Understanding the Koran

by Mateen Elass

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2004

Overview

This volume is a quick non-technical, introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims. Find out how the Koran resembles the Bible—and the drastic ways in which it differs. Understanding the Koran gives you a fascinating 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.

Contents

Top Highlights

“In other words, the Koran did not exist as an undisputed, uniform text from the beginning but achieved that status only after Uthman’s decree was carried out to burn all competing texts and copy instead the newly reformed text of Zaid ibn Thabit.” (Page 45)

“Uthman was not interested in theological integrity but in political unity. Zaid’s text became the preferred one, not because it was right where the others were wrong, but because it was the one in Uthman’s control and thus could be enforced throughout the empire as the mandated text of the Koran.” (Page 47)

“At times Muhammad revealed material that contradicted earlier revelations. As a rationale, he claimed that Allah had abrogated the former and installed the latter as a ‘new and improved’ version.” (Page 32)

“It is reasonable to speculate that Muhammad heard Christians telling these apocryphal stories and incorporated them into his personal portrait of Jesus.” (Page 59)

“Since the all-powerful Allah needs nothing outside himself, he loves nothing outside himself.” (Page 88)

Product Details

• Title: Understanding the Koran
• Author: Mateen Elass
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2011
• Pages: 192
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Koran › Relation to the Bible; Koran › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Christianity and other religions › Islam; Islam › Relations--Christianity; Koran › Controversial literature
• ISBNs: 9780310493723, 9780310248125, 0310493722, 0310248124
• Resource ID: LLS:UNDERKORAN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:36:02Z

About Mateen Elass

Mateen Elass was raised in Saudi Arabia in a Muslim environment. He holds degrees from Stanford University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Durham in England. He has served in a church in Colorado and currently serves as senior pastor of a Presbyterian church in the Midwest. He has written feature articles for Moody magazine, including "What Muslims Think of America."