I wrote this book because I want to help people understand Islam. This is not an attempt to spread a religion or to denigrate it. I offer it as a gift to anyone seeking to bridge the gap in their understanding of Islam. In the end, education and understanding-and acceptance of other cultures-will unite the world against hatred. Let this be a part of that education.
This book is intended for audiences that have very little familiarity with Islam, the Qur'an, or Muslim culture. It also may be beneficial for Muslims that cannot read Arabic but find the current English versions difficult to read.
As a student of Islam and frequent wanderer of the broader Middle East region for over 20 years I have had many an occasion to read the Qur'an, visit mosques, and talk with my acquaintances about Islam. I took advantage of every opportunity in my studies to learn about Islam from many different points of view. I also focused on the little-known "Ibadhi Muslims" of Oman in my postgraduate thesis. While many interpretations of the Qur'an have been written by Muslims (whose first language is usually not English), those translations are often difficult to read. I attempt here to make an easy-to-read version in an unbiased way using modern English.
There are people that feel threatened by Islam as a religion. Some people assume that a Muslim translating the Qur'an into English softens the language to make it more pleasant and less threatening, so they can spread the religion. Other interpreters are even suspected of making the passages sound like God is condoning unlawful violence. On the other side of the equation, many translations or analysis of the Qur'an are done by non-Muslims that seek to find faults in the messages of the Qur'an or vilify the entire religion of Islam.
I seek a middle ground here. My sole intent is to show people what is and is not in the Qur'an and thereby, strictly speaking, what could be expected from a Muslim that adheres to the majority of the teachings of the Qur'an. I think most readers will find that, like all religious people, not all Muslim adherents follow the teachings of the entire Qur'an.
