Читать книгу Towards Understanding the Qur'an - Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi - Страница 21

Introduction1

It must be said at once that this is an introduction to Towards Understanding the Qur’an, and not to the Qur’an itself. It has been written with two objectives. First, to acquaint the reader with certain matters which he should grasp at the very outset so as to achieve a more than superficial understanding of the Holy Book. Second, to clarify those disturbing questions that commonly arise in the mind of the reader during the study of the Qur’an.

[ I ]

We are accustomed to reading books which present information, ideas and arguments systematically and coherently. So when we embark on the study of the Qur’an, we expect that this book too will revolve around a definite subject, that the subject matter of the book will be clearly defined at the beginning and will then be neatly divided into sections and chapters, after which discussion will proceed in a logical sequence. We likewise expect a separate and systematic arrangement of instruction and guidance for each of the various aspects of human life.

However, as soon as we open the Qur’an we encounter a hitherto completely unfamiliar genre of literature. We notice that it embodies precepts of belief and conduct, moral directives, legal

1 Mawlana Abul A[la Mawdudi wrote this ‘Introduction’ for his Tafhim al- Qur’an. It is being reproduced here to acquaint the readers with some of the basic ideas that inform the author’s approach to understanding the Qur’an. – Ed.

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