The Blackwell Companion to the Quran

The Blackwell Companion to the Qur’an is the ideal resource for anyone who wishes to read and understand the Qur’an as a text and as a vital piece of Muslim life. The volume is divided into accessible sections, including an initial orientation to the text for the first–time reader. The Companion then goes on to consider: The structure of the Qur’an, asking why it looks the way it does The content of the Qur’an and what the text is about The rhetoric of the Qur’an and how it conveys its message How Muslims have interpreted the text The place of the Qur’an in the religion of Islam The manifestation of the Qur’an in the world. The main body of the book comprises over 30 original essays written by leading scholars in the field. These are supported by notes, an extensive bibliography, indexes of names, Qur’an citations, topics, and technical terms.

List of Contributors. Preface (Andrew Rippin). Part I: Orientation. 1. Introducing (Tamara Sonn). 2. Discovering (Christopher Buck). 3. Contextualizing (Abdullah Saeed). Part II: Text. 4. Linguistic Structure (Salwa M.S. El–Awa). 5. Patterns of Address (Rosalind Ward Gwynne). 6. Language (Mustansir Mir). 7. Poetry and Language (Navid Kermani). 8. Foreign Vocabulary (Michael Carter). 9. Structure and the Emergence of Community (Angelika Neuwirth). 10. Sacrality and Collection (Aliza Shnizer). 11. Written Transmission (Francois Deroche). 12. Context: Muhammad (Herbert Berg). 13. Context: ′Umar b. al–Khattab (Avraham Hakim). Part III: Content. 14. God (Andrew Rippin). 15. Prophets and Prophethood (Uri Rubin)]. 16. Moses (Brannon Wheeler). 17. Argumentation (Kate Zebiri). 18. Knowing and Thinking (A.H. Mathias Zahniser). 19. Sex, Sexuality, and the Family (Khaleel Mohammed). 20. Jihad (Reuven Firestone). Part IV: Interpretation. 21. Hermeneutics: al–Tha′labi (Marianna Klar). 22. Stories of the Prophets (Marianna Klar). 23. Sufism (Alan Goldas). 24. Rumi (Jawid Mojaddedi). 25. Twelver Shi I Ta wil (Diana Steigerwald). 26. Isma ili Ta wil (Diana Steigerwald). Part V: Application. 27. Exegetical Sciences (Jane Dammen McAuliffe). 28. Theology (Binyamin Abrahamov). 29. Jurisprudence (A. Kevin Reinhart). 30. Contemporary Ethical Issues (Leah Kinberg). 31. Narrative Literature (Roberto Tottoli). 32. Recitation (Anna M. Gade). Bibliography. Index of People, Places and Topics. Index of Qur’ an Verses.

Andrew Rippin is Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Professor of Islamic History at the University of Victoria, Canada. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2006.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007 "This substantial volume, consisting of 30 original essays on the Qur′an by leading authorities in the field, is undoubtedly the best single–volume introduction to Islam′s sacred text currently available in English … The editor has done a superb job in putting together a volume of generally high–quality essays that will serve the needs of a serious reading public, and also constitute an ideal text for introductory courses on the Qur′an at the university and college level. Essential.” Choice<!––end––> "This scholarly publication should be available in all academic libraries" The Muslim World Book Review “Rippin has kept his feet on the ground with this impressive collection of some 30 analyses of contemporary – mainly exegetical – issues associated with Qur’anic studies.” Reference Reviews “A thorough, scholarly introduction to the complexities of the Qur’an as both a religious text and as a work of literature.” Middle East Journal "These articles cover important and understudied traditions of quranic exegesis." Bulletin of the school of Oriental and African Studies