The Quran and the Future of Islam

Islam, like other religions, finds itself at a time of tension between tradition and the modern world. Abu Zayd, a theologian expelled from Egypt for his reformist interpretation of the Quran, presents a very modern vision of the Holy Scriptures of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, addressing historical issues, spiritual aspects of Muslim religious practice, and such current issues as gender relations, violence, democracy, and human rights. The Quran and the Future of Islam seeks to bring this religion closer to the reader's heart without defending or accusing it. The starting point is the analysis of the Quran as a historical text, leading to an analysis of the successive transformations that Islam has undergone over the centuries. Without the interactions with India, Iran, or Hellenism, Islam cannot be conceived. "The practical and political significance of a religion cannot be found in the text itself, but in the correlation between the text and historical processes, in the interaction between the believer and their sacred texts." Abu Zayd

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd

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