The Critical Qur'an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research

Finally, we have an English translation of the Quran that examines the text from a critical point of view. Robert Spencer has done a great service to those of us who like to study world religions from a critical perspective. PROS: The text of the Quran is accompanied by foot notes that provide information of how the text was understood by early Muslims, by using the earliest Islamic commentaries as well as pointing out textual variants from among the different early versions of the Quran, along with historical and source criticism. Robert Spencer clarifies the text of the Quran by examining it in light of Pre-Islamic Jewish and Christian texts (often heretical) and how their ideas find their way into the theology of the Quran. Also, contemporary critical historical research is used to further furnish the solid scholarship that went into producing the Critical Quran. CONS: It would have been better if Robert Spencer had chosen to use Arthur John Arberry's translation, but he decided to use Pickthall's English translation of the Quran. Despite, its popularity, there are certain passages that are not translated correctly. For example, Surah 9:30-31 "(30) And the Jews say, Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say, The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the statements of those who disbelieved before. May Allah curse them. How perverse they are. (31) They have taken as lords besides Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah, the son of Mary, when they were called to worship only one God. There is no God except him. May he be glorified from all that they ascribe as partners." Arberry in his "The Koran Interpreted" has accurately translated this passage as follows: "(30) The Jews say, 'Ezra is the Son of God'; the Christians say, 'The Messiah is the Son of God'. That is the utterance of their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them. God assail them! How they are perverted! (31) They have taken their rabbis and their monks as lords apart from God, and the Messiah, Mary's son - and they were commanded to serve but One God; there is no god but He; glory be to Him, above that they associate." Arberry's translation is closer to the original Arabic, where both Jews, and Christians are denounced; The Jews for taking their Rabbis as lords apart from Allah, and the Christians for taking their Monks as lords apart Allah and the Messiah. Pickthall's translation changes the meaning of verse 31 to include Jesus with the Monks as part of the unbelief of Christians, when the Quran is actually reprimanding Christians for taking the Monks as lords along Allah and Jesus. In other words, only Allah and Jesus deserve worship, and the Rabbis and Monks should not be made equal to them. SUGGESTION: I do have a suggestion for improvement, perhaps for a 2nd expanded edition of The Critical Quran. It would be great if it included a comprehensive collection of Muslim and non-Muslim testimonies that talk about how portions of the Quran are missing. The Critical Quran is a relatively small book in size, but it is a giant leap for the serious study of the Quran.

Recommended for apologetics. Very excellent work Robert Spencer!

Great for showing the issues found in the Quran. Easy to read and understand.

The Critical Qur'an was originally in the Amazon category "Quran". At the time it was removed from this category by Amazon, it was #1. I expected the Critical Quran to be critical of Islam, since the author is very familiar with the problems of Islam: its founder, his and his companions' deeds and sayings, and its history. However, the annotations seem to be taken primarily from Islamic scholars, and the comments I have encountered thus far are extremely fair. [UPDATE: unfortunately, while the commentary is a great improvement over existing translations, it still repeats some false renderings of the text from preceding dishonest translations. Example: 2.27 where it says, “… he has brought it (Quran) down…, confirming what came before it (Torah and the Gospels)” actually says, “…confirming what *is in his hands* (Torah and the Gospels)”, as it proves that the author of the Quran accepted the authenticity of the Torah and the Gospels at the time of the assumed revelation to Muhammad. This destroys the assertion of Muslims that the books of the Jews and Christians have been corrupted, we have manuscripts dating before the 7th century A.D. Note that this false translation and others similar to it are carried forward even into dictionaries. You will find the truth only by getting dictionary translations of individual words and idioms—pasting Quran text into a translator will usually reproduce the false translations (to avoid the embarrassing truth)]. If any English translation of the Qur'an having annotations should be included in the category "Quran", this one should be, as well. That said, if you do not like annotations in the text, you will not be happy with this translation. If you want to understand the Quran as Islamic scholars understand it, yet with a perspective of those having knowledge of the actual contents of the Old and New Testaments and the history of the Abrahamic faiths, you will benefit more from this translation than any other. If I change my opinion after reading more, I will update this entry.

Good book for understanding the historical context of Islam and not sugarcoating the history and the commands for jihad and commands for subjugation of non-muslims, heartily recommended!

The academic textual critical study of the Quran is a limited field, especially at the popular level. What academic textual critical scholarship that looks at the Quran as a document in the historical context has been either very old or very deeply aimed at a professional audience. The Critical Quran presents a useful introduction to the academic and critical study of the Quran to a popular audience. The translation is clear and leans to the literalist. The copious footnotes attempt to clarify the text of the Quran using references primarily to classical Islamic sources, and to early Christian writings on the Quran, such few that exist, and refers to 20th and 21st century academic analysis as well. Given the very limited availability of resources for the study of the Quran as a historical document, this is an essential volume for those interested in that area. There are some negatives however. First is that the footnotes cross reference other parts of the Quran by sura number and verse, but the running headers only give the sura titles. It would have been immensely helpful to have the sura number in the headers for those of us who don’t have the sura titles and numbers memorized. The other negative is that Robert Spencer has quite a controversial reputation, whether deserved or not, and that alone will prevent some people from taking this book seriously as an academic work, which is quite unfortunate, since there’s nothing else like it available.

A complete written record of the Quran and this has very helpful insights expressed in the subtext. This is an amazing resource for anyone trying to read and understand the Quran.

As a Jew seeking to broaden my understanding of Islam, "The Critical Qur'an" by Robert Spencer has been an invaluable resource. Spencer's meticulous exploration of key Islamic commentaries, coupled with contemporary historical research, provides a unique lens through which to comprehend the complexities of the Quran. What sets this book apart is its ability to shed light on the historical context and theological perspectives that have contributed to the relationship between Muslims and Jews. Spencer delves into the reasons behind misunderstandings, addressing the difficult question of why some Muslims harbor negative sentiments towards Jews. Through his insights, I've gained a deeper understanding of the nuances that shape interfaith dynamics. Moreover, the book offers a thought-provoking analysis of events, such as those on the 7th of October 2023, contributing to a more nuanced comprehension of the motivations behind such actions. While opinions may differ, "The Critical Qur'an" encourages readers to engage in thoughtful dialogue and fosters an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

Early Muslim Quranic commentaries and Hadiths are pretty well universally at odds with what Muslim scholars who try to market Islam in the West are saying. Too often, I would find them (seemingly) intentionally misinterpreting Quranic verses and stories to make them more palatable to the reasonable Western person, only to go into the Hadiths and classical, accepted Quranic commentary to find their explanation completely at odds with accepted scholarly sources. This Quran links the verses directly to prominent classical Quranic commentaries as well as Sahih (authentic-grade) Hadiths (narrations from Mohammed himself, often explaining Quranic verses). It also translates the verses in a way which is more faithful to the original Arabic (as backed up by classical Arabic lexicons, Quranic commentaries, and authentic-grade Hadiths). This is very useful if you are looking to study this book without having to worry about editorialization. An example of this editorialization often found in English Qurans is Surah An‑Nisāʾ 4:34, where you find translations ranging from telling you that you should gently strike your wife, to outright beatings for acts of disobedience. Any reference to "gently" is completely missing in the Arabic, and the context would better render "strike" as "beat". This Quran translates it to "beat", as well as providing a glossary of translations and how they render it, showing that this is by far the most accepted translation, and that any reference to non-physical reprisals, as well as "gentle" treatment is by far the exception and not the norm. Overall, a great study tool with a wealth of notes.

Must buy for non believers and for believers in doubt!! Best book available in the market on verse by verse translation(actual translation). Very well researched. Thank you so much Robert for this amazing literary contribution. 🙏

Ett oändligt rabblande av surorna i koranen.

I can just advise everyone who wants to get independent information on Islam to buy this book because this book is full of commentaries of Islamic scholars and experts, leaving no assumption or statement about a verse and the Quran factless or without base. If you buy this book, you will have enough ammunition and fire power to join in on a debate with Muslim extremists or deceitful Muslims. Also one plus point for this book is that this book also describes the doctrine of -abrogation- in Islam, meaning the replacement of peaceful versus with much more violent and deadly ones that came after and are contradictory to each other (sura 2:verse 106)… which will destroy 70% of all defense arguments, trying to hide the true face of the Quran… Also, a big factor I need to mention is that you can check all evidence yourself on the endnotes… also proving that this is a rather scientific than islamophobic work…

It’s the Quran, but with lots of author notes in the footer of each page with clear reference to the Surah’s being discussed. This is very easily read. I was surprised by how much information is in the footer notes, and it indicates further texts that readers may find helpful (like really really helpful to anyone researching the Quran and its history).