1-Moses in the Qur'an and Islamic Exegesis

This study draws on host of late antique and medieval sources to examine selected Muslim exegeses of Moses in the Qur'an. Using approaches from biblical studies, history of religions, folklore studies, and Jewish-Arabic studies, this book suggests, for a limited case, how Muslim exegeses of the Qur'an is purposeful in its appropriation and adoption of elements consonant with Jewish and Christian interpretation and theology of the Bible.

Synopsis
Relating the Muslim understanding of Moses in the Qur'an to the "Epic of Gilgamesh", and Alexander romances for example, this work shows how Muslim scholars authorize and identify themselves through allusions to the Bible and Jewish tradition

About the Author
Brannon M. Wheeler teaches at the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

2-Understanding the Hadith:

"An intriguing distillation of the many pieces that make up the Hadith...recommended for dedicated students of Islamic studies."

"...a good place for Westerners to begin to understand the hadith's role in forming the mindset of Islamic fundamentalists."

About the Author
RAM SWARUP was one ofIndia's leading intellectuals and a distinguished representative of renascent Hinduism. He wrote on many topics, not only comparative religion but on Gandhian economics, Maosim, and communism.

Book Description
Although the non-Muslim world is not as familiar with the Hadith as with the Qur'an, it is the Hadith that is the most important single source of Islamic laws, precepts, and practices. Ever since the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, millions of Muslims have attempted to mimic his dress, diet, hairstyle, toilet mores, and sexual and marital habits in the hope of being more like the man who walked in the ways of Allah. Whether one visits Saudi Arabia orCentral Asia,India orMalaysia, Muslims by the millions can be found conforming to the Prophet's views on the veil, polygamy, and ablution.
The Hadith consistutes a voluminous literature. Every word from Muhammad's lips, every nod or shake of his head, every one of his gestures and mannerisms was important to his followers. They remembered these as best they could and passed these "traditions" on from generation to generation.
Using the Sahih Muslim, a massive work consisting of 7,190 traditions divided into 1,243 chapters, Ram Swarup quotes representative selections that touch upon the main tenets of Islamic faith: purification, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, marriage and divorce, crime and punishment, religious wars (jihad), paradise, hell, repentance, and many others.
According to Muslim theologians, Islam is a "complete" and "completed" religion that deals not only with theological matters but also with all aspects of the believer's life. It is equally political and military. It has much to do with statecraft, and it has a very specific view of the world peopled by "infidels" or non-Muslims. Since most of the world is still "infidel," it is very important for those who are not Muslim to understand Islam. UNDERSTANDING THE HADITH provides many insights into the mind-set of the typical Muslim who is raised on these traditions.

3-The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an

An Excellent Collection of Current Scholarship in Islamics,November 14, 2001

The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an represents the most current knowledge available regarding Islam and Qur'anic Studies. Jane Dammen Mcauliffe has done an excellent job compiling contributions from an impressive list of scholars. Andrew Rippin, G.R. Hawting, Patricia Crone, Herbert Berg, Bowering, Beatrice Greundler, and a host of others all weigh in on issues ranging from the Chronology of the Qur'an to its Compilation; and from Exegetical issues to the controversial questions of the Origins of the Qur'an. Excellent Scholarship marks the first volume's entries on the topics of Arabic Scripts, Language, and Paleography. It draws on recent research and scholarship, including the "paper grave" of manuscripts discovered in Sana'a Yemen which are currently being analyzed by German Professor Gerhard Puin. This first available volume covers topics from "A" through "D", and makes many references to future entries in the volumes which are to follow. While the entries are based on thorough research and academic study, several of the conclusions and observations will be quite controversial in the Muslim community, particularly those which call into question the reliability of Muslim Literary Traditions, and those which are damaging to the traditional understandings of the nature of the Qur'an as a monolithic, unevolved (or even uncreated) source of Divine Revelation. This volume, and those which follow, are certain to establish themselves as instant classics in the libraries of scholars and academic students of Islam around the world.