The Walking Qur An

Spanning a thousand years of history--and bringing the story to the present through ethnographic fieldwork in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania--Rudolph Ware documents the profound significance of Qur'an schools for West African Muslim communities. Such schools peacefully brought Islam to much of the region, becoming striking symbols of Muslim identity. Ware shows how in Senegambia the schools became powerful channels for African resistance during the eras of the slave trade and colonization. While illuminating the past, Ware also makes signal contributions to understanding contemporary Islam by demonstrating how the schools' epistemology of embodiment gives expression to classical Islamic frameworks of learning and knowledge. Today, many Muslims and non-Muslims find West African methods of Qur'an schooling puzzling and controversial. In fascinating detail, Ware introduces these practices from the viewpoint of the practitioners, explicating their emphasis on educating the whole human being as if to remake it as a living replica of the Qur'an. From this perspective, the transference of knowledge in core texts and rituals is literally embodied in people, helping shape them--like the Prophet of Islam--into vital bearers of the word of God.

Walking Qur'an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa

Outsiders have long observed the contours of the flourishing scholarly traditions of African Muslim societies, but the most renowned voices of West African Sufism have rarely been heard outside of their respective constituencies. This volume brings together writings by Uthman b. Fudi (d. 1817, Nigeria), Umar Tal (d. 1864, Mali), Ahmad Bamba (d. 1927, Senegal), and Ibrahim Niasse (d. 1975, Senegal), who, between them, founded the largest Muslim communities in African history. Jihad of the Pen offers translations of Arabic source material that proved formative to the constitution of a veritable Islamic revival sweeping West Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Recurring themes shared by these scholars—etiquette on the spiritual path, love for the Prophet Muhammad, and divine knowledge—demonstrate a shared, vibrant scholarly heritage in West Africa that drew on the classics of global Islamic learning, but also made its own contributions to Islamic intellectual history. The authors have selected enduringly relevant primary sources and richly contextualized them within broader currents of Islamic scholarship on the African continent. Students of Islam or Africa, especially those interesting in learning more of the profound contributions of African Muslim scholars, will find this work an essential reference for the university classroom or personal library.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been granted the highest of stations by Allah (the Divine) and nowhere is it clearer than in the heart of the Holy Qur'an, Surat YaSeen. This brilliant composition masterfully explains the virtues of Surat YaSeen including seeking guidance and the decoding of Arabic words, all illuminated by over 400 full-colour images.

Perhaps the best Quran English translation. It is clear, easy to read, and very faithful to the Arabic original. It closely follows the Arabic text, and often reminds the reader of the Arabic original. It uses today's English language, and today's English vocabulary, thus it is easy to read and understand. The flow is smooth, the sentence structure is simple, the meaning is clear. This Quran translation has no interpretations, no footnotes, and no explanations. It is a pure translation of the Quran, from Arabic to English, and it does not try to emphasize any school of thought. The text purely and accurately translates the Holy Quran, from Arabic, into contemporary English. It was translated by a Muslim, who saw firsthand the miracles inside the Quran. His native language is Arabic; his everyday language is American English. For 15 years, he studied the Quran. For many years, he translated speech between his mother and his wife. For a living, he develops quality software. This Quran translation is available in two editions. This edition (A) uses the word "Allah" to refer to the Creator. Edition (B) uses the word "God". Quran Sura 91. The Sun. ash-Shams. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 1. By the sun and its radiance. 2. And the moon as it follows it. 3. And the day as it reveals it. 4. And the night as it conceals it. 5. And the sky and He who built it. 6. And the earth and He who spread it. 7. And the soul and He who proportioned it. 8. And inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness. 9. Successful is he who purifies it. 10. Failing is he who corrupts it. 11. Thamood denied in its pride. 12. When it followed its most wicked. 13. The messenger of Allah said to them, "This is the she-camel of Allah, so let her drink." 14. But they called him a liar, and hamstrung her. So their Lord crushed them for their sin, and leveled it. 15. And He does not fear its sequel. The Quran is the last Book from the Creator. It contains guidance, mercy, and healing. The Quran is a blessing, within reach.

America’s leading religious scholar and public intellectual introduces lay readers to the Qur’an with a measured, powerful reading of the ancient text Garry Wills has spent a lifetime thinking and writing about Christianity. In What the Qur’an Meant, Wills invites readers to join him as he embarks on a timely and necessary reconsideration of the Qur’an, leading us through perplexing passages with insight and erudition. What does the Qur’an actually say about veiling women? Does it justify religious war? There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam. That is no longer the case. We blundered into the longest war in our history without knowing basic facts about the Islamic civilization with which we were dealing. We are constantly fed false information about Islam—claims that it is essentially a religion of violence, that its sacred book is a handbook for terrorists. There is no way to assess these claims unless we have at least some knowledge of the Qur’an. In this book Wills, as a non-Muslim with an open mind, reads the Qur’an with sympathy but with rigor, trying to discover why other non-Muslims—such as Pope Francis—find it an inspiring book, worthy to guide people down through the centuries. There are many traditions that add to and distort and blunt the actual words of the text. What Wills does resembles the work of art restorers who clean away accumulated layers of dust to find the original meaning. He compares the Qur’an with other sacred books, the Old Testament and the New Testament, to show many parallels between them. There are also parallel difficulties of interpretation, which call for patient exploration—and which offer some thrills of discovery. What the Qur’an Meant is the opening of a conversation on one of the world’s most practiced religions.

Too often we are tempted into thinking how wrong other people’s religions and scriptures are, rather than focusing on what’s right about our own. We act like some of our politicians during election campaigns rather than following the teachings of our own holy books. Breaking the trend, author Dr. Ejaz Naqvi provides an objective, topic-by-topic review of the two most read books in the world—the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran. The Quran: With or Against the Bible? addresses the key themes of the Quran and answers commonly asked questions in search of finding common ground: • Who wrote the Quran? • Who is the “God” of the Quran? • What is the Quranic view of the prophets, especially Moses and Jesus? • What does the Quran teach about interfaith relations? • Does the Quran promote peace and harmony between Muslims and the People of the Book, or does it promote violence? • How does the Quran compare to the Bible on important themes like worshipping God, the prophets, human rights, moral values, and fighting for justice and human dignity? • Does the Quran render women as second-class citizens? Dispelling major myths, The Quran: With or Against the Bible? Systematically analyzes and compares the similarities in the paths of guidance the two scriptures have bestowed upon mankind.

This is the first translation of the Quran by an American woman. It is a universal and inclusive translation with the hope that Islam will be better understood in the West. She also challenges the use of the wowrd "to beat" in 4: 34 as meaning "to go away" which is how the Prophet of Islam understood the word as it has historically justified violence against and abuse of Muslim women. "This interpretation must change," she says, "and revert to the way the Prophet understood it."