The Quran Illustrated (Surah-Al-Fatiha)

Contents: Preface. 1. Revelation of the Qur’an. 2. Semantic philosophy and Quranic studies--with special reference to terms Ilah and Taqwa. 3. Stages of the revelation of the Quran. References and notes. Appendices.

“In this book an attempt has been made to avail from the exegesis of past and present commentators of the Quran belonging to various schools of thought provided the subject under discussion was not controversial. A conscious effort has been made to avoid the personalized and sectarian views expressed by many commentators although the author has availed from their technical expertise, wherever possible. Unlike most modern commentators of the Quran, the author has consulted the books on Quranic commentary written by both by Sunni and Shia scholars apart from taking assistance from non-Muslim scholars who have written on various aspects of Quran like its lexicography and glossary. However, his overall approach has been non-sectarian to the Quranic exegesis and he has tried to be loyal to the spirit of Quran and Sunnah of the prophet.

Here this point needs to be reiterated that the author has not written any individual Tafsir of Bismillah and Surah Fatihiah on his own, but has tried rather to present the views of old and new Mufassirin in his way without, however, passing value judgments. Nevertheless, he has tried to make his position clear, wherever he found ostensibly any contradiction or conflict among the views of commentators or scholars. Thus this is a type of compilation rather than a full-fledged Tafsir, which also was aimed at safeguarding oneself from the admonitions of the prophet, which he has made about the commentators of the Quran who indulge in guess work about Quranic contents without any genuine reason.

The necessary sciences that are needed as prerequisites for the study of Quran have also been dealt with in some detail in this book. A chapter on compilation and preservation of the Quran has been added for the beginners and the students who want to know the history of the sacred text. Moreover, the worldwide scholarship on Quranology has been dealt with briefly to bring home the trends in Tafsir writing both in east and the west. The author has included a series of research pieces which deal with the authenticity and unauthenticated status of the religious scriptures of the world thereby making the reliance on the guidance of the Quran the only way if one wants to avoid the peril by following these interpolated and distorted scriptures at the cost of the authenticated and guarded teachings of the Quran.” (jacket)