Additional information
by Hassan Radwan (Translator), Abbas Abdul Noor (Author)
** ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK WILL GO TO OXFAM www.oxfam.org.uk/ ****There are very few books by Muslims that analyse the Qur'an in a truly critical way-and even fewer written in Arabic by Arabs. This book is important because it breaks that ground and removes that barrier.The book has been available in Arabic for about ten years in PDF form. The first page identifies the text as a draft copy, indicating that it was not finalised for printing. Comments on the internet indicate that the book was refused publication in Egypt and other Arab countries, which is not unexpected given the difficulty of publishing critical commentary on the Qur'an in such regions. Apart from the biographical details given by the book itself, little is known about its author. The text identifies the author by the name "Abbas Abdul Noor." It seems likely that this name is an alias used to conceal the author's identity due to fear of repercussions from publishing such a forthright analysis.The Arabic text demonstrates the author's deep knowledge of the Qur'an and the hadith, which is reflected by his use of numerous allusions and references that may be difficult for the non-Muslim to grasp. I have added many footnotes to explain and cite these references so that readers who may be less familiar with the Qur'an will nonetheless be able to follow the author's arguments and observations.The reader will immediately notice the book's distinctive style and language, which is complex and poetic. Arabic, like all languages, reflects the culture and mentality that is particular to the peoples who speak the language and their unique history. Translating any work is always a challenge, but it is particularly difficult to translate an Arabic book like this into English.The book is written in the classical Arabic style that crystallised during the flowering of Arabic literature. This style may appear somewhat over-elaborated and flowery for English, and so I was tempted to translate it into a less literal form. But I finally opted for a fairly straightforward translation that gives the reader a more faithful representation of the Arabic style. This helps convey the author's perspective on the Qur'an as an Arab Muslim, and communicates his personal journey and insights.
Author Biography
Abbas Abdul Noor was born in Damanhur in 1927. He was a Sufi Sheikh, a pious Muslim of the Sunni creed, a jurist, and a principal of a Sufi lodge. He inherited knowledge of the religion from his forefathers and ancestors, who were recognised for their piety, strength of doctrine, and righteousness. In his city, he led his followers (murids/religious pupils of a Sufi path) upon the path of true faith and devotion to worship. As a young man, he enrolled in the Faculty of Theology at Al Azhar, where he studied for three years. He decided to complete the fourth year at the University of Fuad I, where he studied under intellectual titans such as Abdel Rahman Badawi, Zaki Naguib Mahmoud, Muhammed Abdul Hadi Abu Reeda, Ahmad Fuad Al-Ahwani, Yusuf Murad, and others. After completing his degree, he was awarded a scholarship from the Department of Islamic Endowments to study in Paris at the Sorbonne, where he obtained a doctorate in philosophy. When he returned to his city, he resumed his religious endeavours, and became a preacher, imam, and a speaker in one of its mosques. He then persevered at the local university, teaching and writing erudite philosophical books. He produced a number of publications concerning philosophical, Islamic, and Arabic thought. His works have been reprinted several times in Cairo and Beirut.
