Book Summary 1
Title: ‘Understanding The Quran: Themes and Style’
Muhammad Abdel Haleem
The Quran
- does not begin chronically like the Old Testament nor like the new Testament.
- lexical meaning of the Quran and its significance with the first verse sent down by Allah.
- preservation and transmission of the Quran.
- major themes: Oneness of Allah, Prophethood, resurrection and judgment.
- influence of the Quran around the world,
- status of Quran’s translation in other languages (non-Arabic).
Styles
-fasl(disjoining)
-offers justification for its massage by:
- providing logical arguments.
- supporting the statement with reference to the past, present and future.
- constantly reminding people of God and His attributes
-coaches legal matter that appeal to the conscience, emotions and belief in God.
-generalization techniques (ta’mim). Use of words ‘those’, ‘whoever’ to convey the message for general application.
Separate alphabet letter(beginnings of 29 surahs)–>to alert the listener/reader.
Title of the surah–>provide the basis of the theme, or preview an important event in the surah.
Al-Fatiha(The Opening)
1. Invocation(verse 1)
preposition bi: beginning, dedication, accompaniment and instrumentality.
ar-rahman, ar-rahim
- most recurring attributes of God in the Quran
- derive from same root(r-h-m).translation into two words with different roots loses their connection.
2. Praise(verse 2,3,4)
generic al-makes the word hamd encompass all praises.
li-‘belong to’, ‘due to’
-declaration, affirmation
Three attributes(adjective) of God mentioned in the three verses. Adjectives are prominent in al-fatiha for progression of ideas.
3. Affirmation(verse 5)
- the center of the passage
- affirmation that he is the only one to be worshipped and sought for help.
-iltifat(change of style) from third person to second person, bring the reader nearer to God.
4. The Petition(verse 6 & 7)
- relate fundamentally to the function of the Quran which is for our guidance.
- express in the concrete, tangible and definite image(siraat).
*There are several themes discuss in this book(water, marriage and divorce, war and peace, Adam and Eve). Inside the themes, the reader could dive into different styles in the Quran which are miracles for me personally. Besides that, the author compare some of those themes with the passages and stories from Biblical sources which show that Quran take unique approach in conveying its messages and lessons.
Dynamic Style
Iltifat-the change of speech from one mode to another.
Purposes:
- freshness
- variety
- renewing interest
Conditions:
- refer to the same subject
- should be between two independence sentences
Types of iltifat
- change of person
- change in number
- change in addressee
- change in the tense of the verb
- change in case marker
- using noun in place of pronoun



