Reading the Qur'an: The Contemporary Relevance of the Sacred Text of Islam

431 Pages·2011·3.801 MB·English

by  Ziauddin Sardar

READING THE QUR’AN
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ZIAUDDIN SARDAR
Reading the Qur’an
The Contemporary Relevance of the
Sacred Text of Islam
1
1
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Copyright © 2011 by Ziauddin Sardar
First published in the United Kingdom by C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 2010
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sardar, Ziauddin.
Reading the Qur’an : the contemporary relevance of the sacred text of
Islam / Ziauddin Sardar.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-983674-1
1. Koran—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
2. Koran—Appreciation. 3. Koran—Reading. I. Title.
BP130.4.S376 2011
297.1'226—dc22 2011008721
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
CONTENTS
Preface xi
Prologue xiii
PART ONE: OVERVIEW
1. The Qur’an and Me 3
2. Style and Structure 13
3. Approach and Interpretations 21
4. Questions of Authority 31
5. The Limits of Translations 39
PART TWO: BY WAY OF TRADITION
6. Introduction 57
7. Al-Fatiha: Attributes of God 63
8. Al-Fatiha: ‘The Straight Path’ 67
9. Al-Baqara: The Qur’an and Doubt 71
10. Al-Baqara: ‘The Hypocrites’ 77
11. Al-Baqara: Paradise 83
12. Al-Baqara: Fall and Evil 89
13. Al-Baqara: ‘Children of Israel’ 95
14. Al-Baqara: A ‘Middle Community’ 109
15. Al-Baqara: Virtuous People 115
16. Al-Baqara: Law of Equity 123
17. Al-Baqara: Fasting 129
18. Al-Baqara: War and Peace 135
19. Al-Baqara: Hajj 143
v
CONTENTS
20. Al-Baqara: Apostasy and Migration 151
21. Al-Baqara: Marriage and Divorce 161
22. Al-Baqara: Qualities of Leadership 173
23. Al-Baqara: Majesty of God and Freedom of Religion 179
24. Al-Baqara: Arguing with God 183
25. Al-Baqara: Charity and Usury 189
26. Al-Baqara: Witness 199
27. Al-Baqara: Prayer 205
PART THREE: THEMES AND CONCEPTS
28. Introduction 211
29. Prophets and Revelation 215
30. Abrogation and Change 225
31. Time and History 229
32. Truth and Plurality 235
33. Humanity and Diversity 241
34. Individual and Community 245
35. Reason and Knowledge 251
36. Crime and Punishment 255
37. Rights and Duties 261
38. Nature and Environment 265
39. Ethics and Morality 273
40. Reading and Writing 277
PART FOUR: CONTEMPORARY TOPICS
41. Introduction 283
42. The Sharia‘h 285
43. Power and Politics 293
44. Polygamy and Domestic Violence 305
45. Sex and Society 313
46. Homosexuality 323
47. The Veil 329
48. Freedom of Expression 337
49. Suicide (Assisted or Otherwise) 345
50. Science and Technology 351
vi
CONTENTS
51. Evolution 359
52. Art, Music and Imagination 363
Epilogue 369
Notes and References 375
Bibliography 387
Index 393
vii
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Read! In the name of your Lord who created:
He created man from a clinging form.
Read! Your Lord is the most Bountiful One
Who taught by [means of] the pen, who taught man what he did not know
The Qur’an: 96:1–5 (M A S Abdel Haleem translation)
I would think that, of all the books in this first list . . . the crucial work is the Koran.
Whether for its aesthetic and spiritual power or the influence it will have on all our
futures, ignorance of the Koran is foolish and increasingly dangerous.
Harold Bloom, The Wester n Canon: The Books and Schools of the Ages, Harcourt
Brace and Company, New York, 1994, p531