Exploring the Qur'an

Muhammad Abdel Haleem, OBE, is King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK and one of the world’s leading authorities in Qur’anic studies. He is the author of Understanding the Qur’an: Themes and Style (I.B.Tauris, 2010) and Reading the Qur'an: Structure, Coherence and Rhetorical Features (I.B.Tauris, 2025) and published the major translation of the Qur’an, with parallel Arabic text, with Oxford University Press in 2010.

• Introduction Part I: Teachings1 The ‘Sword Verse’ Myth 2 Qur’anic Jizya: Tax Defaulters 3 Qur’anic Jiha¯d 4 Qur’anic Paradise Part II: Style5 Legal Style: Qur’anic Shari’a – Avoiding the Application of the Ultimate Penalties 6 Euphemistic Style: Sexual Etiquette 7 Narrative Style: Repeating Stories – Noah 8 Coherent Style: How to Read the Sura9 Evidential Style: Divine Oaths in the Qur’an 10 Rhetorical Style: Arabic of the Qur’an Part III: Impact11 The Arabic Qur’an in the Muslim World 12 English Translations of the Qur’an: The Making of an Image 13 Translations of the Qur’an and Interfaith Relations Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Exploring the Qur’an: Context and Impact is a highly perceptive, technical study of the Qur’anic text that seeks to exonerate the Qur’an from claims of extremism, intolerance, or incoherence [...] an invaluable contribution to the field of Qur’anic studies as well as a beneficial resource for any person seeking to understand the Qur’an.