New Researches on the Quran: Why and How Two Versions of Islam Entered the History of Mankind


Book Description

This book focuses on the time before the Quran and the emergence of Islam. The research delves into the origin of the Quran, using its verses alongside investigative works which support various new theories. The Quran is a written document which, according to recent discoveries such as, the recently discovered world's oldest Quran manuscript at the University of Birmingham, can be traced to the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad. It focuses on the time preceding Islam and highlights the relationships that are pivotal for understanding the development of Islam. The danger posed by false interpretations of the Quran has become increasingly more serious from first appearance of Islam until today, the result of which we can see clearly in our current world. Hence the Quran itself is the most important document to be researched and studied for resolving the problems caused by its false interpretation.




Crucifixion: Fact or Fiction?: An Investigation of Crucifixion


Book Description

Jesus Christ - "Soul of God" - had a "contemporary double". This "son of man" was also named Jesus. He was also born in Jerusalem around two thousand years ago, in a Jewish family. He was also a son of parents named as Mary and Joseph. He had also a brother named James. He also knew a woman known as Mary Magdalena, and a man named Judas. There were many similarities between Jesus, son of Mary, and his double. When Jesus (son of Mary) was claimed by St. John the Baptist to be "Christ", and his enemies wanted to eliminate John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the double of Jesus decided to sacrifice his life for his master in order that his master could achieve his divine mission. The recent discovery of an old Jewish family tomb in Jerusalem fits with the explanation of an Old Persian book named Tarikh Bal'arni (Bal'ami's book of history") which discusses a second Jesus who was a contemporary of Jesus Christ and who was crucified in his place...




The Origins of the Koran


Book Description

Scholars of Islam are familiar with the Koran's many errors and contradictions, but these have rarely been revealed to a wider public. THE ORIGINS OF THE KORAN is an attempt to remedy this deficiency by bringing together classic critical essays which raise key issues surrounding Islam's holy book. Indispensable to scholars and all those interested in the textual underpinning of one of the fastest growing religions in the world.




Encyclopaedia Britannica


Book Description

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.




Understanding the Koran


Book Description

Find out how the Koran resembles the Bible—and the drastic ways in which it differs. Understanding the Koran gives you an essential grasp of Islam's holy book: where it came from, what it teaches, how Muslims view it, and how the Allah of the Koran compares with the God of the Bible. Cherished as the final, perfect revelation of God's will by 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, the Koran has become a part of American life. What do you know about the holy book that shapes the lives and views of your neighbors and a fifth of the world's population? Written by a pastor who was born to a Muslim father and raised in Saudi Arabia, Understanding the Koran gives you a fascinating, easy-to-understand overview that will show you: Why the background behind the Koran is important to understanding it. How the Koran came into existence. A summary of the main teachings of the Koran, including what it says about Jesus and the crucifixion. Similarities and differences between Muslim and Christian views of God. What the Koran teaches about Jihad and holy war. What the Koran teaches about heaven and hell and the final destinies of the human soul. Giving you an essential grasp of Islam's holy book, Understanding the Koran points you to the one thing that can draw your Muslim friends to Jesus—his love, demonstrated to them through you. Discussion questions make it possible to use this book in group studies.




Muhammad


Book Description

In the midst of the dramatic seventh-century war between two empires, Muhammad was a spiritual seeker in search of community and sanctuary. Many observers stereotype Islam and its scripture as inherently extreme or violent-a narrative that has overshadowed the truth of its roots. In this masterfully told account, preeminent Middle East expert Juan Cole takes us back to Islam's-and the Prophet Muhammad's-origin story. Cole shows how Muhammad came of age in an era of unparalleled violence. The eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire of Iran fought savagely throughout the Near East and Asia Minor. Muhammad's profound distress at the carnage of his times led him to envision an alternative movement, one firmly grounded in peace. The religion Muhammad founded, Islam, spread widely during his lifetime, relying on soft power instead of military might, and sought armistices even when militarily attacked. Cole sheds light on this forgotten history, reminding us that in the Qur'an, the legacy of that spiritual message endures. A vibrant history that brings to life the fascinating and complex world of the Prophet, Muhammad is the story of how peace is the rule and not the exception for one of the world's most practiced religions.




The Quran and the Secular Mind


Book Description

This book is concerned with the rationality and plausibility of the Muslim faith and the Qur'an, and in particular how they can be interrogated and understood through Western analytical philosophy. It also explores how Islam can successfully engage with the challenges posed by secular thinking. The Quran and the Secular Mind will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic philosophy, philosophy of religion, Middle East studies, and political Islam.




The Beginning of Human Life


Book Description

Progress in biomedical science has called for an international discussion of the medical, ethical, and legal problems that confront physicians, medical researchers, infertile couples, pregnant women, and parents of premature or disabled infants. In addition, the unprecedented technological developments in obstetrical, perinatal, and neonatal medicine in recent years have indicated a need for an international forum for interdisciplinary dialogue regarding the definition of early human life, the neurological development of early human life, the value of early human life, the obligations for its protection and prolongation, and the limits to these obligations.




Related Worlds - Studies in Jewish and Arab Ancient and Early Medieval History


Book Description

An element common to all the articles collected here is the attempt to make parallel use of sources from different cultures - Biblical and Talmudic Hebrew, Greek and Latin, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic - comparing these different but complementary sources in the investigation of topics in Jewish and Arabic history. In the first studies Professor Gil deals primarily with the Roman and Byzantine periods, elucidating how a Biblical term was understood, the historical significance of passages from the Mishna, and the origins of the Book of Enoch. The next group is concerned with the history of early Islam, during the years in which the Prophet Muhammad lived and worked, and later traditions of this period. The final studies are based specifically on sources from the Cairo Geniza, and examine a term of Greek origin and questions of taxation and commerce.




Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an


Book Description

In this original and illuminating book, Denise A. Spellberg reveals a little-known but crucial dimension of the story of American religious freedom—a drama in which Islam played a surprising role. In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur’an. This marked only the beginning of his lifelong interest in Islam, and he would go on to acquire numerous books on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel, taking extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law. Jefferson sought to understand Islam notwithstanding his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment prevalent among his Protestant contemporaries in England and America. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country. Based on groundbreaking research, Spellberg compellingly recounts how a handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost among them, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims (then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society) to fashion out of what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson’s political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders’ ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done. As popular suspicions about Islam persist and the numbers of American Muslim citizenry grow into the millions, Spellberg’s revelatory understanding of this radical notion of the Founders is more urgent than ever. Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an is a timely look at the ideals that existed at our country’s creation, and their fundamental implications for our present and future.




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