This thoroughly revised third edition provides an accessible yet scholarly guide to the many dimensions of Qur'anic study, designed for both Muslim and Western non-Muslim students. It examines the Qur'an through Western academic perspectives while honoring the rich interpretive traditions from the time of Prophet Muhammad to the present day.
The Qur’an is often encountered through selective quotations, yet its depth and complexity extend far beyond these fragmentary readings. This thoroughly revised second edition of The Qur’an: An Introduction provides an accessible yet scholarly guide to the many dimensions of Qur’anic study, designed for Muslim and non-Muslim students across both Muslim and Western contexts. This comprehensive new edition features:
•• Revisions across multiple chapters – incorporating new research and
contemporary debates in Qur’anic studies
•• Integration of a diverse range of Muslim scholarly voices, particularly
thinkers and exegetes from the modern period
•• Expanded discussion on the history of the Qur’anic text – drawing on
recent scholarship
•• A new practical chapter introducing a contextualist approach to
interpreting the Qur’an
•• Updated recommended readings that reflect current scholarship
Maintaining its student-friendly approach – with illustrative examples, clear summaries, helpful timelines and a comprehensive glossary – this edition engages both Western academic perspectives and the rich interpretive traditions that have evolved from the time of Prophet Muhammad to the present day. This essential guide bridges historical understanding with contemporary relevance, offering readers a balanced and thorough introduction to Islam’s foundational text and its profound influence across centuries of religious thought.
Introduction
1. The Quran in its Context
2. Revelation and the Quran
3. The Quran as scripture
4. Major themes and text types
5. The Quran in
daily life
6. Western scholarship and the Quran
7. Translation of the Quran
8. The Quran and other scriptures
9. Ethico-legal teachings
10. Selected
exegetical principles and ideas
11. Approached to Quranic exegesis
12.
Modern interpretation of the Quran
13. A Contextualist Approach to
Interpreting the Quran Today: A Practical Guide
Abdullah Saeed is the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne. He has written widely on the Quran, Islamic thought, and contemporary Muslim issues. His publications include Contemporary Muslim Qurnic Hermeneutics (editor, 2026), Contemporary Approaches to the Quran and Its Interpretation in Iran (coauthor, 2020), Reading the Quran in the TwentyFirst Century: A Contextualist Approach (2014), Interpreting the Quran (2006), Approaches to the Quran in Contemporary Indonesia (editor, 2005), Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam (coauthor, 2004), Islam and Political Legitimacy (coeditor, 2004), Islam in Australia (2003) and Islamic Banking and Interest (1996).
