What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters
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- Author：Garry Wills
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Summary
America's leading religious scholar and public intellectual introduces lay readers to the Qur'an with a measured， powerful reading of the ancient text
Garry Wills has spent a lifetime thinking and writing about Christianity。 In What the Qur'an Meant， Wills invites readers to join him as he embarks on a timely and necessary reconsideration of the Qur'an， leading us through perplexing passages with insight and erudition。 What does the Qur'an actually say about veiling women？ Does it justify religious war？
There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam。 That is no longer the case。 We blundered into the longest war in our history without knowing basic facts about the Islamic civilization with which we were dealing。 We are constantly fed false information about Islam--claims that it is essentially a religion of violence， that its sacred book is a handbook for terrorists。 There is no way to assess these claims unless we have at least some knowledge of the Qur'an。
In this book Wills， as a non-Muslim with an open mind， reads the Qur'an with sympathy but with rigor， trying to discover why other non-Muslims--such as Pope Francis--find it an inspiring book， worthy to guide people down through the centuries。 There are many traditions that add to and distort and blunt the actual words of the text。 What Wills does resembles the work of art restorers who clean away accumulated layers of dust to find the original meaning。 He compares the Qur'an with other sacred books， the Old Testament and the New Testament， to show many parallels between them。 There are also parallel difficulties of interpretation， which call for patient exploration--and which offer some thrills of discovery。 What the Qur'an Meant is the opening of a conversation on one of the world's most practiced religions。
Garry Wills has spent a lifetime thinking and writing about Christianity。 In What the Qur'an Meant， Wills invites readers to join him as he embarks on a timely and necessary reconsideration of the Qur'an， leading us through perplexing passages with insight and erudition。 What does the Qur'an actually say about veiling women？ Does it justify religious war？
There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam。 That is no longer the case。 We blundered into the longest war in our history without knowing basic facts about the Islamic civilization with which we were dealing。 We are constantly fed false information about Islam--claims that it is essentially a religion of violence， that its sacred book is a handbook for terrorists。 There is no way to assess these claims unless we have at least some knowledge of the Qur'an。
In this book Wills， as a non-Muslim with an open mind， reads the Qur'an with sympathy but with rigor， trying to discover why other non-Muslims--such as Pope Francis--find it an inspiring book， worthy to guide people down through the centuries。 There are many traditions that add to and distort and blunt the actual words of the text。 What Wills does resembles the work of art restorers who clean away accumulated layers of dust to find the original meaning。 He compares the Qur'an with other sacred books， the Old Testament and the New Testament， to show many parallels between them。 There are also parallel difficulties of interpretation， which call for patient exploration--and which offer some thrills of discovery。 What the Qur'an Meant is the opening of a conversation on one of the world's most practiced religions。
Reviews
Brenda Rosser
，
from the library for Dad originally， v。 interesting， illuminating even
Abiman
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4-4。5。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for content - so informative and educational。 However， the format and delivery took away from content and messaging。
Joe Basile
，
What a disappointment。 The project sounded worthy and interesting - an exploration of misconceptions about the meaning of the Qur'an and an attempt to address them。 Unfortunately the effort falls flat。 What a disappointment。 The project sounded worthy and interesting - an exploration of misconceptions about the meaning of the Qur'an and an attempt to address them。 Unfortunately the effort falls flat。 。。。more
Janine
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Powerful book chosen for my 2020 book challenge to select a book about religion。 Willis provides information about what the Qur’an is about and how we all get it wrong， even Muslims especially the jihadists。 I went away knowing that the Qur’an states in many places God is all knowing and he sees all， mercy is an important and that following then”path” is an essential requirement for being a good Muslim - which isn’t all that different than Christianity。 Also in approaching the Muslim religion fr Powerful book chosen for my 2020 book challenge to select a book about religion。 Willis provides information about what the Qur’an is about and how we all get it wrong， even Muslims especially the jihadists。 I went away knowing that the Qur’an states in many places God is all knowing and he sees all， mercy is an important and that following then”path” is an essential requirement for being a good Muslim - which isn’t all that different than Christianity。 Also in approaching the Muslim religion from ignorance creates unnecessary divisions。 Everyone should read this book or something similar so we can reduce divisions。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Leo Walsh
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Whenever America gets involved in the second-world morass of Middle East politics， I try to read a book or two on Islamic religion， culture or history。 So with Iran and the region's Shiites on alert after Trump unceremoniously had a popular Iranian military and political leader assassinated， that time has arrived again。 So I checked WHAT THE QUR'AN MEANT by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gary Wills out of the library。The book is uber-interesting。 It dissects and summarizes the text of the Qur'an。 Whenever America gets involved in the second-world morass of Middle East politics， I try to read a book or two on Islamic religion， culture or history。 So with Iran and the region's Shiites on alert after Trump unceremoniously had a popular Iranian military and political leader assassinated， that time has arrived again。 So I checked WHAT THE QUR'AN MEANT by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gary Wills out of the library。The book is uber-interesting。 It dissects and summarizes the text of the Qur'an。 He spends dozens of pages tracking the thematic thread that connects the disconnected， winding passages of the Qur'an: sweet， freshwater as a symbol for God's （Allah's） grace。 Along the way， he uses the text itself to illuminate misunderstood， and often intentionally by hard-right fear-mongering， aspects of the religion。 For instance， in the Qur'an and Arabic in general， "jihad" simply means a path that leads to sweet water。 It's what we'd call "the straight and narrow。" And Wills points out that Muslim extremists are mid-interpreting the scripture when they use that term to advocate murder。 He also illustrates how much Mohammed values other monotheists， like Christians and Jews。 He held those faiths in high regard， which of course contradicts what right-wing misinformation lead most to believe about Islam。He also spends thirty or so pages looking at precisely what Mohammed said about war。 And again， Islam's holy book reveals that Allah told his followers that war must be just。 The only allowable motive is self-defense。 And instead of decapitating innocent captives as ISIS does， the Qur'an tells its followers to treat enemies justly。。。 especially Christians and Jews。 Ergo， this places outliers like Al Quaeda and ISIS in opposition to holy writ instead of being expressions of it。 And by placing things into their proper historical， 7th century AD context， he makes other misrepresentations understandable。 For instance， the book may be patriarchal， but so was the Christain Council of Nicea， which convened about the time。 He also rightly points out something that any person who's read European history knows: that under Islamic rule， Jews and "heretical" Christian sects fared very well under the Caliphate。 But when Christians took back the land， they burned those people at the stake。 So much for Christianity being the "religion of peace。" That said， I've read some misleading reviews here that state half of the book was a history of Bush's bungling and hard-right misrepresentation of Islam。 That's not true。 I know， because based on those reviews， I was expecting it。 But that introductory material was about 1/6th of the book， and I found it necessary as groundwork， illustrating how important it was to understand our enemies and "frenemies" on their own terms， and not distortions。 All told， a solid read。 Though it's not long， it does require close reading as scriptures always do lest you miss something。 Four-stars。PS。 I read the Qu'ran decards ago when I was trying to read the expanded "World Canon。" In fact， I used a study Qu'ran。。。 possibly the one Wills cites。 And my reading was quite similar， albeit less scholarly， than Wills's。 But that was well before 9/11 and after the hostage crisis。 It's nice to know that my own reading was pretty much spot-on。 。。。more
Shava Nerad
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Wills is a conservative Catholic historian with huge compassion for the greater world。 He is humble and approaches the Qur'an with great respect， historical rigor （which you will rarely find in non-Muslims）， and in consultation with every sort of subject matter expert。He talks about where non-Muslims get Islam wrong -- and why。 This is a must read for any ally of the Muslim and especially Muslim-American community。I'm not marking this as "read" because I'm keeping it on my Kindle to spin off rea Wills is a conservative Catholic historian with huge compassion for the greater world。 He is humble and approaches the Qur'an with great respect， historical rigor （which you will rarely find in non-Muslims）， and in consultation with every sort of subject matter expert。He talks about where non-Muslims get Islam wrong -- and why。 This is a must read for any ally of the Muslim and especially Muslim-American community。I'm not marking this as "read" because I'm keeping it on my Kindle to spin off reading from footnotes and refer back to the context in this book。 I love work that inspires me like that。 。。。more
Soroush
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This was， generally， a pleasant read。 The author seems genuine and fair。 However， for reasons unknown to me， he completely ignores his own criteria， and perhaps sincerity， in chapters related to "Plural Marriages" and "Fighting。" I can only assume that his deeply-rooted Catholic upbringing， combined with his Liberal standpoint， may have resulted in biased understanding of issues related to marriage and sex in Islam。 If those two chapters， eleven and twelve were not present or written with more c This was， generally， a pleasant read。 The author seems genuine and fair。 However， for reasons unknown to me， he completely ignores his own criteria， and perhaps sincerity， in chapters related to "Plural Marriages" and "Fighting。" I can only assume that his deeply-rooted Catholic upbringing， combined with his Liberal standpoint， may have resulted in biased understanding of issues related to marriage and sex in Islam。 If those two chapters， eleven and twelve were not present or written with more care， I'd give this book a 4-star rating。 。。。more
Hebe
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A very interesting and eye opening read。 I’m giving it 4 stars because I had some trouble understanding the writing style and vocabulary used。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book :）
Shawn
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Not sure how to review this。 There is a special book “Kitab Iqan” （or， The Book of Certitude） that was written over the course of two nights， by an Author， named Bahá’u’lláh， explaining The Qur’án in the most eloquent and elucidative way。 The Book itself is a threshold。 To start， the Baha’i revelation came in 1844 with the Mission of the Bab （translated as The Gate） in Iran， then reached its Most Great Festival （the fulfillment， the Second Coming） in 1863 with the Proclamation of Baha’u’llah in Not sure how to review this。 There is a special book “Kitab Iqan” （or， The Book of Certitude） that was written over the course of two nights， by an Author， named Bahá’u’lláh， explaining The Qur’án in the most eloquent and elucidative way。 The Book itself is a threshold。 To start， the Baha’i revelation came in 1844 with the Mission of the Bab （translated as The Gate） in Iran， then reached its Most Great Festival （the fulfillment， the Second Coming） in 1863 with the Proclamation of Baha’u’llah in Iraq。 From Adam， to Abraham， to Moses， to Christ， to Ahmad， and finally to Him Whom the world hath wronged， the Source and Fountainhead of the Baha’i Faith。 A prime teaching is that of progressive revelation: that each Messenger has an appointed time， then the next One comes to deliver the next phase of humankind’s medical treatment， so to speak。 That Their messages differ is due to the times。 The world changes， laws change， such as the law for stoning adulterers。 The Baha’i Writings explain that the Jewish community was extremely perplexed， they’d been so persecuted that most of the believers were widowed or separated from their spouses， so when they regrouped， it wasn’t sensible to apply the law of stoning for a community so broken， so they altered the meaning of the law on adultery。 Each Messenger comes invested with authority to abrogate laws from former dispensations， “He doeth whatsoever He willeth。” Wills is Catholic。 He doesn’t show an interest in converting。 He is thoughtful， questioning and fair。 The topics though， can only go so deep， Wills never crosses over the fence， rather he stands outside of Islam， as an observer， one little acquainted with the culture （has he visited Malaysia， Indonesia， Egypt or Iran？ No。） But for all of his humility he is fair and even-minded。 The book touches on the main complaints and criticisms of Islam。 Terrorism， jihad， violence; suppression of women; polygamy （& polygyny）。 One can sum it all up by saying， “If you haven’t read The Holy Qur’an， then you’re indeed ignorant of Islam， and you should read it while you’re still on this earth， if not to know of It， then to know， at the least， of that which you elect not endorse or believe in。” In other words， don’t bad-mouth a religion， especially if you haven’t taken the time to learn about it。 。。。more
Rob Alexander
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Not what I expected and very different from other works bu this author。 It amounts to a generous and honest defence for Islam - one I can share and encourage others to read。 If people who wrote about Islam had friends who were Muslim， our lives would be so much better。
Miebara Jato
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Book of the week: "What the Qu'ran Meant" by Garry Wills Like most non-Muslims， I judged the Quran without actually studying what's written in its pages。 From that position of ignorance， I viewed the Quran as a horrible， violent-filled book that commands its adherents to slaughter "infidels"。 Out of curiosity， I decided to read the English translation of the text about 3 years ago。 Reading the Quran is tedious。 It has no organisational structure; the books are arranged according to length （longe Book of the week: "What the Qu'ran Meant" by Garry Wills Like most non-Muslims， I judged the Quran without actually studying what's written in its pages。 From that position of ignorance， I viewed the Quran as a horrible， violent-filled book that commands its adherents to slaughter "infidels"。 Out of curiosity， I decided to read the English translation of the text about 3 years ago。 Reading the Quran is tedious。 It has no organisational structure; the books are arranged according to length （longer ones earlier， shorter ones toward the end） instead of chronological or topical order。 Pope Francis was not exaggerating when he describes the Quran as a religious book that one can draw spiritual sustenance。 It's a wonderful book。 But reading the Quran once or twice cannot make one fully grasp the contextual meaning or import of its words。 Add the bigotry and theologically false application and interpretation of the Quran by fundamentalists to this， you feel if you hadn't missed something。 Therefore， Garry Wills's book is a timely intervention for one to make sense of the dense maze of overreaching interpretations。 Wills takes some of the controversial and misappropriated topics in the Quran and analyse them， thereby showing how terrorists who used the Quran as the guide gravely deviates from its true teachings。 Just as you'll never find a mention of masturbation in the Bible nor a condemnation of homosexuals in the Bible， you'll not find things like the promise of 72 virgins to terrorists or jihadists; you'll not find a commentary on the duty of Muslims to kill "infidels"。 You'll find that the word shari'a is "used only once in the Qur'an， and not as a legal term。" Wills， a devout Christian， carefully examine the Qur'an， proceeding to highlight the areas of its commonality with the Gospel and Torah。 Wills shows that the Quran， like the Christian Bible and Torah， has violent passages within its pages。 Granted Christianity is associated with horrible events in the past like the Crusades and slavery （and today their horrible treatment of homosexuals） but Christianity had grown passed those bad things。 But for Muslim countries， that setting aside of beliefs or traditions that don't mesh with modern society hasn't happened。 That's a problem。 。。。more
Libby
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He has not read it for himself。。。。。。。just not a lot of information
William Schram
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What the Qur’an Meant And Why It Matters is a timely book。 While I have read the Qur’an before， the main issue I had with it was the whole taking entire portions of text from the Bible and scrambling it around so it doesn’t make much sense。 In this book， Garry Wills is a layperson that writes about religious matters。 In this one， he admits to knowing little of the Qur’an， but growing attached to it in a different sense than with the Bible。 With the stories being familiar but different at the sam What the Qur’an Meant And Why It Matters is a timely book。 While I have read the Qur’an before， the main issue I had with it was the whole taking entire portions of text from the Bible and scrambling it around so it doesn’t make much sense。 In this book， Garry Wills is a layperson that writes about religious matters。 In this one， he admits to knowing little of the Qur’an， but growing attached to it in a different sense than with the Bible。 With the stories being familiar but different at the same time， Wills came to enjoy the devotion it facilitates。In any case， a lot of misconceptions arose due to the Terrorist Attacks made in the name of the Qur’an have led to it being called an Unholy Book， even a book worthy of being burned。 This is unfortunate since it isn’t either of those things。 While I can’t say I like the Qur’an I also can’t say that it deserves that sort of thing。 So in any case， I saw this book in the library and became curious。In this book， Wills mentions three types of ignorance that distort and malign our relationships with other religions: Secular Ignorance， Religious Ignorance， and Fearful Ignorance。 Secular ignorance makes it so we amble into a country and think we can turn it into a Democratic Disney World。 Religious ignorance pits our crusaders against their jihadists。 Fearful ignorance is what makes us think that Muslims are infiltrating our Government and National Life。 Given all of this nonsense going on， what better place is there to start than with the Qur’an itself？ I mean， I am not a scholar of the Qur’an， and neither is Wills。 He doesn’t know Arabic and neither do I， but you should at least attempt to understand rather than blindly hate something。So Garry Wills goes on to read the Qur’an and talks about what is and what is not in this book。 It is well done and informative。 He talks about how misconceptions influenced what we did in Iraq and what that actually accomplished。 Each chapter discusses these various ideas and what the Qur’an has to offer。 It talks about how although Islam is a patriarchal religion， it still has a pretty forward thinking method of treating women and divorce and so on。 There are many references to water in the Qur’an and the life-giving properties it possesses。All in all， there are thirteen chapters in this book， each one focused on something that an ignorant person would think of Islam。 I liked this book quite a bit。 。。。more
Erik Burgess
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Reads mostly like a textbook， and I was hoping for something a bit more accessible。
Jeanne Young
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Very enlightening I have read most of this author’s books。 For me the first chapters were a tedious diatribe against George Bush and the Neocons。 The rest of the book was interesting but thinner than I expected on substance。 Nevertheless， this is a good first start for me to find common religious principles with Muslims and discard erroneous understandings。
Esther Bradley-detally
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A breath of fresh air。 I read this clear， lucid， easy to read account of What the Qur'an Meant， and applauded every page。 He cuts to the chase and gets down to the concept of Revelation and in my mind's eye， progressive revelation。 In the stages of disintegration and reintegration on our planet; Wills points out a clear path to understanding the Revelation of Muhammad。 There are minor issues; but I found it heartening to discover his book。 I have a review on Amazon which is more succinct。 I beli A breath of fresh air。 I read this clear， lucid， easy to read account of What the Qur'an Meant， and applauded every page。 He cuts to the chase and gets down to the concept of Revelation and in my mind's eye， progressive revelation。 In the stages of disintegration and reintegration on our planet; Wills points out a clear path to understanding the Revelation of Muhammad。 There are minor issues; but I found it heartening to discover his book。 I have a review on Amazon which is more succinct。 I believe in the concept of progressive revelation， i。e。， that from the time of Adam， through the time of Muhammad， humankind was an infant， a child， and now our globe is adolescent to say the least。 What will emerge is the oneness of humanity and the core revealed truths that sustained Judaism， Christianity， Islam， and now what I believe the Baha'i Faith， will be understood more clearly。 Take it any way you want: God's Little Chapter book， the renewal of all the core spiritual teachings of the previous Messenger， the promise of one to come after， and now I suggest that the avid reader consider that mankind is coming of age， and as referred to in all the Holy Books and Native prophecies， we are on the threshold of awareness as to the oneness of humanity。 Each Messenger/Manifestation/Prophet， comes with spiritual teachings for that particular day and age and social teachings。 The social teachings are changed， according to the exigencies of the age。This book is a welcoming presence and does not obscure the basic truths of Muhammad。 I am a Baha'i， and I offer this to everyone with relief， joy and wonder。 Gratitude of the highest order to its author Garry Wills。 。。。more
Ann Luba
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Spoke to the commonalities of the Torah， Bible and Quran。 As well as similar practice s of as Jews Christians and Muslims。 The role women play in society including polygamy， owership， and dress。
Michael Austin
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I have read the Qur’an twice， both times in English translation。 The first time， about 20 years ago， I was a brand-new Ph。D。 assigned to teach World Literature， which included a generous selection from the Qur’an。 I read the Penguin Classics Edition translated by N。J。 Dawood。 All I remember from reading this translation are my interactions with the language。 Dawood captured （I suspect） something important about the grandeur and grace of the original。 I remember feeling overwhelmed by the bigness I have read the Qur’an twice， both times in English translation。 The first time， about 20 years ago， I was a brand-new Ph。D。 assigned to teach World Literature， which included a generous selection from the Qur’an。 I read the Penguin Classics Edition translated by N。J。 Dawood。 All I remember from reading this translation are my interactions with the language。 Dawood captured （I suspect） something important about the grandeur and grace of the original。 I remember feeling overwhelmed by the bigness and magnificence of the God that I met in its ayas and surahs。 And then I remember the peace that I felt when this God spoke words of love。 For years， I kept it by my bedside to read when I felt anxious or frenetic。 It spoke peace to my soul。The second time was about three years ago， when I read the monumental Study Qur’an， with translation and extensive commentary by Hossein Nasr， Joseph Lumbard， Caner Dagli， Maria Massi Dakake， Mohammed Rustom。 This was a reading event for me。 I pre-ordeed it months before it was published and dedicated about two months to reading it and studying its extensive footnotes。 It didn’t produce the same emotions that Dawood’s translation produced， but it opened， ever so slightly， the doors of understanding。And yet， after all of this， I still don’t understand very much about the Qur’an。This is why I was excited to read Garry Wills’ new-ish book What the Qur’an Meant and Why It Matters。 I know Wills’ work fairly well。 I loved his book on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address， and I more or less enjoyed his books on Jesus and Paul。 At times， I find him pedantic as hell， but I also think that he has earned a certain amount of arrogance。 He knows a lot。 And he thinks about stuff。I was more than a little bit disappointed with this book， though， for several reasons that I will try to explain here。In the first place， Wills doesn’t really start talking about the Qur’an until about a third of the way through the book。 The first three chapters are basically an argument for why Americans need to understand something about Islam--or， at least， stop being bigoted idiots when it comes to one of the world’s great religions。 The first chapter deals with the way that neoconservative secularists screwed up by invading Iraq。 The second chapter gives a brief overview of the idea that religious fundamentalism is a response to colonialism， not an inherent part of any religion。 And the third chapter argues that Americans lost their collective mind after the September 11 attacks and gave in to fear and a demonization of the other。I couldn’t agree more with every one of these arguments。 But they have almost nothing to do with what the Qur’an means。 And they don’t even have that much to do with why it matters what the Qur’an means。 They have to do with the undoubtedly true premise that Americans have been unforgivably intolerant towards people who do believe in the divinity of the Qur’an and that， in doing so， we have betrayed our own principles。 This is all true no matter what the Qur’an means。My greater problem with What the Qur’an Means， though， is that ， even when it does talk about the Qur'an， it doesn’t have very much to say about what the Qur’an means。 What he does is try to describe at some length what the Qur’an does NOT mean。 He picks everything about the Qur’an that bigoted American yahoos like to harp on and shows that it doesn’t really mean what the yahoos say it means: “jihad” does not mean Holy War; “sharia” does not mean cutting off the heads of unbelievers; calling Muhammad a prophet does not mean that Abraham， Moses， Job， and Jesus aren’t prophets， and et cetera。I see why Wills wants to do this。 He is trying to beat back some of the ignorance that has become a standard part of our public discourse。 But the way he frames hiis argument is a huge opportunity lost。 What Wills ends up showing us is why people like him （and， to be fair， like me） don’t need to be afraid of the Qur’an。 He quotes Augustine and Chesterton as much as Muhammad because he wants to show us that what the Qur’an says is just like what we already believe。He does not show us （or at least I do not see him showing us） what is beautiful and magnificent about the Qur’an: the bigness of God， the peace of submission to that bigness， the compassion and confidence of the divine nature， the need to care for the most vulnerable people of a society。 These are the things that resonated with me the first time I read the Qur’an。 And they are the reasons that reasons that one and a half billion love and revere it。 Ultimately， it is not enough to show that the Qur’an is not objectionable。 “Not objectionable” is too low a bar。 He needs to show that it is beautiful， and that it means something unique and important in its own right。 And this simply doesn’t come through in his learned， but ultimately defensive， analysis。 。。。more
Darwin8u
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"We recognize ourselves in the true image of other believers， in the Qur'an or Torah。 We believers encourage each other over the barriers raised by people who do not wish any of us well。"- Garry Wills， What the Qur'an MeantGarry Wills' What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters follows his format used previously in:1。 What the Gospels Meant2。 What Paul Meant3。 What Jesus MeantIt is one of the first books （I've read） that uses heavily The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary。 As other hav "We recognize ourselves in the true image of other believers， in the Qur'an or Torah。 We believers encourage each other over the barriers raised by people who do not wish any of us well。"- Garry Wills， What the Qur'an MeantGarry Wills' What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters follows his format used previously in:1。 What the Gospels Meant2。 What Paul Meant3。 What Jesus MeantIt is one of the first books （I've read） that uses heavily The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary。 As other have noted， the title is a bit misleading。 Part I of the book actually looks at Why It Matters; Part II looks at What the Qur'an means。This is not a complete exegesis of the Qur'an and isn't meant to be。 It is a look at a book that is viewed as scipture by about 1/4 of the world， by a believer from another faith tradition （Catholic）。 Wills is trying to be fair and generous。 He looks at the Qur'an using the same skills he uses with the Bible。 He looks at what others have written， academic resources， and the text。 He tries to distill the text from both how the faith is practiced in History and how it is practiced by extremists now and puts into context some of the most tortured verses， showing parallels from the Torah and the New Testament。I liked his approach， his tone， and his agenda。 While I'm skeptical of most faiths （often even of my own） I am drawn often to writers who can talk about religion without condesencion or without being too hot （zealous， biased） or cold （abstract， clinical）。 Faith and belief are powerful aspects of our humanity。 We need to view others （both belivers and nonbelivers） with respect。 Often， we need to use care to insure that we aren't spreading rumors and false narratives about other traditions or people。 We need to follow the Golden Rule in how we define others。 Define them with the same charity we would like to be defined by。 I don't want my faith tradition defined by polygamists who marry underage children， and I'm certain 95 percent of Muslims would prefer to no have their traditions defined by their most extreme elements。 I'm certain many Christians would prefer that their faith wasn't defined by the Duggers or Westboro baptists either。 。。。more
Kiki
，
An insightful exploration of key passages in the Qur’an by a Christian religious scholar。 Part 1 drug for me a bit， as it focused on political issues I was already aware of — poor political decisions based on faulty beliefs about Islam and the Qur’an。 Part two， however， was very interesting as it dug into actual passages in the Qur’an and what they said， and explored them in light of the mileu and age when they were written。
Katie
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I learned a lot about the Muslem religion and what its actual teaching are。 so much misinformation out there。
Kimberly Hughes
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The title of this book is a big misnomer。 The first 20% or so of the book covers all the reasons that were wrong about going to Iraq after 9/11。 The rest of the book is an introduction to what the Qu'ran meant when it was written and what it actually says versus what people think it says。 It is mostly quotes of various interpretations from other sources。 None of the book really says anything or even guesses why any of that matters。 I guess my expectation must have been high for what I would get The title of this book is a big misnomer。 The first 20% or so of the book covers all the reasons that were wrong about going to Iraq after 9/11。 The rest of the book is an introduction to what the Qu'ran meant when it was written and what it actually says versus what people think it says。 It is mostly quotes of various interpretations from other sources。 None of the book really says anything or even guesses why any of that matters。 I guess my expectation must have been high for what I would get out of it because I really did learn a lot （after the first fifth） and I have since book a translation of the Qu'ran on my kindle to read， but I really wanted to know more about how the Qu'ran affects Muslims today or even how it has changed over the years， which may not even be that answerable。 After all， a book on how the Bible affects Christians today would not be that easy to answer either。 The author's general premise is that the Qu'ran， like the Bible， is not the cause of violent or extremist behavior but individuals that use it for that reason but don't actually follow what it teaches。 。。。more
Ginny
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I really mean 3。5 stars， but that is not an option。 The book really petered out in the end。 The last three chapters were on women and the Qur’an， and were extremely disappointing and rushed - the author didn’t even discuss the burqa， just veiling。 I learned a lot。 Such as， interestingly there are a lot of similarities between the Qur’an， the Torah， and a little on the New Testament。 I bought the book based upon a Times review some time ago。 I read a much more diverse and eclectic array of books I really mean 3。5 stars， but that is not an option。 The book really petered out in the end。 The last three chapters were on women and the Qur’an， and were extremely disappointing and rushed - the author didn’t even discuss the burqa， just veiling。 I learned a lot。 Such as， interestingly there are a lot of similarities between the Qur’an， the Torah， and a little on the New Testament。 I bought the book based upon a Times review some time ago。 I read a much more diverse and eclectic array of books because of the Times and New York Review of Books recommendations。 For this I am pleased。 I am glad I read this book， but came away finding this author was an apologist。 He wanted to say the Qur’an is no worse in its premises than either the Old Testament or the Christian Gospels。 In doing so he ignored certain realities。 Such as， the author says that we should ignore the Islamic State’s view of Islam because it is irrational （like judging Christianity by the End of Times survivalist nut jobs） and if we ignore that then the practice of Islam is very moderate。 WTF！ This ignores so much。 What about all the stuff that goes on in Iran。 Saudi women not being able to drive cars （until this past month） why forever for？ Present day Islamic governments， and vigilante groups that act without sanction， still cut off people’s limbs for various crimes， adultery is a crime as is homosexuality， and the punishments can range from jail time， being flogged （whipped） to being stoned （which will kill you）。The author said at one point， as a praise for the moderation of most Muslims， that in a Pew study， only 6% of Muslims supported the actions of the 9/11 terrorists。 6%！ Really？ Shouldn’t that number be zero？ （No idea what the percentages are for other religions or countries， or on other comparable questions like asking Christians if the invasion of Iraq， and consequential death of all these civilians just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time， is an acceptable loss to fight the war on terror。 Hint on the right Christian answer: HELL NO！） I looked for the poll on line to try to understand it better， but couldn’t locate it。 。。。more
M。 Ilyas Suri
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An outstanding book， well researched。 Highly recommendable reading for those seeking knowledge about the Message of the Quran about many important topics under discussion in our time。 This book presents an unbiased commentary on those topics that cause misunderstanding or conflicts amongst the followers of 3 great religions， the Judaism， Christianity and Islam。 Well done Garry wills。
Michael Platt
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Highly recommend this book。 Garry Wills is a student of theology （primarily Catholic） and an historian。 His politics is left of center， so if you are triggered by criticism of Republican policy， you might want to avoid this book， especially Part 1。 Part 2 dives into the Qur'ran in more detail。 Enlightening and thought provoking。 Highly recommend this book。 Garry Wills is a student of theology （primarily Catholic） and an historian。 His politics is left of center， so if you are triggered by criticism of Republican policy， you might want to avoid this book， especially Part 1。 Part 2 dives into the Qur'ran in more detail。 Enlightening and thought provoking。 。。。more
Taloot S。
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a commentry and answers to objections on Islam from the west are very well done by a non muslim scholar on most of the key questions like Jihad， Shariah laws， polygamy， women bias etc。 personaaly my favourit chapter is Desert Book。 I ve done with my Ramdan read of this year。
Zizi
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To preface this， the only other book I've read about Islam written by a non-Muslim was by Karen Armstrong， which I thought was absolutely dreadful。 My expectations were very low going into this one as a result， because I suspected it would have the same problems， namely it would strip Islam of all of its history and really all of its actual text in order to present it as something palatable for Westerners。 Wills avoids some of Armstrong's issues， but sadly falls into the same trap。Wills here has To preface this， the only other book I've read about Islam written by a non-Muslim was by Karen Armstrong， which I thought was absolutely dreadful。 My expectations were very low going into this one as a result， because I suspected it would have the same problems， namely it would strip Islam of all of its history and really all of its actual text in order to present it as something palatable for Westerners。 Wills avoids some of Armstrong's issues， but sadly falls into the same trap。Wills here has made an admirable attempt to separate Muslims from their undeserved reputation for being violent。 As a self-styled intellectual， he could have just said that most people are decent and non-violent， and given that there are a billion Muslims in the world， it stands to reason that most people born Muslim are also decent and non-violent。 Unfortunately， that is not the path he chose to follow。 What he did instead is argue （apparently straight-faced， though I can't believe it at times） that the Qur'an is a book of love and peace。His immediate mistake is to go into the Qur'an intentionally knowing， as far as I can tell， absolutely nothing about the development of Islam or the life of Muhammad。 Armstrong's work I found bizarre because she did know， yet tried to present it all as a happy and generally peaceful history， contrary to Islamic historians themselves。 Wills on the other hand has a knowledge that seems limited to 1） Muhammad was an Arab from "the desert" and 2） parts of the Qur'an are similar to Jewish and Christian texts。 Not only does he know little about Muhammad himself， but he virtually entirely ignores the sunnah （the ways of Muhammad and his followers as recorded in books called the "hadith" collections， two of which are considered extremely reputable）， despite these being part of the religion from its earliest days。Forgive me， but as someone raised Muslim even though I am now non-religious。。。 if you are going to analyze another religion's holy book and publish a book about it， perhaps you ought to learn about the religion a bit first？ Or else you run the risk of telling your non-Muslim audience some very odd tales。To give just a few examples:The deathly nature of the desert without water is suggested when Muhammed throws sand at the army。。。 Muhammad's troops are miraculously rained upon， while the enemy is left to perish in the waterless desert。 Where to even begin here。 This is a description of the battle at Badr， which is， in fact。。。 a watering hole。 No one perished of thirst。 Muhammad's followers had attempted to raid a caravan returning to Mecca from Syria， and a force set out from Mecca to defend it。 The two met at Badr because the Meccan force stopped there for。。。 water。 It rained on both armies before the battle （Wills seems to think it hardly ever rains in the Hejaz region for some reason。 While very rare during the summer， the battle at Badr was in March）， which irritated and demoralized some of the troops from Mecca， and several had already gone home because they had received word that the caravan had found a safe route past Muhammad's forces。 The throwing sand bit is just a standard part of Arab battles and does not imply Muhammad was threatening them with the desert， or whatever Wills is implying。 All of this Wills would know if he had picked up any source on the life of Muhammad。 But he did not。Wills' description of the "sword verse" （9:5） likewise sure could have used some knowledge about Islamic history。 In this case， the verse was revealed after Muhammad had conquered Mecca。 He announced that there was a new official policy of hunting down pagan Arabs until they converted to Islam。 Specifically the Arabic text instructs Muslims to ambush and kill them wherever they are spotted， unless the pagans pre-emptively beg for mercy， in which case the Qur'an should be preached to them and they should be left to digest its knowledge until the armies of Muhammad came around again。 This policy was to be implemented after the sacred months of the Islamic calendar passed （months 11-12-1 in this case）， except in the case of one tribe with whom Muhammad had previously made a treaty in Mecca; this tribe would be granted safety for the duration of the treaty and only hunted thereafter。 This policy would， of course， be greatly successful， as no pagan Arabs are recorded as surviving the seventh century。Compare this to how Wills describes this。 First he misunderstands the term "sacred months"， showing that he does not even understand the basics of the religion:There was a sacred truce of four months Following this is a complete misreading of the verse that follows this， instructing Muslims to abide by a treaty they made while in Mecca， versus those they made while still in Medina。 Wills thinks this is about tribes honoring the Kaaba for some reason （it is not， and in fact nearly all Arabs "honored" the Kaaba or one of five other similar buildings throughout Arabia， as they were originally built by and for pagans）。But specific truces can be made with the unbelievers who honor the Ka'bah for their own reasons。 In fact the verse in question specifically says no new treaties with pagans can be made， and only tells Muslims to allow the existing treaty to run its course on account of Mecca being a sacred city。 It almost takes talent to get this so wrong！He then goes on to say， inexplicably:The Qur'an never advocates war as a means of conversion In fact it does just that， and says that the pagans will stop being hunted once they have converted。 （After this sentence he says that Muhammad lived with the pagans in Mecca for 12 years without attempting to kill them all， as though this were some sign of tolerance on his part。 He perhaps does not realize how small the Muslim community was at this time， and how the pagans could have destroyed it in one day if they so chose。）Wills' incomplete understanding of the situation with the Jews of Medina hampers him in his discussion of the Qur'an's treatment of other faiths。 He seems vaguely aware that there was conflict between the community and Muhammad but does not know the details。 In his early revelations in Mecca， it is abundantly clear that Muhammad believed the Jews would follow him。 Upon encountering an actual Jewish community in Medina， which not only did not follow him but actively questioned him and pointed out contradictions in his words， he rapidly changed his mind and began presenting the Jews as enemies。 All three Jewish tribes of Medina would be gone from the city within five years， one by massacre and two by expulsion。 Wills mentions none of them。 The vague issues with Jews are said to be over dietary laws and never mentioned again。The author's misunderstandings evidently extend into the present day， as he presents hudud （corporal punishment） and related Qur'anic measures as somehow implemented only by terrorist groups like "the Islamic State"。 In fact they are on the books and enforced in several legitimate countries， including both Shi'a （Iran） and Sunni （Saudi Arabia） ones， and both would take offense to the implication that they are extremists for doing so， when such things have been the norm throughout Islamic history and are not regarded as backwards by the region's standards。 Likewise "jihad" is said to be a neutral term referring to general "striving for moral disclipine"， with its association with religious warfare being， apparently， a mistaken assumption。 Does Wills believe that Arabic-speaking Muslims have made this same mistake？ Does he consider the fact that the verses about "striving" are in reference to actual armed conflicts， ranging from caravan raids to raids on Bedouin clans to conquest of Arab Christian cities towards the end of Muhammad's life？ Did he pause at verses that used other Arabic words， such as qital， interchangeably with jihad？ Was he aware of a hadith in which a woman bemoans the fact that she cannot partake in jihad， as she is not a man， and Muhammad says that her jihad can achieved by alternate means， such as going on the pilgrimage to Mecca--implying quite clearly that the Qur'an's "jihad" means something else altogether？Wills is obviously attempting to "defend Muslims" here， but unfortunately it comes across as Orientalist instead。 He talks over Muslims， not to them。 Muslims know what "jihad" is。 Modern-day Arabs know why veiling is required。 His questions about the meaning of "sharia" could be answered by simply consulting one of the many books on fiqh， or Islamic law。 He does none of these things。 His attempts to "contextualize" the Qur'an on some historical level also fall flat。 He rarely brings up Islamic history post-Muhammad--the Muslim conquest， the many Muslim empires of the Middle East and beyond， some details of which may be uncomfortable for some readers but all of which are a source of pride and heritage for Arabs--and this does not help matters。 We are， collectively， misunderstood victims belonging to a peaceful religion， apparently。 Those who act otherwise are not real Muslims because they are ignorant of the true religion。 Wills has never considered the fact that extremists know of less-literal interpretations of the Qur'an。 They just think they are wrong because Muhammad and his own followers were literalists。Moving on to the author himself， since Wills is apparently a believing Catholic， I was interested in his opinion on the Qur'an's treatment of Jesus and his mother。 What does he make of the emphasis on the childhood of Jesus， rather than his adult ministry？ How does he feel about the crucifixion being something merely to trick the Jews？ Is he not interested in the sources of the extra-Biblical stories about the young Jesus and Mary？ Apparently not。 In fact he has strangely little to say about anything， only discussing perhaps 2-3% or so of the Qur'an's verses （I am probably overestimating the number） and devoting a lot of time to European and American history that does not have much to do with anything。 What does John Stubbs have to do with Islam， Muslims， or any combination thereof， unless Wills is arguing that the rulers of 16th century England were prophets？All in all， a disappointing and tedious book。 One day a non-Muslim will write a fair， thorough， and deeply contextualized look at the Qur'an and its varied influences on Muslims throughout history， from the remarkable Arab conquests through the present day， but it hasn't happened yet。 I would recommend non-Muslims interested in this subject simply read a tafsir， or a Qur'anic exegesis， written by a Muslim scholar instead of this book， such as Ibn Kathir's。 It seems to me that Muslims not only know their own history a lot better than Wills， but are less willing to hide it behind a fake veneer of sunshine。 。。。more
Dave
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This short but enlightening book is a must-read for non-Muslims in America today。 Unfortunately， the people who most need to read it are the people least likely to do so。 As one of those very people might say， "Sad。" Wills makes it eminently clear through quotes from the Qur'an and his analysis and interpretation that， just as Christian fundamentalists have sometimes twisted the words of the Bible， Muslim fundamentalists have done the same to the Qur'an。 The result: ample documentation that Isla This short but enlightening book is a must-read for non-Muslims in America today。 Unfortunately， the people who most need to read it are the people least likely to do so。 As one of those very people might say， "Sad。" Wills makes it eminently clear through quotes from the Qur'an and his analysis and interpretation that， just as Christian fundamentalists have sometimes twisted the words of the Bible， Muslim fundamentalists have done the same to the Qur'an。 The result: ample documentation that Islam is the religion of peace that the vast majority of its believers claim it to be。 He also blows up other myths， such as Islamophobes' fears of Sharia law。 Knowledge， such as provided in this book， would go a long way to reducing fear， but as I said， the ones most in need of this book are the very ones least likely to read it。 。。。more
Steve Greenleaf
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What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters by Garry WillsAnother liberal arts education in a short bookThe most recent book by Garry Wills takes off from where he left off with three of his earlier book What Jesus Meant， What the Gospels Meant， and What Paul Meant。 Now， he turns his attention to What the Qur'an Meant--And Why It Matters （2017）。 The first three books draw upon Wills's status as a classicist and as one of the foremost Catholic intellectuals of our time。 But so why go into this new What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters by Garry WillsAnother liberal arts education in a short bookThe most recent book by Garry Wills takes off from where he left off with three of his earlier book What Jesus Meant， What the Gospels Meant， and What Paul Meant。 Now， he turns his attention to What the Qur'an Meant--And Why It Matters （2017）。 The first three books draw upon Wills's status as a classicist and as one of the foremost Catholic intellectuals of our time。 But so why go into this new arena， and of what value might he bring to his endeavor？ He answers the first part of the question--the "why？"--in the first three chapters。 As should be apparent to all of us， the Islamic world is one that holds considerable sway for Americans， and our ignorance about the world of Islam is abounding。 As to the second issue， about the value of his endeavor， it's true that he's not an Arabist and cannot read the Qur'an in its original text （unlike the Greek and Latin texts of Christianity he's pondered）， but he brings the same patient scholarship and care to reading that he brings to the more familiar Christian texts。 By reading this book， we learn about the meaning of jihad （struggle）， shari'ah， and a host of other （sort of） familiar parts of the Qur'an。 We learn that jihad is about struggle and that shari'ah refers to the right （straight） path， similar to some familiar Biblical injunctions。 Also， we learn about Mohammed's thoughts （or more precisely， those of the Qur'an） about fellow people of the Book （Jews and Christians）， who are to be treated with peace and forbearance。 That there have been times when such peace and forbearance has not occurred reminds us how often those claiming fidelity to each of the three great monotheisms have fallen below from the intentions of the prophets。 Some practices dictated by the Qur'an now seem archaic， if not barbaric。 But if these are a mark against Islam， so are many of the actions and directives found in the Talmud and the New Testament， especially about the treatment of women。 The wearing of the hijab （veil） is the least of problems: to many Muslim women， wearing some veil serves as a sign of feminism。 Like each of the many books that Wills has written， one gets a mini-liberal arts education。 Wills deftly mixes the problems associated with our contemporary ignorance and misunderstanding of Islam （and the consequent messes in Iraq and Afghanistan that we suffered） with a deep understanding of the Book that gave rise to this extraordinary religion about 1300 years ago。 In a short book， I learned a great deal about what guides millions and millions of my fellow humans。 It's well worth the time and effort。 。。。more
Mayra Flores
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