Patricia Crone's latest book is about the Iranian response to the Muslim penetration of the Iranian countryside; the revolts subsequently triggered there; and the religious communities that these revolts revealed. The book also describes a complex of religious ideas that; however varied in space and unstable over time; has demonstrated a remarkable persistence in Iran across a period of two millennia. The central thesis is that this complex of ideas has been endemic to the mountain population of Iran and occasionally become epidemic with major consequences for the country; most strikingly in the revolts examined here; and in the rise of the Safavids who imposed Shi'ism on Iran. This learned and engaging book by one of the most influential scholars of early Islamic history casts entirely new light on the nature of religion in pre-Islamic Iran; and on the persistence of Iranian religious beliefs both outside and inside Islam after the Arab conquest.
#611524 in Books David Hungerford Safi Kaskas 2016-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x 1.27 x 5.98l; .38 #File Name: 099659244X570 pagesThis translation boasts over 3000 references to the Bible; which effectively serves to highlight the spiritual common ground we share within these Holy books.This will have substantial impact at dismantling the divisive misunderstandings from scriptures taken out of contextThere are over 100 References Of Jesus In The Qur'an.In the hands of Christians; this Qur'an will be paradigm-shaping transformative.In the hands of Muslims; it will effectively challenge the unfounded roots of radicalism. Developing tools like this are a critical part of defeating the foundations of radicalism.
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. good translation for those not familiar with Biblical stories or where things are located in the BibleBy L. GeocarisThis is my first reading of the Quran. I thought the Biblical references would be helpful - they are in some instances; but mostly I am ignoring them since I have read the Bible several times and being familiar with those stories makes the notes less helpful. More helpful are the notes about Arab history that I am not familiar with ... but there aren't a lot of these. I do like the translation itself - easy to read and the authors make a point of pointing out what the original text refers to when it is a hard passage (i.e. kill all non-believers isn't as horrible as it looks ... people who take that translation are the far-right of the religion; and this is what it would have meant in the original script; etc.).This would be a good purchase for someone not terribly familiar with the Bible and where its stories are found. I will find another version to read should I want to go through it again.*Also; it was not edited carefully. I have found a few typos that are not terribly glaring; but enough to notice when reading. And at the end of the chapter on the prophet Jonah; vs. 102-108 were completely missing so I had to find them online; print and tape into the book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Distinguishing between essence and practice in the world religionsBy Robert D. CraneBy comparing similar passages in the Bible and Qur'an this magesterial work shows their common essence. This approach highlights the difference between Islam and Islamdom and between Christianity and Christendom; that is; between divine revelation and the failure of some Muslims and Christians to practice it. This kind of scholarship can and should be applied to all the world religions.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very disappointedBy Richard M.NOTE: This review is entirely focused on the editorial; typographical; and printing errors of the book. I am not qualified in any way to comment on the translation.I have noticed in the small portion I've read so far so many errors that their presence is now a distraction --- in other words I am more focused on spotting the errors than on the message of the book. For example; the back cover has 3 errors alone - one would think this should be 100% error-free as the back cover is a major marketing effort of most books. There are several errors in the two forwards and introductions by the book's two authors. Even the table of contents page numbers are wrong for Introductions 1 and 2. Introduction 2 begins without any heading or other clear transition. The only thing in the Glossary that I've read (Jesus) has one grammatical error. In the Chapters I've read so far (98-114); which contain very little text; I have seen several typos in the footnotes (e.g. Ch 113's footnote writes "it's" where it should be "its"; Ch114 has "to" where it should have "too"). In one chapter (98); the translation is cut short; as the last line of text wasn't printed. With the exception of the last error I pointed out; all I've come across so far are minor in that the meaning can still be understood. However; for a book written by two Phd's (intentionally using the wrong abbreviation for doctor as used in the book); I would expect a far smaller error rate. The fact that the error rate is so high leads me to doubt that the proper attention to detail was used in the translations in the text; to the point where I would send this book back for a refund if I was able. Overall; I love the idea of cross-referencing the Bible; and eagerly await the 2nd edition; where I assume most of these errors will have been corrected.
