The Quran is a sacred book with profound, and familiar, Old and
New Testament resonances. And the message it promulgated, Islam,
came of age during an extraordinarily rich era of interaction among
monotheists. Jews, Christians, and Muslims not only worshipped the
same God, but shared aspirations, operated in the same social and
economic environment, and sometimes lived side by side,
indistinguishable by language, costume, or manners. Today, of
course, little of this commonality is apparent, and Islam is poorly
understood by most non-Muslims. Entering Islam through the same
biblical door Muhammad did, this book introduces readers with
Christian or Jewish backgrounds to one of the world's largest, most
active, and--in the West--least understood religions.
Frank Peters, one of the world's leading authorities on the
monotheistic religions, starts with the central feature of Muslim
faith and life: the Quran. Across its pages move Adam, Noah,
Abraham, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Virgin
Mary. The Quran contains remarkably familiar accounts of Genesis,
the Flood, Exodus, the Virgin Birth, and other biblical events. But
Peters also highlights Muhammad's very different use of Scripture
and explains those elements of the Quran most alien to Western
readers, from its didactic passages to its remarkable poetry.
Peters goes on to cogently explain Islam's defining
features--including the significance of Mecca, the manner of
Muhammad's revelations, and the creation of the unique community of
Muslims, all in relation to the Judeo-Christian tradition. He
compares Jesus and Muhammad, describes Islamic commandments and
rituals, details the structures of Sunni and Shi'ite communities,
and lays out central Islamic beliefs on war, women, mysticism, and
martyrdom.
The result is a crucial and extremely accomplished book that
offers Western readers a professional yet highly accessible
understanding of Islam, and at a time when we need it most.
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