This is the first English translation,with introduction and annotation, of al-Ghazali's book Jawahir al- Qura'n, in Arabic. It shows how a great sufi like al-Ghazali understands the Qura'n. In first 19 chapters al-Ghazali presents his views on various Qura'nic issues: aims of the Qura'n, methods of its understanding, how the Qura'n is source of all sciences, excellence of some parts of the Qura'n over others, the reason why similitude and allegories are used in the Qura'n, the relationship between the perceptible world and the unseen world, etc. Various parts of Qura'n are compared with various types of valuables, like jewels, pearls, rubies. Part II consisting of 2 chapters contains jewel and pearl verses concerned with the two greatest aims of the Qura'n. The jewel verses form the cognitive part of the Qura'n, for they concern knowledge of God's essence, attributes and works. The pearl verses are the practical part: they describe the straight path and urge man to follow it. The entire book is translated by Professor Dr Quasem very accurately in free-flowing modern English. His translation is evaluated in two reviews: (1) "This is a useful edition to the translations into English of the works of al-Ghazali.... The translation reads extremely well, and should be of great value to readers of English who are concerned with the spiritual message of al-Ghazali".- Professor W. Montgomery Watt, Head, Dept. of Arabic & Islamic Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK. in The Journal of Semitic Studies, 1978. (2) "The English tanslation of the 'jewels' and 'pearls' is fresh and original...This is an important work, and students of Islam as well as English speaking Muslims will be grateful to Dr M.A. Quasem for this lucid, accurate translation, valuable introduction, notes, and indices".-Prof. Dr Alford T. Welch, Michigan State University, USA. (in Muslim World, October 1979, PP. 272-274.)
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