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Product Description
Review
"In a beautifully written, concise, and insightful study... Michael Cook makes clear some of the mysteries of this holy book....Evocative and explanatory.... For anyone, at almost any level of knowledge, wanting to learn more about the Qur'an, this is a wonderful place to start."--First Things
"Professor Cook's book is informative, witty, and rich with insight. The author firmly places the Koran within its broader context, lending his treatment depth and vigor."--Mohamed Mahmoud, Tufts University
Product Description
The Koran has constituted a remarkably strong core of identity and continuity for a religious tradition that is now in its fifteenth century. This Very Short Introduction explores the significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in traditional Muslim culture. Michael Cook provides a lucid and direct account of the Koran as codex, as scripture, as liturgy, and as the embodiment of truth, and examines its means of formation and dissemination. He also discusses issues of interpretation for certain key verses, demonstrating that fecundity of the text for readers throughout the world.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been impressed by the "Very Short Introduction" series, and this is perhaps the best of them that I have seen so far. It is like attending a series of brilliant introductory lectures - it isn't so much that it gives you basic facts (although these are covered) as that it enables you to make sense of the topic, and to get some orientation. Most westerners have some idea about how the Bible is interpreted by Christians (fundamentalist or otherwise), but would not realize that the interpretation of the Koran "works" differently. For example, one part of the Koran may be held to be abrogated by another part. At the end of the book, you realize that you only know a little, but you feel that you know enough to start making sense of more advanced books.
29 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is obviously aimed way above my head. I was looking for a short insight into the Koran and I found myself in the middle of a phylosophical discussion about Arabic script and the subtleties of 'little slanting lines above the consonantal script'.
If you are just an average joe who want's to read something before tackling the Koran itself then look elsewhere.
Personally, I gave up before then end.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is not for beginners. If you only want to know what the Quran says and what its teachings are, look elsewhere (and not the least in the Quran itself ...). But for those, who already have some ideas about the content of the Quran, Cook's book is essential reading: It will tell you neatly what the problems are in interpreting the Quran; what its role in daily Muslim life was and still is; what impact it has had as a sacred Scripture down the centuries. And yes, it does demand some attention from the reader, and it is not the classical book to be read in the tube, so the book's designation as "Introduction" comes with a grain of salt. But things are not easy, and it is much to the credit to the author that he doesn't shun difficult and long-winding explanations if they seem necessary. There is, simply, no "Quran made easy", and if you don't like putting your brain in motion then just get interested in other arguments. After all, mankind's sacred Scriptures are not meant to entertain people going to work or getting bored on a sunny afternoon. I like to add that the book contains numerous illustrations which are very helpful to the lay reader and the non-Muslim in general.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not an introduction
As a summary of contemporary academic Quranic scholarship, there are few books to compare to this one. Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2004 by F. S. Harte
A Very Short Introduction
An Inteligent and compact little book which is not a real attempt at a spiritual analysis but never the less might be useful. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2002 by "oralintake"
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