6. The Relationship Between the Two Parts of the Oath
7. The Eloquence Dimension of Qur’anic Oaths
2. The True Status of the Story: A Response to al-Aqqad
3. The Distinctive Features of the Qur’anic Story
4. The Qur’anic Story as a True Historical Account
5. The Qur’anic Story: The History of Man
6. The General Purpose of the Qur’anic Story
7. Presentation and Artistic Features
Introduction to the English Edition
The idea of translating this book into English began just after the completion of the recent fifth Arabic edition, which has incorporated many revisions and additions. I felt that an English edition would also serve a good purpose, God willing. For one thing, views on the different subjects the book addresses differ and, at times, scholars take divergent lines. For another, the climate of dialogue between civilisations makes it necessary for people of other cultures to have access to an in-depth study of the Qur’an. Needless to say, the Qur’an itself took the lead in calling for such a dialogue, as it laid down the principle that all mankind has the same origin, and all are absolutely equal. God says in the Qur’an: ‘Mankind! We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Truly, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most genuinely God-fearing. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware’ (49: 13).
In such a climate of dialogue, which has stolen a march ahead of the slogan ‘clash of civilisations’, a translation of the subjects addressed in this book is very important. These topics deal with the most important religious text in the life of Muslims. It is the pivot around which their culture, civilisation and history turn. Moreover, the book puts before Western readers the views of a Muslim researcher who belongs to the Arabic-Islamic culture. While I hope that the way in which I have tackled the different topics in the book has combined comprehensiveness and objectivity, I also hope that researchers who belong to other faiths, particularly Jewish and Christian researchers in Islamic studies, will also maintain objectivity in their study of the Qur’an and Islamic civilisation generally. Under the subject of ‘revelation’, or the source of the Qur’an, I have pointed out some of the errors many of these researchers make in their study of the Qur’an or the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
I have devoted ample space to the topics of the history of the Qur’an, its revelation, writing, preservation and different stages of copying. Likewise, the topics of equivocal verses, story-telling and the inimitability of the Qur’anic style are dealt with at length. This may require readers to patiently bear with me. Moreover, these topics give both the translator and the editor, Dr Susanne Thackray, an added responsibility, which I trust both of them have patiently fulfilled. To both I am greatly indebted. May I say that certain concepts illustrated in this book may not be easily understood by Arabic readers, let alone by speakers of other languages.
My especial thanks go to my brother and lifelong friend, Adil Salahi, who undertook the translation of this book and contributed valuable details to the chapter on the translation of the Qur’an, based on his long experience in this area.
Finally, a word of gratitude from a father, as I am indebted to my daughter, Dr Asma’ Zarzour, who supervised the Arabic edition and followed up with the translation. She has diligently undertaken both tasks in a scholarly way.
I praise God for enabling me to write this work and hope that it will be of benefit to both Muslim and non-Muslim readers.
Adnan Muhammad Zarzour
Doha
June 2014
TRANSLITERATION TABLE
Consonants. Arabic
initial, unexpressed, medial and final:
| ا | ā | د | d | ض | ḍ | ك | k |
| ب | b | ذ | dh | ط | ṭ | ل | l |
| ت | t | ر | r | ظ | ẓ | م | m |
| ث | th | ز | z | ع | ‘ | ن | n |
| ج | j | س | s | غ | gh | هـ | h |
| ح | ḥ | ش | sh | ف | f |
|