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

Few books have had a more profound impact on human history than the quran it shapes the beliefs, lives and behaviour of over 15 billion muslims, who regard it as the word of god, revealed to the prophet muhammad speaking directly to muslims, it has been the basic source of law, morality and politics for over 1,400 years almost everything that happens in a muslim society is a direct or indirect product of what the quran says but what does the quran really say how should it be read and interpreted what is the significance of its teachings, if any, for the 21st century in this enlightening and highly readable book, ziauddin sardar, one of the foremost muslim intellectuals of our time, offers a refreshingly new interpretation of the quran emphasising plurality and inclusiveness, sardar demonstrates the importance of reading the verses of the quran in the context in which they were revealed, and highlights the relevance of its teachings for today sardar reads the quran from several perspectives he begins with the traditional, verse-by-verse interpretations and subsequently shows how the multilayered verses and stories of the sacred text are open to a number of different and more enlightening interpretations he also reads the quran thematically, exploring its basic concepts and themes, painting a dynamic picture of the kind of society that the quran aims to create also scrutinised is what the quran says about such contemporary topics as power and politics, the rights of women, suicide, domestic violence, sex, homosexuality, the veil, freedom of expression and evolution throughout, sardar uses several different methods, from traditional exegesis to hermeneutics, critical theory and cultural analysis to draw fresh and contemporary lessons from the sacred text