God in the Qur'an

September 1, 2018
A unique comparison of the Bible and the Qur'an.Pulitzer Prize winner Miles (Emeritus, English and Religious Studies/Univ. of California, Irving; Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, 2001, etc.) approaches the Qur'an with respect and curiosity while acknowledging the fact of his roots as a Christian believer and scholar. He sets out to discover who God is in the context of the Qur'an and how God interacts with humanity. Part of the author's motivation is to bring readers closer to an understanding of their Muslim neighbors and how they may view Allah through scripture. Miles studies the Qur'an alongside the Jewish/Christian Bible, comparing and contrasting how the two holy books--and, by extension, the religions they undergird--view deity. "We must learn," he writes, "to read one another's scriptures, be they secular or sacred, with the same understanding and accommodating eye that we turn upon our own." The author focuses on characters familiar to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus, all of whom appear in the Qur'an with stories far different from those that appear in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. Miles discovers an author, Allah, who is interested above all else in the conversion of individuals and nations. His all-consuming interest is for his creation to believe in him; to that end, he "corrects" prior scriptures that record the tales of the precursors to Muhammad in a differing manner. Noah is not singled out to be saved so much as he preaches the message of Islam to unbelievers. Abraham is less the father of a nation than he is an ultimate example of a good Muslim, submitting to God's word. Jesus is not a figure of redemption, sacrificing himself for others, but instead a prophet and an example of submission. Ultimately, the author has produced a thoroughly readable, literary, and astute approach toward understanding Allah, as God, through basic literary criticism.Good reading and an excellent tool for interfaith dialogue.

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September 10, 2018
Pulitzer-winner Miles (for God: A Biography) provides a generous, if critical, literary interpretation (or “theography,” as he calls it) of Allah, the god of Islam, in this engaging yet disappointing book. It is largely a comparison between the god of the Bible and Allah in the Koran, focusing on how major figures (such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, and Mary) experience God across the texts. For instance, when considering how God worked through Moses, Miles writes: “Yahweh Elohim wants to defeat the Pharaoh; Allah wants to convert him.” Such an approach plays to Miles’s strengths, allowing the book to relish the literary majesty of all three scriptures. But readers will leave the book feeling that there is much more to be said about Allah outside of the narratives that the Koran shares with the Old Testament and New Testament. Missing from this picture of Allah are many ethical and legal topics, historical events of Muhammad’s era, and exhortations to prayer and charity that dominate the text of the Koran. Although Miles’s attempt is admirable, it lacks authority and its limited appeal only extends to a non-Muslim audience.

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Miles concludes a curious trilogy, begun with God: A Biography (1995) and continued in Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God (2001), on God as a literary creation in the three narratives in which he is the principal character: the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an. Since Islam's central book presents itself as the last word on God, which corrects the errors of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, Miles uses comparison to evoke the finished character of God that the Qur'an presents. He accords a keenly interesting, incisive chapter each to the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the ark, Abraham and his father, Abraham and his sons (Ishmael and Jacob), Joseph, Moses, and, finally, Jesus and his mother. In each, biblical and Qur'anic versions are juxtaposed to bring out, in particular, how Allah differs from Yahweh or Elohim (the two principal biblical names of God). What ultimately arises, though Miles doesn't assert it triumphantly, is a portrait of Allah that convincingly establishes why, every time he is invoked in the Qur'an (as well as in speech by Muslims), he is called the most merciful, the lord of mercy, and similar epithets. The appendix on Satan and everlasting life in the Bible and Qur'an increases the value of this illuminating critique.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2018

In his third book in a series addressing the presentation of God in the major monotheistic religion, noted scholar (Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, Boston Coll.) and Pulitzer Prize winner (God: A Biography) Miles examines the Qur'an, focusing on the theological message conveyed through its sacred texts as a literary critic rather than a biblical scholar. He compares narratives in the Qur'an regarding God's interaction with key biblical figures with those from Jewish and Christian passages. These include Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Readers will discover that writings in the Qur'an have less literary complexity but consistently show God (Allah) as full of forgiveness and compassion. Miles concludes by urging Christians to rethink their ideas about Islam and to respond with charity and tolerance. VERDICT A valuable and insightful perspective on Islam and the Qur'an.--John Jaeger, Johnson Univ., Knoxville, TN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2018

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of God: A Biography knows his stuff; he studied religion at Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and holds a doctorate in Near Eastern languages from Harvard. In this third in a trilogy (after God and Christ), he clarifies what is distinctive about Allah (less mercurial than Yahweh and slower to forgive than Jesus) while showing how he belongs in their traditions.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.