How to Read the Qur'an

“This will serve both as a fine teaching tool at the college or seminary level and as a useful resource for engaged nonspecialists, who will find it challenging but rewarding.”—Library Journal

“Ernst offers this elegant guide on how to read and understand the text sacred to Muslims.”—Publishers Weekly

“This book includes an accessible discussion of Qur'anic studies to date, along with easily followed investigations of particular chapters using the ring methodology. Also included is a brief appendix with pointers for students so that they can use the author’s approach to treat other chapters of the Qur'an similarly. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.”—CHOICE

“Muslim, non-Muslim, religious, and irreligious readers will all find in the Qur’an, as Ernst presents it here, something of interest. This is a groundbreaking and essential book, surely to be of interest and use in mosque study groups and intellectually minded book clubs as well as classrooms. An appendix on “Suggested Interpretive Exercises” will serve all such audiences well.”—Rain Taxi Review of Books

“The Qur’an is widely misunderstood, partly because it’s very difficult to read. . . Ernst explains why and offers a way through.”—Endeavors

“Ernst’s scholarship makes room for a respectful appreciation of the religious
commitments of many who approach it. Such a judicious approach models a way forward for Christians, Jews, Muslims and people who profess none of these faiths to read the Qur’an and talk with one another about what they read.”—Christian Century

“Ernst’s book is an illuminating and well-written companion to the Qur'an. . . . Demonstrat[es] that the Qur'an can actually be read, rather than just quoted, dissected, summarized, ridiculed, glorified or studied for its obvious importance in later Islam.”—Times Literary Supplement

“This splendid introduction allows students to begin to understand and appreciate the role of the Qur'an for Muslims. Professor Ernst’s unique approach provides a thorough overview of the scholarship —historical and contemporary, Muslim and non-Muslim— on the Qur'an.” —Amir Hussain, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion

“This elegant book is a very useful guide to the study of the Qur’an. It represents a significant advance in making the Qur’an, as well as the scholarship on it, accessible to a broad readership.” —Muhammad Qasim Zaman, author of The Ulama in Contemporary Islam