An Exercise in Understanding the Quran

Author: Irfan Ahmad Khan
Publisher: The Association for Quranic Understanding
Pages: 213
Binding: Softcover
ISBN: 978-1567-447-73-6

About the Book:  An outline study of the last 30 surahs of the Holy Quran. Based on half a century’s study and reflections, the author develops – in line with recent trends in Qur’anic exegesis – a new method for Qur’anic understanding, and combines with it the result of his inquiries in the thematic structure of the Qur’anic surahs. It is this combination that the uniqueness of the book lies in.

Review: “This recent addition to the field of the Qur’anic studies attempts a new method of linear translation with penetrating exploration of the thematic structures to make the Qur’an accessible to non-Arabic speakers. The last 30 chapters of the Qur’an are probably the most read part of any revealed book in the human history and the author has done a very valuable service in selected this section for its brevity and forceful presentation of Islam.

The Qur’an is the “guidance” from God to the entire humanity and has been revealed for all to ponder upon its contents. It is also a book that profoundly impacted the geo- political spectrum of the globe for the last fifteen centuries. For 1/5th of humanity it is the foremost source of knowledge and a practical guide. It moulded the Muslim perception of the world and man’s position in the universe. The need for understanding the Quran cannot be overemphasized and the daily prayers provide a perfect opportunity to listen to God’s words. The Quran is memorized by more than a billion Muslims. They recite the original Arabic texts from memory five times a day in their daily prayers.

Unfortunately, it is often recited or taught in the Qur’anic learning schools without much effort to understanding the content or the intricacies of its message. The writer has made it easier for the readers to keep the wider view of the subject under discussion by giving a brief summary of the contents first and then connect the text with its original meaning before adding explanations.

Dr. Khan’s dedication to understanding the contents of the Qur’an is reflected in his earlier attempts as well. His weekly Tafseer lessons were eagerly attended by groups of dedicated listeners and his Reflection on the Qur’an (2005) was enthusiastically received. The writer asks the readers not to stop at the translation. They must continue on their own journey in reflection if they wish to understand the Qur’an better. A few Arabic terms like Suwar (pl of Surah) might puzzle some and at times he might appear stretching the string of his ideas, and yet it is a book worthy of popular appreciation. A nice attractive cover, and easy to read Arabic and English fonts make it a perfect gift for your grown up kids, as well as non-Muslim acquaintances. Non-Arabic speakers, obviously, have to make extra efforts to learn Arabic to understand the Quran.

Highly recommended.” (Review by Omar Afzal, PhD, Cornell University, USA)