Serrano's study counts as one of the five most important contemporary works on the Qur'an, precisely because it's not on the Qur'an per se. It is about the process of constructing meaning -- the interstices between the Qur'an and the verbal corpora traditionally invoked to interpret it: He examines how the voice of the Qur'an paradoxically, but consistently, distances itself from poetry (shi'r), though Muslim reception decidedly countervails this. Rather, Muslim thought positions the two in dialogue as complements -- warp and weft -- one indispensable for understanding the other. Serrano guides us through the wadis between Qur'an and poetry, and traverses related verbal arts, likewise performed face to face, such as Hadith (Prophetic Sayings), Akhbar (lore), and history. The result is perhaps controversial, but the topography features intellectual switchbacks, up peaks and down valleys, that will surprise students and experts alike.