The Message of the Qur'an
Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad (Leopold
Weiss)
Hardback , Large , 998 Pages
Includes a Short Introduction of each Surah (Chapter) and
Running commentary of The Translation of the Message of the Qur'an
Muhammad Asad's translation and
commentary is reknown for its intellectual insight and frequent reference
to classical commentaries such as Zamakhshari.
Muhammad Asad, a German by descent, ranks highy among the select group of
well-known 20th century converts to Islam who subsequently took up scholarship.
He was born a Jew, Leopold Weiss, in Galicia in 1900, worked for a time as a
correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung, embraced Islam in 1926 after four
years of intermittent residence among the Arabs, and has lived since 1932 among
the Muslims in India and Pakistan.
After his conversion, he travelled widely in the Gulf regionduring the
tumultuous 1930s and 1940s. He later settled in Pakistan upon its creation in
1947, and was Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations during the 1960s. He
died in 1992.
His variety of experience, in the Gulf during its still unadulterated pre-WWII
bedouin lifestyle, to his presence in the high civilization of America in the
1960s, makes him a unique gentleman to understand both the environment the
Qur'an originally flourished in, as well as its relevancy to modern times.
We are told that this Work contains some serious departures from the orthodox
viewpoint on a number of Qur'anic statements. Asad appears to be reluctant to
accept the literal meaning of some Qur'anic verses. For example, he doubts the
throwing of Ibrahim into fire, Jesus speaking in the cradle; refers to Khidr and
Dhulqarnain as mythical figures and expresses unconventional views on abrogation
(Naskh) theory.
It is therefore recommended
for those who are studying the Qur'an and not recommended for Contemplation,
reflection and daily Reading
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