How to Read Quran as to Carl Ernsts and Mona Siddiqui - Literature review Example

Comparative Book Review: Carl Ernst’s and Mona Siddiqui’s book Introduction Many have focused on addressing issues related to the Islamic religion. This is because the Islamic religion has had a remarkable share of negative criticism because of blames related to terrorism. Across the globe, terror attacks have been associated with Muslims, and many people highlighting that the Islam religion supports terrorism has exhibited that common perception. Mona Siddiqui is one of the authors who have sought to clarify that the content contained in the Qur’an does not promote terrorism in any way. She makes this evident in her insightful book titled, How to Read the Qur’an, which was published in 2008. Unlike other authors who have analyzed the Qur’an, Siddiqui sought to present a simplified guideline of understanding and appreciating the content in the Qur’an. In addition, Carl Ernst, who has earned himself a remarkable reputation for his opinions concerning the Islam religion also, published a book titled, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. In this book, Ernst does more than defend the Islam religion by presenting critical arguments that surround the emerging perspectives developed in the West regarding the Islam religion. Ernst is concerned with the numerous assumptions that the West has made concerning the Islam religion, without any substantial evidence. This paper will consider the subjects discussed in each book and offer a comparative review of the content. Mona Siddiqui, who is a British Muslim target the Muslim audience because she seeks to enlighten them on how to use the Qur’an in a beneficial way. In addition, her book is relevant to the non-Muslim audience, which has constantly misunderstood Muslims and their holy book. She realizes that a remarkable percentage of people rely on the Qur’an entirely for their spirituality. Therefore, these people need proper guidance on using the holy book for their benefit. Siddiqui recognizes that many people face challenges in understanding the Qur’an because of the evident transformation from an oral source of divine scriptures to a written form (Siddiqui 5). On the other end, Carl Ernst targets the western audience in an effort to clarify some issues concerning the Islamic religion. As an informed author, Ernst is aware of the negative criticism and connotations that have been associated with Islam in the West. In his opinion, there is an extreme misconception of different aspects of the Islamic religion. These issues form the bulk of what Ernst addresses in his book (Ernst 11). Whereas Siddiqui divides her content into ten chapters, Ernst book is comprised of six chapters. An Overview of both Books Siddiqui’s book comprises of ten chapters as highlighted above. She dedicates the first chapter on describing how the Qur’an can serve as a guide to many Muslims. She then embarks on describing how the content in the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Siddiqui 18). In other chapters, she describes God’s oneness, how prophecy is perceived as mercy, and the creation of man as well as his vocation. In addition, she tackles one of the common rituals of Islam, which she considers as faith. She does not fail to mention the view of the Qur’an on modesty and modernity. Interestingly, Siddiqui also presents a comparison of Jews and Christians to the Islam religion. Other chapters placed towards the end of the book discuss the law and authority in view of the Islam religion, and embracing critical scholarships. On the other hand, Ernst discusses issues such as the western perspectives and prejudices developed towards the Islamic religion, both in the past and in the modern day. He is also keen to present an analysis of religion and how the West has perceived the evolution of religion. He specifically addresses how the West views the Islamic religion. He then offers a description of the sources considered as reliable in the Islamic religion and identifies them as the Qur’an and the prophet Muhammad (Ernst 71). In addition, Ernst also describes Islamic ethics based on the teachings in the Qur’an and other literatures valued by the Muslims. He also considered it important to also address the different forms of the Islamic religion. In his final chapter, Ernst presented his views on how Muslims and non-Muslims could work on eliminating the existing clashes of religion. Without doubt, the content offered in this book is intriguing and highly informative, especially in the modern day when the West exhibits numerous prejudices against the Islam religion. Common Aspects Discussed in both Books Mona Siddiqui focuses on shedding light on how the Qur’an can be read and utilized for the successful spirituality of Muslims. She gives special regard to the Qur’an and dedicates several chapters on discussing its significance and history. In the first chapter, she helps Muslims recognize that the Quran can be used successfully as their guidance. Using quotations from different suras in the Qur’an, she develops her arguments in the chapter (Siddiqui 16). Notably, her arguments concerning the Qur’an are agreeable because it has been used for a long time by the Muslim faithful. However, she highlights that there is a salient need for Muslims to use the Qur’an in a more beneficial way. On the other hand, Carl Ernst dedicates the third chapter to partly discuss the significance of the Qur’an to the Muslims (Ernst 93). He recognizes that it is the holy book that has served as a source of the divine word for many years when Islam has been practiced. He compares the Qur’an to the bible, which is revered by the Christians. Without doubt, the two authors have common convictions about the value of the Qur’an to many Muslims. They placed emphasis on its use and relevance to the Islam religion, both in the past and in the modern day. Notably, both books also highlight that the Qur’an has been under numerous interpretations over the years. Notably, some interpretations have had positive effects on the understanding of the message contained in the Qur’an. Ernst offers an example of this by highlighting how some interpretations have associated the Qur’an with Greek philosophy. Both authors are keen to reveal that Muslims have interpreted the Qur’an across the globe in the context of their social, political, and cultural contexts. Most importantly, individuals have interpreted the teachings of the Quran based on personal situations and experiences. In addition, Siddiqui gives attention to one individual, who is considered as an influential prophet of the Islam religion. This is Prophet Muhammad, who had the privilege of delivering God’s message to the people. The book highlights that Muhammad received instruction from the angel Gabriel. In turn, Muhammad made sure that the people knew of every word that he had received. The role of Prophet Muhammad is emphasized in the Quran with some verses imploring the people to be obedient both to Allah and to his messenger (Siddiqui 34). Many Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad highly because of the special privileges given to him to deliver messages from God to the people. Siddiqui effectively reveals the role of Muhammad in her book. She presents details of how the prophet received the revelation in different instances and how he retold the message to the people. According to Siddiqui, Mohammad qualifies to be the representation of the Qur’an to the Muslims. His behavior and attitudes conformed to the guidelines presented in the Qur’an. In the Muslim history, he is the only individual identified as having followed the Qur’an very closely setting a remarkable example for other Muslims in the modern day. On the other hand, Ernst does recognize the role of Prophet Muhammad in his book. He mentions him as the most important prophet given high reverence (Ernst 73). Ernst mentions in the third chapter of his book that Prophet Muhammad is one of the reliable sources of the Islamic religion. He is the exemplar of many Muslims in the modern day. This explains why many Muslims are devoted in heeding to the teachings of the prophet. This highlights that both books places emphasis on Prophet Muhammad’s roles and position in the Islam religion. Notably, Muhammad had a special place in the development of Islam because he received the revelation that all Muslims follow as the teachings in the holy book. Notably, Carl Ernst dedicates a chapter of his book in discussing the Islamic ethics. This becomes an intriguing chapter because of a wide misinterpretation of ethical values promoted by the Qur’an. He bases the discussion of the ethics on the teachings available in the Qur’an. Siddiqui also addresses the ethical and moral expectations of Muslims in different chapters of her book. Worth noting, is the fact that religion has been identified as a critical aspect in the determination of ethical values exhibited by a group of people adhering to that religion (Ernst 108). Therefore, it is of significance that Ernst described the ethics of Muslims in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an. A close analysis of what both authors reveal is that Islam does promote a range of ethics as is evident from the Qur’an. Moreover, the fact that Muhammad lived by the ethics based on the Qur’an serves as a confirmation that the religion has defined ethical and moral standards for its faithful. The discussion by these authors serves to clarify the assumptions that the Islam religion is short on ethics. Worth noting is the fact that both authors recognize the fact that the Isla religion has been criticized and blamed in the recent past. For example, Siddiqui mentions that some critics believe that the Qur’an is a promoter of war and terrorism, and that it preaches against peace. However, she counters this view by illustrating that the Qur’an promotes peace and does not justify the acts of terrorism. She advises non-Muslims exhibiting this view to reconsider what the Qur’an exactly indicates concerning peace and war (Siddiqui 19). Similarly, Ernst mentions that the Islamic religion has been through numerous criticisms especially from the West. Few people from the West have understood the Muslim doctrines clearly, but they have actively been against the religion. He gives the example of the fundamentalist view associated with all the Muslims by the Westerners, but not followed by all Muslims across the globe. In a bid to clear this misunderstanding, Ernst highlights that the West should reconsider the uniqueness of the Islam religion, and appreciate it in the context of global religions (Ernst 203). Contribution of the Books to Scholarship Evidently, Ernst is a renowned scholar a factor that makes his work be considered scholarly. In an era when there is a salient need of a critical understanding of the Islamic religion, his book serves to contribute to an increasing knowledge of the Islam religion. Other scholars can rely on his arguments when discussing issues related to the Islamic religion ((Ernst 200). Since he is a Muslim, his work is considered reliable because he understands the central doctrines of the religion. Although his work may exhibit a measure of bias in his effort to defend the Islam religion, his arguments serve to clarify many issues. Without doubt, he describes issues that of interest to other scholars, a factor that makes his work a preferred read. On the other hand, Siddiqui succeeds in contributing positively to scholarly work related to the Islamic religion. She presents teachings from the Qur’an in a manner that is easily understood by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Her work serves to place emphasis on the fact that the Qur’an is a holy book, which promotes moral behavior among Muslims. Although the book is written in a simplistic form, its relevance among other scholars cannot be underestimated. Evaluation of both Books It is no doubt that both authors address critical issues that define the Islamic religion. Both books are reliable sources for readers interested in central maters of the Islamic religion. Siddiqui presents a factual description of the different sections of the Qur’an. The fact that she quotes the Qur’an, and uses it as the basis of her discussion, it makes her work more appealing. The simplistic form of the work is sufficient to attract many readers who have an interest in understanding the Qur’an. I found her discussion on the Prophet Muhammad’s role and the prophecy very impressive and compelling. If the behavior of Prophet Muhammad is considered a standard in assessing moral behavior of other Muslims, it emerges that different group of the Islam religion need to follow his example more closely. On the other hand, the topics discussed by Ernst are considered highly controversial in the modern day. Considering that the west is negatively inclined to the Islam religion, Ernst seeks to clear matters in a prudent way. He describes the Islam religion in a different light and offers some of the critical doctrines of the religion in his discussion. His book is a worthwhile read for the critical readers who need to understand different perspectives that have been developed concerning the Islam religion. Both books are an effective combination for readers who need a critical understanding of the spirituality of Muslims. Conclusion As highlighted above, both Siddiqui and Ernst have presented arguments concerning the Islamic religion. Whereas Siddiqui tries to depict that, the Qur’an can be read and understood, Ernst seeks to clarify the misconceptions about the Islamic religion that have emerged from the West. Both books augment each other in the discussion of subjects such as the role and purpose of the Quran, the role of Prophet Muhammad, as well as critical issues surrounding the Islam religion. Both books are recommendable for Muslims and non-Muslims, as they can offer a detailed analysis of the central tenets of the Islamic religion. Work Cited Ernst, Carl W. Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. Chapel Hill [u.a.: Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2004. Print. Siddiqui, Mona. How to Read the Qurʼan. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2007. Print. Read More