A Book Notice from Books At a Glance
Fred G. Zaspel
As far as I am aware this is a one-of-a-kind book, and so we just had to give our readers a heads up. This book offers an introduction to the Quran, the primary text of Islam. It also provides a modern translation along with in-text commentary explaining the chapters and verses (surahs and ayat) and their interpretive history. It also compares and contrasts with related biblical passages, and it includes a dozen or so articles on important topics such as Allah in the Quran, Abraham, Women in the Quran, Fighting and Killing, Salvation, and Divine Punishment. The commentary is factual, informative, and respectful and is an essential resource for any Christian who seeks to minister to Muslims.
Gordon Nickel on why he wrote this commentary:
No one can understand the Muslim mind without some solid knowledge of the contents of the Quran. I knew from many years of studying and teaching the Quran that there are ways to read this scripture that allow readers to avoid confusion and rather to make sense of its main themes.
I also noticed from my reading that the Quran often addresses non-Muslims directly and seems to demand a response to its claims.
Most of all I wanted to comment on all passages related to Jesus and the Gospel. The apostle Paul wrote certain penetrating words about “a different gospel.” Christians are the custodians of the good news of salvation through the death of Jesus on the cross, the “People of the Gospel” as the Quran describes them. As such they have a stake in the portrait of Jesus offered by a scripture written 600 years after the New Testament.
An excellent new resource.
About the Book:
The Quran with Christian Commentary offers a unique introduction to the primary religious text of Islam. Alongside a precise modern English translation of the Quran, author Gordon D. Nickel provides in-text notes to explain the meaning of various surahs (chapters) and ayat (verses), their interpretive history and significance in Muslim thought, and similarities and differences when compared to biblical passages. Additional articles on important topics are written by an international team of today’s leading experts including:
- Abraham in the Quran by George Bristow
- Early Christian Exegesis of the Quran by J. Scott Bridger
- Tampering with the Pre-Islamic Scriptures by Gordon Nickel
- Salvation in the Quran by Peter Riddell
- Fighting and Killing in the Quran by Ayman S. Ibrahim
- Creation in the Quran by Jon Hoover
- Calling to Islam (da‘wa) by Matthew Kuiper
- Apocryphal Details in Quranic Stories by Mateen Elass
- The Death of Jesus in the Quran by Gordon Nickel
- Son of God in the Quran by Gordon Nickel
- Jihad in the Quran by David Cook
- Moses in the Quran by Gordon Nickel
- Manuscripts of the Quran by Daniel A. Brubaker
- Women in the Quran by Linda Darwish
- The Place of the Scale(s) in the Reckoning by Daniel A. Brubaker
- Divine Punishment of Unbelievers in This World by David Marshall
- Shi‘ite Interpretation of the Quran by Linda Darwish
- The Language of Love in the Quran by Gordon Nickel
- Allah in the Quran by Mark Anderson
- Eschatology in the Quran by David Cook
Factual, respectful of Muslims, and insightful on issues about which Muslims and Christians disagree, The Quran with Christian Commentary equips Christians to interact more fruitfully with Muslim believers. Professors and students in courses on Islam and the Quran will find this to be an invaluable resource, as will pastors and missionaries who minister among Muslims. Written at a readable level, any Christian who wants to learn more about Islam and the Quran will find it to be a rich and informative introduction.
About the Author:
Gordon Nickel (PhD, University of Calgary) is director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies in Bangalore, India. A former instructor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the University of British Columbia, he has written several books including A Gentle Answer to the Muslim Accusation of Biblical Falsification.