The Qur’an

Given that each teaching of the Qur’an is essential, it is neither possible nordesirable to divide its teachings into “essential,” “less-essential,” or “nonessential.”Since this book seeks to serve “the needs of those new to the studyof the Qur’an,” The Qur’an: Some Essential Teachings would have been amore accurate title and would have forewarned the reader that the authorpresents only select teachings. That aside, A. R. Kidwai, a rising Islamicscholar, felt compelled to write this book to meet the needs of the commonreader, because he believes that the available material mainly addresses thespecialized reader. This brilliant work is designed to equip readers with thenecessary tools to “grasp better advanced works on the Qur’an” (p. vi). Thebook mainly deals with the concepts of God, messengership, and theHereafter and throws some light on modes of worship, as well as on socialand family relations, in a very lucid, fluent, and persuasive manner. This book opens by analyzing the Qur’anic concept of God. The thirdchapter, which deals with the Prophet, is full of remarkable observationsabout his life and his role as a perfect role model for humanity. Some importantaspects of his personality, however, have been left out, such as his leadership,emphasis on acquiring `ilm (knowledge), and the use of reason ...