The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam Hardcover – April 28, 2020

Contrary to a negative review here, I thought the book fulfilled its purpose well and was helpful. The commentary is not denigrating to Muslims; the purpose of the book is to help Christians understand the Quran, not as something to be given to Muslims as a polemic against Islamic theology. It isn’t meant for that, and that is not what it does. The commentators (as Christians) aren’t going to accept Islamic theological conclusions. But even so, the comments were fair and in no way antagonistic. They were meant to be educational. When a critical reviewer suggests that this book does not take into account all that various contemporary Muslims think about the Quran and its interpretation, that completely misses the point. This book is about what the Quran says. With Christian commentary. It is not a book about all the various views that different Muslim scholars today have about the Quran. Some of those are mentioned, but this book is about the text itself - from a Christian perspective.What this book does is it provides a biblically literate reader with a way to understand the Quran that is helpful and familiar. And as a resource it is good because many (most, even 99% of) Christians have never read and are totally unfamiliar with the Quran. If you have ever tried talking to a Muslim about the Quran when you have not read it, good luck. It makes you seem ignorant and the conversation won’t go far.I applaud the idea of more Christians at least understanding the content of the Quran so that they can better understand Muslims. Not to use this knowledge against Muslims but to know what they’re talking about when they talk about Islam and to understand who they’re talking to when they talk to Muslims. How else are we to build bridges and contextualize? Similarly, for a Christian who rejects the teachings of the Quran, it at least helps to have read it so that a person understands what they are rejecting.I honestly thought it was a helpful resource, and worth adding to one’s library.

This is a fantastic resource. Between the covers is a work of consummate scholarship. Dr Nickel is a true Christian student of Islam. His approach is incredibly multifaceted, dealing with a specific translation that avoids being too flat or theologically misleading. He also interacts with translation difficulties. He brings the reader back to how the Qur’an is traditionally understood.I appreciate this book because he does not follow the contemporary trend that, in my view, distorts our understanding of Islam in order to make it compatible with popular views of the theology of religions and its anthropological basis. It Is honest and loaded with useful information. It is a reference work. It stands alone but it also serves as a bridge for one’s expanded investigations in more specific pursuits.Opinions are divided on the book’s utility according to experienced missionaries and Missiologists. I can understand that. A few of the customer reviews cite its lack of practicality, I believe, according to how they personally intersect with the subject matter. I understand that, but I think they may overlook its underlying structure. It is not a streamlined tool for polemics. It is a careful, scholarly baseline. It avoids constructions that either require one to pursue the “latest” theories based on historical-critical methods or the opposite approach that centres on something like Volf’s focus on flourishing. In doing so, it carefully brings our attention to what the Qur’an actually says. There are all sorts of books written in the last decade that attempt to recreate Islam around the worship of the same God as Christians. Gordon Nickel will have none of it.I find it eminently useful and it will be a standard reference for years to come. I also believe it to be practical and like some of its critics, I too have a bit of experience, having lived and worked in the Muslim world, on and off, since 1979. I wish I had a copy of it when I lived in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and London. I hope to refer it to national church leaders in a number of countries so that they may pursue translation agreements with the publisher.By all means, get a copy and read it.

This book provides a Christian reader of the Qur'an with useful commentary, helpful break-out mini-articles, and is carried on A. J. Droge's rendering of the Qur'an which is perhaps the most readable English version of the Qur'an available. While it is not intended to be a comprehensive commentary on majority Muslim readings of the Qur'an, its insight pairs well with Seyyed Hossein Nasr's edited Study Qur'an. I am grateful for the work of Gordon Nickel and the several other contributors to this project for helping to walk Christian readers through the Qur'an, pointing out its differences from the Bible while helping Christians to better understand their Muslim neighbors and the holy book of Islam.

I bought this for a class comparing Jewish, Christian, and Islamic understandings of sacred history and the biblical/quranic figures. It's a good, very readable translation. I was previously unfamiliar with how the quran reads. I couldn't just sit down and read it but this is a good reference copy.It gets 4 stars because the commentary is a bit lacking... sort of obvious and no depth. Would have perhaps been more insightful to include commentary from saints who lived in Islamic lands. So in conclusion, a good reference copy for Christians, but don't expect too much from the commentary.

The Quran with Christian Commentary is a wonderful resource for Christians wanting to learn more about what Muslims believe. Dr. Nickel writes a very comprehensive commentary and I highly recommend this book. It is full of insight and wisdom and is a great tool for learning what our Muslim friends believe.