The Art of Narrative in the Holy Qur'an: A Literary Appreciation of a Sacred Text Book

Foreword Hayat Alvi-Aziz Alvi-Aziz, Hayat

Ch. 1 Allah is No Artist 5

Redeeming Lost Glory 5

Apria and Doubt 6

Propadeutics 12

Critical Myopias 16

My Critical Position 20

Muhammad's Art 24

Allah and Muhammad Once More 42

Hudaybiyya, Allah, and Literature 47

Noah and Abraham 55

Ijtihad, Self, and Difference 67

The Soul of Qur'an in Depth 79

What Most Mankind Don't Know 93

I'jaz as Muhammad 100

Qur'an and Islamism 117

Qur'an and Order of Suras 133

Qur'an as Timeless Drama 142

Conclusion 149

Ch. 2 Qur'an is no History 151

Recap 151

Jihad, faith, and Democracy 158

Past and Present 176

More Narratives 186

The Question of mathal 215

Mother of the Book and Ta'wil 225

Once More The Story of David 234

Al-Zamakhshari 240

Mathal and Myth Once More 246

Asatir 256

Conclusion 276

Ch. 3 Muhammad's States of Soul 279

A Brief Critique 279

The Snake 285

King David, Muhammad, and Leadership 293

Difference and Coexistence 303

Narrative Mirror Negativity 311

Life as Literature 327

Concern for Animals 335

Satan (Iblis) and his Role 346

The Art of Dialogue 350

The Story of Joseph 355

Gender Issues 369

Conclusion 387

Epilogue 391

Bibliography 395

Index 403