences developed to interpret and understand Islam's holy book is ideal for all serious students of the Koran. Precise, yet comprehensive, it covers the traditional disciplines, including the meaning and contexts of revelation, the history and transmission of the text, and exegesis, as well as more contemporary topics like the recording of the Koran, the history of Orientalist approaches, and a survey of translations. It ends with a guide for the correct recitation of, and etiquette toward, the Koran. Chapter 1: The Qur'an and Revelation Chapter 2: Transmission of the Qur'anic Revelation Chapter 3: The Qur'an in Manuscript and Print Chapter 4: Form, Language and Style Chapter 5: Understanding the Text Chapter 6: Interpreting the Text Chapter 7: Some Related Issues Chapter 8: Reading and Studying the Qur'an Ahmad Von Denffer was born in Germany in 1949. He studied Islamics and Social Anthropology at the Universty of Mainz, where he also attended additional courses in the Department of Missiology. His special interests include Christian-Muslim relations. He has made a number of contributions to scholarly journals and has several publications to his credit. He joined the Islamic Foundation as Research Fellow in 1978 and is presently working with the Islamic Centre, Munich.

A timely addition to the literature on the holy book of Islam, this translation provides both the original Arabic verse as well as extensive explanations and interpretations in modern English. Additional commentary is offered on the social and historical aspects of Islam, as well as the existence and unity of God, the concept of resurrection, and other theological complexities. Several special glossaries detailing the names of God and Qur'an vocabulary are also included.

This volume examines the writings of ten Muslim intellectuals, working in the Muslim world and the West, who employ contemporary critical methods to understand the Qur'an. Their work points to a new trend in Muslim interpretation, characterised by a direct engagement with the Word of God while embracing intellectual modernity in a global context. The volume situates and evaluates their work and responses to it among Muslim and non-Muslim audiences.

The prevailing belief among Muslims is that, because the Qur'an is the Word of God and God is eternal, it follows that His Word is also eternal. The belief is based on the postulate that the Word of God must be of the same nature as God Himself. Mahmoud Hussein refutes this by showing that it contradicts the very teachings of the Qur'an. Whereas God transcends time, His Word is inscribed within time. It is not a monologue, but a living exchange, through which God reveals to His Prophet different orders of truth, weaving together the absolute and the relative, the general and the particular, the eternal and the contingent. An international bestseller, Understanding the Qur'an today offers a new perspective on one of the world's most influential texts and adds an invaluable contribution to the debate on Islam and modernity.

A collection of the long-unavailable tafasir, or commentaries on the Qur'an, which help to properly explain and contextualize the revelation, this series aims to make leading exegetical works--in translation, unabridged, and faithful to the letter and meaning of the Arabic--widely available for study and research. One of the most pivotal works for understanding the environment that influenced the development of Qur'anic exegesis, this volume--originally written by Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Ya'qub al-Firuzabadi--offers valuable insight into the circulation and exchange of popular ideas between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity during the formative phase of Islamic exegesis. In addition, the work avoids elaborate theological, philosophical, and grammatical explanations, making it easily accessible to nonspecialists.

"[Common Ground is] ... an earnest attempt to help Muslims to see Buddhism as a true religion, and Buddhists to see Islam as an authentic Dharma."--Professor Mohammad Hashim Kamali (from his Foreword) --Book Jacket.

This is the first translation of the Quran by an American woman. It is a universal and inclusive translation with the hope that Islam will be better understood in the West. She also challenges the use of the wowrd "to beat" in 4: 34 as meaning "to go away" which is how the Prophet of Islam understood the word as it has historically justified violence against and abuse of Muslim women. "This interpretation must change," she says, "and revert to the way the Prophet understood it."

For almost fourteen centuries the Qur’an has been a source of inspiration and solace and, above all, a guide along the way of life toward eternity. Using commentaries from the classical period through the medieval and modern periods to the present, this series presents the Qur’anic explanation as Muslims have understood it and interiorized it throughout its rich exegetical history, and has been written not primarily for scholars but for those interested readers and non-Arabic speaking students of Islam, both Muslim and non-Muslim. This volume is the second in the series containing the third surah, Al Imran. The first volume contains the first and the second surahs. The entire collection will comprise an encyclopedia of the Qur’an commentary.