Reaching beyond Faith: A Modern Mind Reads the Koran - Hardcover

Ibn Fārābi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1491782781 ISBN 13: 9781491782781

Publisher: iUniverse, 2015

Synopsis

Reaching beyond Faith: A Modern Mind Reads the Koran takes the reader beyond the realm of pure faith to explore the Koran from an essentially non-pietistic point of view and in social, historical, geographic, and above all, human contexts. Its 14 chapters, using some 800 verses from the Koran, take a critical look at a wide range of issues: from the audience the message of the Koran was meant for to the role of humans in the compilation of the Koran itself, from the nature of God's speech to the human side of the life of the Prophet of Islam, from jihad to crime and punishment, from the Koran's call to piety to the place of women in society, from the magnificence of God's creation to the insignificance of man.

The rationale of such an exploration should be rather obvious. Although the state of the human mind that read the Koran some 1400 years ago may still be evidenced in many parts of the Muslim world, most modern Muslims today will be mortally offended if someone were to tell him or her that their minds harked back to those ancient times. To them, it is impossible to ignore the epochal strides made in human knowledge and circumstance since Muḥammad was first inspired to say: Read!

About this title

About the Author:

Ibn Farabi was born in the 1930s British India to a Muslim family where reading the Koran was an inseparable part of daily life and where a devout father, learned in Arabic, often explained the meaning of its verses to the son. A long period of secular education and many years of reading and reflection launched him into an exploration of the Koran. He is an author of several books in other areas. The present work is his first under a pen name.

Review:

...Farabi offers a critical reading of the Quran from a secular, skeptical perspective.In this work, the author attempts to offer a critical analysis of this holy book of Islam, seeking to remind the readers that it's an undeniably human text - transcribed and edited by humans for humans...   A thoughtful, enlightening look at the Muslim holy book.                                                                         -  Kirkus Reviews                                                                  https;//kirkusreviews.com/books-reviews/                                                                 ibn-farabi/reaching-beyond-faith/print/   This is a necessary exegetical resource for those who wish to understand the Koran in a pluralistic context.   In his refreshing and insightful Reaching Beyond Faith, Ibn Farabi treads the waters between blind faith in and a deep understanding of his subject, the Koran...   For those like Farabi who are are committed to "more tolerant, vibrant and pluralistic societies in the Islamic  world", this study of the Koran is a necessary resource.                                                                           -  Foreword Reviews                                                                             Clarion Rating *****                                                                    forewordreviews.com/reviews/                                                                    reaching-beyond-faith/At the heart of the book is a single question:Should the Koran be read in the 21st century the same way it was read in the 7th century? Farabi's answer is no.  Overall, [Farabi] has produced a thought-provoking work that will spur discerning readers to reevaluate what they might think they know about this holy bookFarabi is a competent writer with a simple, terse style that is easy to follow.  Well-footnoted, his approach is levelheaded and sincere.                                                                              -  BlueInk Review                                                                   blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/                                                                    reaching-beyond-faith/                                                                                                    

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1491782781
• ISBN 13: 9781491782781
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 292