San Antonio College Library

"The Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be the word of God, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad 1,400 years ago. It is the supreme authority in Islam and the living source of the Islamic teaching; it is a sacred text and a book of guidance, that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of the Islamic religion. It has been one of the most influential books in history. Recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, it has nevertheless...

There is much more to the Qur'an than the selective quotations favoured by Islamic fundamentalists. This book provides a student-friendly guide to the many ways in which the Qur'an can be read. Designed for both Muslims and Western non-Muslim students, it examines the Qur'an in Western scholarship as well as giving an overview of the rich interpretive traditions from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day. This guide is a concise introduction...

An authoritative introduction to the sacred text reveals how it represents Islam, describing the origins of the faith in seventh-century Arabia while offering insight into how the Qur'an remains a pivotal influence on modern society and politics.

Coverage of recent world events has focused on violence associated with Islam. In this book Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer claims that this narrow view ignores the broader and unfortunate relationship between human violence and the sacred texts of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Both the Bible and the Qu'ran, he believes, are riddled with violent images of God and with passages that can be reasonably interpreted to justify violence against enemies in service...

This book is a long-overdue reassessment of women's rights in Islam which have long been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. The fundamentalists, unmindful of the social context in which Quranic verses on the subject were written, have tried to portray men as superior human beings to women. The author, a renowned scholar, has sought to set the record straight by reinterpreting the women's rights in the true Quranic spirit. He argues, quite convincingly,...

Assuming no prior knowledge, The Qur'an: A Philosophical Guide is the first balanced introduction to the Qur'an from a philosophical point of view. Oliver Leaman's guide begins by familiarizing the readers with the core theories and controversies surrounding the text. Covering key theoretical approaches and focusing on its style and language, Leaman introduces the Qur'an as an aesthetic object and as an organization; discusses the influence of the...