Now that I'm back in the semester, more teaching will appear, and less text editing.

It always surprises me how textbooks that give excerpts of the Qur'an give such a narrow range of excerpts. (And so predictably, either ethical exhortations to care for the vulnerable or the interreligious polemics, depending on the textbook author's political leanings.) The Qur'an is a very diverse book! I had to create my own selection to show some greater breadth.

What's my teaching goal? Mostly I want students to realize the Qur'an is complex and that before they say, "Well the Qur'an says X" they should stop and read not just an isolated verse or two, and ideally they should engage with the #tafsir (commentary) tradition. I teach against soundbites.

#Islam #Quran #teaching #histodons #IslamicStudies

One of the 20th century's best known translators of and commentators on the #Quran is buried in the #Granada#Rauda. This is Muhammad Asad, formerly Leopold Weiss, the son of a #Jewish barrister and grandson of an orthodox rabbi, born in Poland.

He was a journalist who, after travels in the #MENA region where he struck up a friendship with the #Sauds, reverted to #Islam. He then went to #Pakistan for a while where he worked to help create an #Islamic state.

His translation of and commentary on the Quran, "The Message of the Quran," was published in 1980. You can find it in hardcover and, guess what, there's a lovely app available for Apple and probably Android too.

He spent his last years in #Spain. Fortunately for us he wrote an autobiography, "The Road to Mecca," which is well worth your time.

See alt text for more detail on the gravesite.

https://sufism.org/origins/quran-islam/the-legacy-of-muhammad-asad-2

#Translations #Tafsir #QuranicStudies #Converts #Reverts #Muslims