The Koran for Dummies
By: Sohaib Sultan. Wiley Publishing, Inc. USA pp. 362, $ 21.99 US.
ISBN: 0-7645-5581-2
Reviewed
by: Asmer Beg
The book under review provides a
basic and focused understanding
of the Quran and its role in the
life of a Muslim. The author
Sohaib Sultan is an American
Muslim, whose effort is to
present a precise and
easy-to-understand perspective
of the Quran. The book has been
written basically for the
western reader.
The author presents the context,
stages and phases of the
revelation of the Quran. The
themes of various Surahs have
been given for the convenience
of the reader. He tries to see
how the Quran relates to the
Judeo-Christian scriptures. A
chapter is devoted to
explanations about the Arabic
language and the unique literary
style of the Quran. The Science
of interpreting Quran has been
explained alongwith the
techniques used by scholars to
understand it.
Sohaib defends Saiyyid Qutub
against the charge generally
leveled against his writings,
that the terrorists of today
draw their inspiration for their
ideology and objectives from
them. Other Sunni and Shiite
Quranic interpreters also find
mention in this section.
The author goes on to explore
the concept of God in Islam and
explains what the Quran expects
of the humankind. He highlights
the idea of tolerance which
Islam promotes and its respect
for diversity and freedom of
choice. He calls upon all those
who find some passages in the
Quran controversial and use them
as a stick to beat Muslims, to
make a contextual study of the
Quran.
Explaining the Quranic view of
the self the author brings out
the relationship between Nafs,
Qalb and Ruh. Against this
backdrop the desirable qualities
which the Quran expects in a
person have been outlined. He
also explains the divine mission
of Prophet Mohammad and its
importance.
Sohaib Sultan brings out the
importance of the institution of
family in Islam, an institution
which is struggling for survival
in the West. He clarifies a lot
of misconceptions about Quranic
teachings. The often
misunderstood concept of Jihad
has been explained and its
defensive nature highlighted. He
also explains the main features
of Islamic law and the inherent
logic therein.
He explains the compatibility of
Islam with modernity. How Islam
was ahead of the West in many
respects has also been brought
out. Much before the much
celebrated Geneva Conventions,
Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, gave
the ethics of armed struggle.
The rights which the Quran gave
to women were unprecedented.
Rights in the public sphere
which the West has been able to
concede fully only in the 20th
century, find mention in the
Quran.
Overall, it is a useful book for
those who want to know the truth
about the Quran. The author to
his credit has been able to
quote the relevant verses from
the Quran, to support his
arguments. The presentation
catches the eye and the ‘icons’
used in the book make the
reading easier. It could be a
good first book for ‘Dummies’.