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Muhammad Abdel Haleem. Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style. London and New York: I. B. Tauris Publishers, 1999. Pp. vii + 210. Paperback. ISBN 1-86064-009-5.
Many scholars of the Qur'an have come forth with 'topical arrangement of the Qur'anic verses.' Their efforts leave something to be desired in their effectiveness to acquaint the reader with a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the Qur'anic Message. The need to convey core of the Qur'anic text led Fazlur Rahman, some three decades ago, to undertake the delineation of the "major themes of the Qur'an." As a Muslim scholar he considered himself responsible to fill the gap existing then, by making a synthetic presentation of some of the significant Qur'anic teachings.1
The present work by Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Professor of Islamic Studies the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, appeared in 1999 under the title, Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style. The author, is widely known for having written extensively in the field of the Qur'anic studies. In this work, Abdel Haleem aims to explore some important themes of the Qur'an, viz. water and its symbolism, tolerance, marriage and divorce, war and peace, life and resurrection and the concept of paradise, including numerous others with a focus on their literary, figurative, and rhetorical aspects. The author of this work that Orientalists tend to regard the form and content of the Qur'an, 'as nothing more than a jumble of borrowed and rambling thoughts with no sense of direction' (p. viii). In order to respond to such confusions and to communicate the Divine Message effectively, he presents a blending of thematic, stylistic and comparative approaches which help the reader in a serious study of the Qur'an.
The work elucidates numerous themes in the context of the linguistic style of the Qur'an which do not only help to communicate the Qur'anic message effectively but also acquaint the readers with the central precepts of Islam. A substantial part of this book throws light on the miraculous style of the Qur'an.
The author aims at warding offconfusion prevailing about the Islamic concept of war, attitude towards women and Polygamy. The author explains that Qur'anic message rejects both the extremes of celibacy and extra-marital sexual relationship. The work attempts to eradicate...