The Koran For Dummies

by Sultan, Sohaib

• ISBN13: 9780764555817
• ISBN10: 0764555812
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-04
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

With the current turmoil in the Middle East, there is a growing interest about Islamthe world's second largest religion and one of the fastest growingand its holy book, the Koran (or Qur'an). Now, with this easy-to-follow, plain-English guide, you can explore the history, structure, and basic tenets of Islam's sacred scripture.The Koran For Dummies is for non-Muslims interested in the Koran as well as Muslims looking to deepen their understanding. Islamic scholar Sohaib Sultan provides a clear road map, revealing: The meaning of Koran and its basic message The Koran's place in history and in Islamic spiritual life Explanations of its language, structure, and narrative style How to live by the Koran's teachings The Koran's role in key global issues, such as Jihad vs. terrorism Different interpretations of the Koran No other book provides such a straightforward look at what the Koran says, how it says it, and how believers live according to its guidance. From how the Koran was received by Mohammed and how it was compiled to how it's interpreted by Islam's two main branches, you'll see how to put the Islamic faith in perspective.Plus, you'll discover: What the Koran really says about women and civil law How Islam relates to Judaism and Christianity The Koran's view of God, prophets, mankind, and the self How its teachings are lived and recited every day by devout Muslims Common misconceptions of the Koran How to raise a family the Koranic way Complete with lists of important passages, Koranic terminology, famous quotes, and further reading resources, The Koran For Dummies makes it easy and enjoyable for you to grasp the teachings and significance of Islam's holy book.

Author Biography

Sohaib Sultan is a freelance journalist and student of the Islamic tradition who has studied the Koran and Islam extensively with Islamic scholars in the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(1)
About This Book	1	(1)
Conventions Used in This Book	2	(1)
Foolish Assumptions	3	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	4	(1)
Part I: Revealing the Word of God: The Book	4	(1)
Part II: Searching for the Soul of the Koran	4	(1)
Part III: Seeing the Koranic Worldview	4	(1)
Part IV: Living the Koran	5	(1)
Part V: Relating the Koran to the World	5	(1)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	5	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	5	(1)
Where to Go from Here	6	(1)
Part I: Revealing the Word of God: The Book	7	(72)
Getting to Know the Koran	9	(12)
Receiving Revelation Straight from the Source	9	(1)
Guiding the Way: Prophet Muhammad	10	(1)
Discovering the Basic Messages of the Koran	11	(2)
The unity of God	11	(1)
Worship and service to God	11	(1)
Prophets to teach and guide	11	(1)
Completion of past revelations	12	(1)
Guidance to a spiritual path	12	(1)
Movement for social change	12	(1)
Accountability of deeds	13	(1)
Naming the Revelation	13	(3)
The Guidance	13	(1)
The Criterion	14	(1)
The Proof	14	(1)
The Reminder	15	(1)
The Healing	16	(1)
Hearing the Words: The Audience of the Koran	16	(1)
Knowing the Essentials about Islam and Muslims	17	(4)
The Six Pillars of Belief	17	(1)
The Five Pillars of Islam	18	(1)
Muslims: The followers of Islam	19	(2)
From Revelation to Written Book	21	(16)
Revealing the Koran to Muhammad	21	(6)
The beginning of revelation	22	(2)
The stages of revelation	24	(1)
The Meccan and Medinan periods	24	(2)
Transmitting revelation to the community	26	(1)
Collecting the Koran as a Book	27	(4)
Conforming the Koran's dialects	28	(1)
The Koran in modern-day print	29	(2)
Memorizing Miracles: Preserving the Koran throughout History	31	(1)
Experiencing the Koran as Divine Art	32	(5)
Recitation	32	(3)
Calligraphy	35	(2)
Mapping Out the Structure of the Book	37	(16)
Discerning the Structure of the Koran	37	(3)
Ayat	37	(1)
Surahs	38	(1)
Juz'	39	(1)
Discovering Surah Names and Themes	40	(6)
Finding Your Way Through the Moral Narrative	46	(6)
Through divine signs	47	(1)
Through laws	47	(1)
Through stories of the past	48	(4)
Simplifying the Moral Narrative of Shorter Surahs	52	(1)
Discovering the Language of the Koran	53	(12)
Arabic: Plain, Clear, and Eloquent	53	(4)
Digging down to the roots	54	(2)
Reading translations of the Koran	56	(1)
Literary Style in the Sacred Scripture	57	(5)
Key literary elements of the Koran	58	(2)
Clear and figurative passages	60	(2)
Hearing the Voice of the Koran	62	(3)
Relating the Koran to Abrahamic Revelations	65	(14)
Previous Revelations: Between Sacred and Corrupted	65	(1)
Linking the Three Faiths: Common Experiences in the Scriptures	66	(4)
Uniting faiths with belief in One God	67	(1)
Bridging the gap between divine laws	67	(2)
Sharing the legacy of prophetic stories	69	(1)
Contrasting the Koran with Judeo-Christian Scriptures	70	(9)
Finding a worldview of history in the Scriptures	70	(2)
Reforming laws	72	(1)
Reforming religious rituals	72	(1)
Extending God's covenant to all peoples	73	(1)
Giving a new angle on prophetic stories	73	(2)
Checking the prophetic pulse of Muhammad in the Biblical Scripture	75	(1)
Differing on Mary and the message of Jesus	76	(3)
Part II: Searching for the Soul of the Koran	79	(28)
Interpreting the Koran	81	(12)
Coming to Know the Guidance	81	(4)
Having room for interpretation	82	(1)
Knowing the key terms of Koranic interpretation	82	(2)
Finding the Tasfir that fits	84	(1)
Drawing Out Interpretations	85	(8)
Looking at clear and ambiguous passages	85	(1)
Interpreting outer meanings	86	(2)
Interpreting inner meanings	88	(1)
Examining general and specific passages	88	(2)
Keeping circumstances behind revelation in mind	90	(1)
Abrogating passages	90	(3)
Understanding Interpretations of the Koran Today	93	(14)
Getting to Know Famous Commentators of the Koran	93	(5)
Among the companions	94	(1)
In successive generations	95	(1)
Classic works of Koranic interpretation	96	(2)
Influential Movements of the Twentieth Century	98	(6)
Mawdudi: Framework for a movement	99	(2)
Qutub: The controversial revolutionary	101	(2)
Muhammad Rida: The influential reformer	103	(1)
Muhammad al-Ghazali: Thematic Tafsir	103	(1)
Another School of Thought: The Shi'ites	104	(3)
Ali	104	(1)
Two famous Shi'ite Koranic interpreters	105	(2)
Part III: Seeing the Koranic Worldview	107	(50)
Meeting God, Prophets, and Mankind	109	(24)
Conceptualizing God	109	(10)
``A'' is for ``Allah''	109	(1)
Exploring the concept of God	110	(3)
Experiencing God through divine attributes	113	(4)
Knowing God	117	(2)
Prophets of God: Preaching a Divine Message	119	(9)
Prophets and messengers	119	(1)
Abraham: Beloved Friend of God and Father of Faith	120	(2)
Moses: The Liberator	122	(3)
Jesus: The Spirit of God	125	(3)
The Status and Nature of Man	128	(5)
Human nature through Adam	129	(2)
The purpose of human life	131	(2)
Divining Nature, the Universe, and the Unseen	133	(14)
The Divine Ways of Nature	133	(6)
Patterns of creation	134	(1)
God's creations in the skies	134	(2)
Earthly creations	136	(3)
Inheriting the Earth: The Role of Mankind in Nature	139	(1)
The Unseen World: Angels versus Satan	140	(3)
The angels: Pure creations of God	141	(1)
Satan: An avowed enemy	142	(1)
Accounting for the Soul	143	(4)
The Day of Judgment	143	(1)
The eternal bliss of heaven	144	(1)
Hell: Torment of the fire	145	(1)
God's Mercy, God's Wrath: Reconciling the two	145	(2)
Taking the Koranic View of Other Faith Traditions	147	(10)
Islam: One Religion under God	147	(4)
A brotherhood of Muslims	148	(1)
Limits to an inclusive theology	149	(2)
Honoring Freedom of Choice and Respecting Diversity	151	(2)
Protecting freedom of choice	152	(1)
Embracing diversity as the Will of God	152	(1)
Examining Some Controversial Passages on Interfaith Relations	153	(4)
Fighting against ``unbelievers''	154	(2)
Forbidding ``friendship'' with People of the Book	156	(1)
Part IV: Living the Koran	157	(74)
Following in the Footsteps of Muhammad	159	(10)
The Scripture Speaks about Muhammad	159	(4)
Servant of God and mortal man	160	(1)
Muhammad's divine mission	160	(1)
Muhammad as the best example for humanity	161	(1)
Muhammad's mercy for humanity	161	(1)
Muhammad as a seal of the prophets	162	(1)
Doing as God and His Messenger Do	163	(2)
Looking at Some Key Prophetic Sayings	165	(4)
Muhammad speaks about God	165	(1)
Muhammad speaks about virtue	166	(3)
Putting Meaning into Ritual	169	(22)
Declaring Faith: More than Just Words	170	(1)
Conversing with the Divine: Prayer	170	(10)
Understanding the purpose of prayer	171	(1)
Approaching prayer: Purity of mind and body	172	(3)
Let the prayer begin!	175	(5)
Raising the Soul Over the Ego: Fasting	180	(3)
Remembering and thanking God	180	(2)
Enjoying the communal aspects of fasting	182	(1)
Purifying Wealth, Uplifting the Needy: Almsgiving	183	(3)
Opening your wallet and improving the world	183	(1)
Receiving alms	184	(2)
Journeying to the House of God: Pilgrimage	186	(5)
Following the path of Abraham	186	(1)
Journeying through the pilgrimage	186	(5)
Understanding the Koranic View of Self	191	(12)
Connecting the Three Dots of Self Awareness	191	(3)
The wild horse and the rider	192	(1)
The three states of self	193	(1)
The Seven Gates to the Heart	194	(4)
The ears and tongue	194	(1)
The eyes	195	(1)
The hands and legs	196	(1)
The stomach	197	(1)
The sexual organs	197	(1)
Blessed Is the Baby's Soul, a Soul without Sin	198	(1)
The Soul's Journey: From Pre-Birth to the Hereafter	199	(2)
Pre-worldly existence	199	(1)
Earthly life	199	(1)
The grave	200	(1)
The Day of Judgment	200	(1)
The final abode	201	(1)
The Muslim Self: A State of Being	201	(1)
The Kafir: A Faithless Self	202	(1)
Achieving Koranic Ethics and Morality	203	(12)
Discovering Ethical Principles in the Koran	203	(4)
Preserving religion	203	(1)
Preserving life	204	(1)
Preserving lineage	205	(1)
Preserving property	206	(1)
Preserving honor	206	(1)
Leading the Life of Good Virtue and Character	207	(5)
Discouraged behaviors	207	(3)
Encouraged behaviors	210	(2)
Purifying the Heart	212	(3)
Remembering the Divine: Dhikr	212	(1)
Following God's laws	213	(1)
Keeping company with pious people	214	(1)
Controlling passion and struggling for good	214	(1)
Raising a Family the Koranic Way	215	(16)
Healthy Family Equals Healthy Society	215	(1)
Looking for a Spouse: Let the Search Begin	216	(3)
Looking beyond the surface	216	(1)
Making sure the marriage is legal	217	(1)
Giving equal time: Polygamy for men	218	(1)
Celebrating Marriage as the Basis of Family	219	(5)
Practically speaking: Basic functions within a marriage	220	(2)
Intimacy: Both spiritual and physical	222	(1)
Preserving modesty through Scriptural teaching	223	(1)
Bringing Up Children	224	(4)
Treating parents well: The best act of piety	225	(1)
Raising children with wisdom	226	(1)
Parental responsibilities to their children	227	(1)
A Matter of Inheritance: Who Gets What	228	(1)
Tackling Divorce in the Koran	229	(2)
Part V: Relating the Koran to the World	231	(78)
Connecting the Koran to Society	233	(22)
Divining a Community of the Middle Path	233	(4)
Having a balanced approach to the Divine	234	(1)
Balancing the worldly and the spiritual in society	234	(1)
Managing justice and mercy in society	235	(1)
Avoiding extremes in religious practice and manners	236	(1)
Witnessing the Truth	237	(1)
Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil	238	(2)
Uniting a Community with the Rope of God	240	(3)
Equality of mankind before God	240	(1)
The brotherhood of man	241	(2)
Leadership and Citizenship in the Koran	243	(9)
Forming a political identity	244	(1)
Governing by the Book	245	(1)
Living up to citizenship	246	(1)
Receiving the rights of citizenship	247	(2)
Non-Muslims living in Muslim lands	249	(3)
Jihad: Struggling in the Path of God	252	(3)
Struggling against evil	252	(1)
Jihad as armed struggle	253	(2)
Purifying Society through Islamic Law	255	(18)
Defining Shariah	256	(1)
Extracting and Interpreting Sacred Law	257	(1)
Searching for Rulings and Principals	258	(6)
In the Koran	258	(3)
In the prophetic tradition	261	(2)
In the consensus of the scholars	263	(1)
In juristic analogy	264	(1)
Exploring the Contents of the Sacred Law	264	(1)
Understanding the Islamic Penal Code	265	(5)
Punishing murder	266	(1)
Punishing the spreading of violence	267	(1)
Punishing theft	268	(1)
Preventing unlawful sexual relations	269	(1)
Looking at the Four Schools of Law	270	(3)
The Hanafi School of Law	270	(1)
The Maliki School of Law	271	(1)
The Shafi'i School of Law	271	(1)
The Hanbali School	272	(1)
Struggling for God: Jihad	273	(10)
Finding the Spirit of Jihad	274	(5)
Defending life and religion	274	(1)
Defending human rights and freedom of worship	275	(1)
Dispelling the myths behind passage 9:5	276	(3)
Connecting Qital with Islamic Law	279	(1)
Understanding Martyrdom	279	(1)
Looking at Jihad in Today's World	280	(3)
Discussing Women in the Koran	283	(12)
Finding Equality in the Scripture	284	(6)
Eve: A model for gender equality	284	(2)
The Virgin Mary: A divinely inspired woman	286	(2)
Other famous and infamous women in the Koran	288	(2)
Discerning Women's Rights in Divine Law	290	(5)
Right to inheritance	291	(1)
Right to own property, manage business, and control wealth	291	(1)
Right to work and equal pay	292	(1)
Right to education	292	(1)
Right to social and political participation	293	(1)
Rights of marriage	293	(1)
Right to initiate divorce	293	(1)
Right to bear witness to business transactions	294	(1)
The Koran and Modernity	295	(14)
Differentiating between Modernity and Modern Culture	295	(1)
Promoting Social Progress	296	(1)
Focusing on Issues of Modernity	297	(5)
Science	298	(1)
The arts	298	(1)
Human rights	299	(1)
Economics and free trade	300	(1)
Morality and secularism	301	(1)
Imagining an Islamic Democracy	302	(7)
Debating the rule of law between citizenry and God	303	(2)
Expressing the will of the people through elections	305	(1)
Holding public officials responsible	305	(1)
Liberty and Koranic ideals	306	(1)
Social equality and Islamic law	307	(2)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	309	(22)
Ten Misconceptions about the Koran	311	(10)
Misconception #1: Muhammad Wrote the Koran	311	(1)
Misconception #2: The Koran Is Incoherent and Unorganized	312	(1)
Misconception #3: The Koran Is Void of Reason	313	(1)
Misconception #4: The Koran Espouses Polytheism	314	(1)
Misconception #5: The Koran Says That God Belongs to One People	315	(1)
Misconception #6: God Is Wrathful and Unloving in the Koran	316	(1)
Misconception #7: The Koran Preaches Fatalism	316	(1)
Misconception #8: Jihad Means ``Holy War''	317	(1)
Misconception #9: The Koran Discourages Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation	318	(1)
Misconception #10: The Scripture Values Men More Than Women	319	(2)
Ten Ways to Dig Deeper into the Koran	321	(10)
Comparing ``Translations''	321	(2)
Listening to the Koran	323	(1)
Looking at Different Interpretations	324	(1)
Reading Books	325	(1)
Studying Arabic	326	(1)
Studying the Koran	326	(1)
Surfing Web Sites	327	(1)
Taking Classes	328	(1)
Talking to Muslims	328	(1)
Visiting Your Local Mosque	329	(2)
Appendix A: Glossary of Koranic Terms	331	(8)
Appendix B: Finding Prophets in the Koran	339	(2)
Index	341